Motherhood Unmasked

Leah Bennett

When considering the word import, many people’s minds may automatically go to food, clothing, or even cars before thinking of services. In Jai Chakrabarti’s story “The Import”, we see a different perspective on what it means to import services. “The Import” by Jai Chakrabarti is a short story that explores the complexities of immigration, cultural identity, and personal sacrifice. Rupa’s experience as a live-in caregiver for Raj and Bethany’s child highlights the often-invisible emotional labor of motherhood, especially within the contexts of migration, class, and cultural difference.

Through her silent sacrifices and the emotional complexities of caregiving for a child who is not her own, Rupa embodies the struggles of women who are expected to navigate both personal loss and the demands of others’ families. This dynamic resonates deeply with my own personal experiences of being a single mother, as well as others whose emotional labor is frequently undervalued and overlooked by those in more privileged positions. Though I am American-born, I deeply resonate with the societal pressures mothers face and the sacrifices they make. Our story delves into Raj’s relationship with his wife, his issues with honesty in his marriage, as well as the cultural and emotional implication of Rupas role within their family dynamic.

In my efforts to examine “The Import” through a reader-response critical lens, I will be focusing on how different readers might engage with the text. A reader-response analysis allows for an exploration of how the story’s themes resonate with varied audiences based on their own cultural backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. By considering how the story may be interpreted differently by readers from diverse socio-political contexts, we are able to investigate the broader implications of the narrative for its potential audiences.

A key theme of the story is family, not just in a physical sense but as an emotional and cultural aspect that impacts both the individual and their relationships. While Raj is the main character, and narrator of our story, I found myself more closely relating to Rupa upon my reading. As stated, I am not an immigrant and can’t relate to the hardship that come with leaving behind your culture, but I am a mother. A mother who understands deeply the profound emotional labor that comes with child rearing, and the unrealistic societal expectation mother are held to.

Rupa is portrayed as a complex figure whose emotional labor, particularly in the context of caregiving, is often invisible and underappreciated by those around her. As a live-in babysitter, she performs a job that requires more than just the physical act of caregiving. Her role is intertwined with the emotional and mental responsibilities of taking care of a child who isn’t her own, navigating language and cultural differences, and adjusting to an unfamiliar environment. Her experience reflects a broader narrative of women who, often in service roles, carry emotional labor that others may overlook.

In Mary Romeos article “Nanny Diaries and Other Stories: Immigrant Women’s Labor in the Social Reproduction of American Families” she discusses that the globalization of childcare is rooted in the income inequality that drives women from poorer countries to provide low-wage care work for wealthier families. Despite low wages, hiring a nanny remains one of the most expensive childcare options. This system relies on a form of servitude, where privileged women benefit from the exploitation of other women, usually immigrants from lower-income nations. The largest number of domestic workers is found in regions with high income inequality, while in areas with minimal inequality, domestic work is less prevalent.

Arlie Hochschild explores the emotional and human costs of global migration in this chapter of “Back Stage of the Global Free Market: Nannies and Surrogates “, particularly for women who serve as migrant workers. It describes how an increasing number of women from poorer countries, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, move to wealthier countries to perform caregiving tasks, such as nannies, nurses, and surrogates. While these workers often earn better wages than at home, they face emotional challenges, including the disruption of relationships with their families and their own identities. This is helpful when looking at our story, as Rupa has also had her life turned around in order to provide for Raj and Bethany. The article critiques the dominant narrative of globalization, which emphasizes the financial benefits and ‘free choice’ of migration, while neglecting the emotional toll on migrant workers, especially women. The piece argues that the ideology of globalization, which focuses on market freedom and economic transactions, fails to address the emotional costs faced by migrant workers, especially in the context of a deregulated global economy.

From my own perspective as a young single mother, I deeply resonance with Rupa’s position. The way she holds her emotions in check, whether it’s when she smiles despite being tugged at by Shay or when she patiently endures the small, hurtful remarks from the family, strike a chord with me. As someone who became a mother very young, I was the subject of many unwanted comments surrounding my abilities, as well as unchecked ridicule from others in more favorable positions than myself. Rupa has come into a family that doesn’t fully understand her, much like how single mothers often feel misunderstood or unsupported in their own caregiving roles. Rupa’s emotional labor is quiet but constant, and it seems to be valued less by the people she’s serving, even though it is essential to their household.

“The Import” also shows the cultural and personal disconnect between Rupa and the family she’s working for, particularly Raj and his wife, Bethany. Raj’s mother’s decision to send Rupa from India, along with the economic disparities between Rupa’s background and her new environment, emphasizes the power dynamics at play. They often view her as with little autonomy, as if she exists solely to provide for their son “What does The Import eat?” Bethany asked. Two cocktails in, she’d found a nickname for Rupa that tickled them both. “Mac and cheese?” he asked. “Cocoa Puffs with chocolate milk?” (Chakrabarti 3) Rupa’s unspoken emotional world and her attachment to her daughter Lakshmi, whom she has to leave behind, are all woven into the narrative as forms of emotional labor that are not fully recognized by those around her. For Rupa, this journey is more than a physical move, it is an emotional sacrifice.

From a reader-response perspective, my own experience as a mother makes me particularly attuned to Rupa’s quiet sacrifice. Rupa’s emotional labor is not just in caring for a child who is not hers, but in reconciling the pain of being far from her own child while forming a bond with someone else’s. This mirrors the emotional toll that comes with being a mother who must juggle multiple responsibilities, often at the cost of personal needs and desires.

As a young single mother, I deeply recognize the “invisibility” of Rupa’s motherhood experience. Despite being a mother herself, Rupa’s role in this story is primarily defined by the family’s needs rather than her own, particularly her own needs as a mother. Raj’s realization that Rupa has a child highlights the emotional gap in his understanding of her situation. “The potential loss of those afternoons at the bar, or at the beach, or winding his way through the couples’ intimacy workshops he’d signed himself and Bethany up for, was too much to bear” (7) His shock upon learning this new information, the idea that she is a mother too, balancing her responsibilities between her own child and the family she works for, reflects the way society often overlooks the emotional labor of caregivers, especially those who are expected to leave their own lives behind for the sake of others.

Rupa’s experience also intersects with issues of power, identity, and class. She comes from a different cultural and economic background, and her emotional labor is underscored by her need to send money home, particularly for her daughter’s education. While I do not need to send money away for my daughter’s education, I do relate to the idea of doing whatever is needed in order to provide for her the best. Raj’s casual dismissal of the emotional burden Rupa carries, such as when he is surprised that she has a child of her own, exemplifies the larger cultural divide between those who live in privilege and those who must sacrifice in order to sustain their families.  Rupa is not just a caregiver, she is a woman doing the emotional labor of motherhood while navigating the challenges of migration, class, and distance from her own child.

This dynamic reminds me of my own circumstances, as a young single mother who had to raise her child while deeply in poverty. While her father was involved initially, it was my responsibility as the mother to book all appointments, get up for each feed every night, and change every diaper. There were no congratulations that followed my actions, as they did many times when her father fulfilled any, but the hollow sound of expectation falling over me. This was my duty, nothing to be celebrated.

In conclusion, analyzing Rupa’s experience through a reader-response lens allows us to understand her role not only as a caretaker but as a woman navigating the deep emotional labor of motherhood, whether it’s for her own child or for another’s. The story highlights the invisibility of this labor, especially when it comes from a marginalized position, and resonates with the real struggles that many mothers, particularly single mothers, face in their everyday lives. The emotional labor of caregiving, the sacrifices made, and the personal toll it takes are all themes that are central to Rupa’s experience, and your perspective as a mother adds a poignant depth to her narrative.

Works Cited:

Chakrabarti, Jai. “The Import.” Ploughshares, vol. 49, no. 1, Spring 2023, pp. 19–32. EBSCOhost, doi-org.cwi.idm.oclc.org/10.1353/plo.2023.0024.Romero, Mary.

“Nanny Diaries and Other Stories: Immigrant Women’s Labor in the Social Reproduction of American Families.” Revista de Estudios Sociales, no. 45, Jan. 2013, pp. 186–97.

EBSCOhost, doi-org.cwi.idm.oclc.org/10.7440/res45.2013.15.

Hochschild, A. (2012). Back Stage of the Global Free Market: Nannies and Surrogates. In: Soeffner, HG. (eds) Transnationale Vergesellschaftungen. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-18971-0_106