Anita And Me Context edexcel 2-Post-1914-Literature

Anita and Me historical context

The partition of India marked a significant moment in South Asian history and impacted millions of lives, causing mass migrations. 

Partition of India

• The novel refers to events taking place at the time of Meera Syal’s life, as well as during her parents’ and grandparents’ lifetimes

• In Anita and Me, Syal refers to a significant historical event, the partition of India:

  • India was under British rule between 1858 and 1947

  • In 1947, as part of the agreement for an independent India, a policy was enacted whereby India was divided into two countries: India and Pakistan

  • The process also separated each country by religion; Pakistan was to become Muslim and India was to be Hindu

• Simultaneously, in Britain, as a result of the destruction caused by World War II, the British government focused on rebuilding the country and replacing a labour shortage: 

  • In order to do this, the government encouraged immigration from Europe and Commonwealth countries such as India and Pakistan

  • The British Nationality Act of 1948 granted citizens of British colonies the right to live in Britain 

Anita and Me social context

The novel explores the experiences of a young girl of Indian heritage growing up in a predominantly white working-class community in the industrialised Midlands during the 1970s. During this period, there were notable developments concerning religion as British society was becoming increasingly secularised. The decade also saw growing religious diversity due to immigration from Commonwealth countries.

Industrial Revolution and class

• During the 1950s and 1960s, a significant number of South Asians settled in industrial towns in the Midlands and the North of England:

  • Syal sets her novel in the fictional English town of Tollington

  • The town, like Syal’s own home town in Essington, is in the Black Country in the Midlands

• The novel relates the way some individuals in England were resistant to changes occurring in their country:

  • The region had significantly changed during the Industrial Revolution due to its iron, steel and copper industries, as well as coal mining

  • However, by the 1960s industry was in decline

  • Many coal mines were closed, creating high unemployment

  • There were national pit strikes in 1974

  • These hardships led many to blame immigrants for the difficulties they were experiencing

• Syal grew up in a predominantly white working-class West Midlands town called Essington in the 1960s and 1970s:

  • The town in the novel, Tollington, is similar to Essington as it has a disused coal mine

Religion and immigration

• This era witnessed a blending of traditions as immigrant communities forged their identity within a largely Christian setting in the UK:

  • This period also marked a shift towards secularisation

• Syal’s novel describes the life of Meena’s parents, who are Indian immigrants:

• Syal’s own parents were Punjabi immigrants from New Delhi who came to England two years before she was born in 1961

• Syal’s own father was an accountant like Shyam Kumar

• Her mother was Sikh and a school teacher like Daljit Kumar

Anita and Me literary context

The 1970s marked a period of growing interest in multiculturalism and postcolonial literature in Britain. Writers from diverse backgrounds, including immigrants, began to explore themes of identity and belonging. This period also saw the rise of feminist literature and women’s voices in British fiction. The novel can be considered a Bildungsroman as it charts Meena’s journey from childhood to adolescence. 

• Meera Syal calls Anita and Me semi-autobiographical

• The novel is a typical Bildungsroman as it shows the protagonist’s personal and spiritual growth:

  • The Bildungsroman genre originated in Germany and directly translates to a “novel of education”

  • It generally portrays the protagonist’s psychological and moral growth

• The conventional structure of a Bildungsroman involves the following:

  • Loss: The protagonist experiences a profound emotional loss at the beginning of the narrative

  • Journey: Motivated by their personal tragedy, the protagonist embarks on a journey, either physical or metaphorical, to gain a better understanding of the world

  • Conflict and personal growth: The protagonist’s journey entails mistakes and often clashes with societal norms, though as the narrative progresses, the protagonist gradually embraces the values of society

  • Maturity: By the conclusion of the novel, the protagonist undergoes significant personal development, exhibiting a positive transformation which denotes maturity

• Anita and Me has been compared with Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, which is also about a child’s growing awareness of discrimination in their community