Chameleon: summary and characterization

Chameleon is a short story written by Ranbir Sahota (2003). It tells the story of a young Indian girl named Rita. She struggles to make her interracial relationship work with her boyfriend, Mark. The relationship is kept a secret from their parents in fear of their disapproval since none of them share the same values. She struggles to see eye to eye with them as their plans for their daughter clash with her own wishes. They want her to marry an Indian man of their choice, which she refuses to do. One day, her parents show up unannounced at her and Mark’s house and he is therefore forced to hide in the closet. She desperately tries to make them leave. She later discovers that her brother told their parents about Mark.

Our protagonist is a twenty-four-year-old Indian woman. She has a university degree in French and speaks both Hindu and French fluently. Although Rita is Indian, she clearly doesn’t identify with her descent: “I was white in every way, apart from my skin color - I listened to white music, wore white clothes and ate white food; and I was white enough to marry Mark” (p. 94, ll. 1-3). This quote illustrates Rita’s disconnection with her culture. Her tone when talking about her parents indicates that she doesn’t share their norms, for example on page 107 line 40-41 “I booked around searching for hints of Mark. Nothing in the kitchen. That surprised me as he did most of the cooking, not like my father.” She has a very disapproving attitude in this line which shows the difference between her and her parents. On page 96, her dad tells her that he wants her to find a husband that can take care of her, she quickly responds, telling him that she can take care of herself. “I huffed, landing on the shabby sofa, wishing it would swallow me up and spit me out in a whole different world, where everything was simple and white.” (p. 96, ll. 8-10). This line makes it clear that Rita would prefer being white over Indian. Another thing that shows her desire to be white is the fact that she uses bleaching cream to make her skin fairer. This correlates directly to the title “Chameleon”. When she is with her white boyfriend, she dresses white and bleaches her skin. On the other hand, when she visits her parents, she changes into traditional clothes to please them. Just like the animal, Rita changes her appearance depending on the environment she is in.