Divakurani's Short Story Clothes

Divakurani's short story, "Clothes," recounts the story of an Indian woman, Sumita, as she begins an arranged marriage that takes her to America and introduces her to an entirely new life. I found it fascinating to read, in part because its account of Indian society's view of a woman's role is as different from my own experience as it is from the role women play in American society.
The story begins with a ritual bathing, in preparation for Sumita's bride-viewing, the moment when she will first see the man who is about to become her husband. When I came to the United States to study, two years ago, I was struck by the enormous cultural differences between this country and my homeland. I was especially shocked by the almost unseemly behavior