On a Cold Day-Himani Bannerji

We started this course by reading the story A Red Girl’s Reasoning by Emily Pauline Johnson
which dealt with the problems of the First Nations people, then we touched upon gender
relationships in the story The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham’s, then we read a few stories that
were dealing with personal psychology of the characters (My Father Took a Cake to France,
Here and Now, and Celia Behind me). These stories can, of course, be grouped in different ways-
we can say that some of these stories deal with the issue of death, both directly, and indirectly- as
something that you learn about and have to deal with, or something that you fear.

The story On a Cold Day can best be described through the phrase- hypocrisy of
multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is, of course, highly valued in Canada, even today, when there
are some dilemmas about multiculturalism. There is a lot of criticism, not only on the part of the
immigrants themselves, who are not quite happy with the policy of multiculturalism not being
realized in life, but also on the part of the white people living in Canada, people of the Anglo-
Saxon origin, who feel that they are marginalized. It is quite paradoxical that the descendants of
the first European settlers now feel marginalized in their own country because of the fact that the
immigrants are given much more attention, both legally and in the social life.

Himani Bannerji is one of the few women of color who have reached a very high position in the
Canadian society. She is also one of the first women of color who started teaching at a university,
and at the moment (b. 1942) she is oldest woman of color teaching at a Canadian university. She
also developed her own position into a theory- the theory of the gaze. When she came to Canada
from Bangladesh, took her degree and got a job, she found herself standing in a classroom full of
white students. She was teaching about the body and the theory of representation- how people
represent their social position, gender, economic status in the society. She felt the gaze of her
students and understood that she was not seen as other (white) teachers. She felt that her students
looked at her in a different way, and that they stopped at the surface level- at her dark
complexion. She felt on her own body how that gaze takes the surface and refuses to go deeper,
and to see what she as a person can offer. Out of this rather uncomfortable position she developed
this theory- she insisted on being there, confronting these students, talking to them, and showing
them what a woman of color can do (more info about this theory can be found on the study
sheet). Her stories deal with the tragic destinies and the position of the women of color in Canada
(thus, the main character in all her stories is always a woman of color).

There are three issues that need to be taken into account when reading this story and other similar
stories- the race of the main character, the gender, and the class to which the character belongs.
Although Himani herself did not have any class problems (being a respected teacher), she knew
better than to remain at the personal level in her stories.
There is a sentence in the story when Debbie Barton looks at the body thinking- She’s from my
country- India, or Pakistan, or Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka (…) or Guyana or Africa… What does
this mean? Are people from these different parts of the world really so much alike? Of course
they are not. However they are perceived as being the same. This shows that Canadians use
stereotypes. To them these people are all, more or less, from the same country- they are not from
here, they are from there. They fit into the stereotype- so from the point of view of white
Canadians all non-white Canadians seem to be alike. So it makes no difference what country they
come from. Since this happens at the beginning of the story, we can assume what the story will
deal with (the hypocrisy of multiculturalism). If they wanted to develop multiculturalism, which
is the official policy in Canada since (she thinks) 1987, then the white Canadians should have
been better trained to identify these differences, not to see all these people from Asia as one
ethnicity, because they are not. We see that this official policy is one thing, and how things
happen in real life is something completely different, as you have already seen in the story The
Man from Mars. Although, the criticism in the story The Man from Mars is a bit milder, because
here we have a woman who dies in Canada, which was supposed to welcome all the immigrants,
who actually support the economy of Canada. They need all these immigrants; otherwise they
would not allow them into the country.

So what is the plot of the story? On a very cold day, a woman called Asima, jumps from her 7th
floor balcony. People gather around her, which is when we meet Abdul Jalal who works nearby,
and has witnessed the fall. Then we meet Debbie, who works in a nearby clothing store, and who,
upon seeing Asima’s body, identifies with her. She was on her way to work, when she saw the
reflection of the body in the shop window. When she turned to see the body, she saw herself. She
then remembers her past- how she had to change her name when she came to Canada, etc. She
gets invited for a cup of coffee by Abdul, and they talk. She feels relieved to be able to talk to
somebody. When Abdul asks her about the girl’s name, so that he can pray for her, she gives him
her own.

So, what happens to a young woman of color when she immigrates to Canada? She is told by the
counselor that she has to change her name if she wants to get a job. In Canada they have special
offices that take care of immigrants. The immigrants can go there and be assigned their own
counselor, and that person spends several hours advising the immigrants what to do and how to
improve their condition in Canada. For many people coming from the Balkans it is advised that
they somehow shorten their names, and make them easier for pronunciation. Canadian employers
don’t want to go to “heritage classes” to be able to correctly pronounce someone’s name. So the
counselor, the official representative of Canada, tells Devika that she should better change her
name. It is also he who chooses the name for her. Renaming a person means changing their
identity. So this Indian woman now has to become Canadian, and she is given a nice Anglo-
Saxon name- Debbie, which according to the counselor sounds much better than Devika. This is
how she believes she will get a job, which is the most essential thing when you move to Canada.
You don’t go to Canada because you admire Canadian landscape; you go there because you need
a job. What else did she have to do in order to get the job? Is it enough to just change one’s
name? She had to change the way she dressed. In India, she wore a starched sari. So we see that
she is a traditional Indian woman, and she remembers with fondness what she looked like when
she had this starched sari on. Saris are colorful and made from fine materials India is famous for,
and they represent the essence of femininity according to Indian customs. But in the Anglo-Saxon
Canada, a woman is not supposed to look like that. She has to wear costumes (intentionally used
word) - as if masking herself. She doesn’t feel comfortable wearing them, because she is used to
the comfort of a sari, and on top of that, she has to wear high heels. High heels make European
women feel more beautiful. What about her hair? In India, she had a long braid, but now her hair
is permed. She also applies make-up, again hiding herself behind a mask. We see her every
morning forcing herself into this costume, and putting on this mask on her face. This is not
something that she likes doing, but she does it because she believes that without it she wouldn’t
be able to get and keep a job. This is how a woman of color tries to fit into this white world,
trying to resemble the white women as much as possible. Devika is also thinking about Christmas
and what presents she should buy for the girls in the office, although Christmas means nothing to
the Indians, just so as not to stick out.

Her English is not perfect but she is trying hard and one of the first phrases she adopts first is-
Can’t complain. Here we are reminded of Robinson Crusoe and Friday, where the first words
Robinson teaches Friday are- Me master. You servant. Those two phrases are enough to
immediately establish the power relationship. Here, Debbie learns the phrase Can’t complain.
And where does that put her? In a subordinate position. She’s the one that won’t complain, and
she suffers. In this social interaction of hers, we see a few details where she truly suffers, though
she does not complain to anybody. For example- in the subway a woman pushes her accidentally,
and says nothing, but when that woman does this to a white woman, she immediately apologizes.
That is one of these paradoxes- Devika is black, and as such she should be more visible, more
conspicuous, but paradoxically she is invisible. Then we see her sitting on the train. She is
surrounded by two white men and she feels as though they are all expanding and squeezing her
out. She is oppressed on each side by the white men. Unlike her, the white girl sitting opposite
her takes as much space as she needs. This is a typical scene where a well-looked-after yuppie
woman enjoys her ride to work, feeling good about herself. This is their country, their system of
values, they belong there. Devika observes all of this and, of course, it hurts. Finally when on
exiting the train she bumps into a man who muttered “fucking pakis”. He again misidentifies her
as Pakistani and uses a derogatory term. That is how we see how in this Canadian society, which
praises multiculturalism so much, a non-white person becomes invisible. We see that she does her
best to fit into this society. Because she believes she has to and that there is no room for
questioning, she completely accepts the whole system of values- including the dress code, the
customs, and the language. Her social persona is a construct. This is not her true self, this is what
she becomes, simply because she has moved to Canada and wants to live there. That’s how we
see the difference between the private, and the social persona that Devika Bardhan has become by
turning into Debbie Barton.
She of course is not the only one. There are many women who are in a similar situation. That
could be the reason why she sees herself in Asima. H. Bannerji wanted us know that many of
these women feel just like Devika Bardhan when they have the immigrant status when they come
to Canada.

We now come to the issue of class. There are examples in the story which show us the class
position of these women of color. Devika is a cashier at a clothing shop, and that is a very low
paid job. Asima also is described as living in a small (though two-bedroom) apartment.
Nevertheless, by Canadian standards, that is very small. From those details we learn about the
standard of living of these women who move to Canada. We understand that both Devika and
Asima have the same social position.

Let’s now see who Asima is. Asima is described as living in a small apartment, and restlessly
walking in circles, feeling trapped. She is searching for something. When she drinks her tea, she
is shown breaking a nail while scratching the hard surface of her cup. She is searching for
meaning, which is hidden somewhere, so she wants to see if it is behind the glazed surface of this
coffee cup. At the bottom of the cup there are tea leaves, and the idea is that she is trying to read
her destiny by reading the tea leaves, but the meaning eludes her. So she is looking everywhere-
the salt and pepper shakers- there must be some meaning in there, but she cannot find it. Ant that
is how people who are on the verge of madness feel. She is obviously going crazy. She is highly
stressed. She is so stressed that finally, all these things in her room which seem to be so solid, are
not solid enough to give meaning to her life (what??). And then she spots the balcony door and
gets the idea that the white light outside, this air, is more solid than what she has in her room.
And what is it that she has in there? What did Canada provide her with? Basic material things.
She has a job, most likely, since she is just like Devika, she has her own apartment. But what else
does a woman want? Why would she kill herself when she has everything in Canada? Well, that
is the paradox. So now, walking towards the door it dawned upon her that she has a purpose; that
she can walk on this solid air. We can understand Asima because we know how Devika lived.
Asima perhaps was not that adaptable (which is one of the adjectives used to describe Devika-
young, beautiful and adaptable). Adaptable means that you have to change yourself entirely, and
become somebody else in order to be acceptable to these Canadians. Finally, Asima is described
lying on the pavement, blackish liquid spreading from beneath her, blood smoking in the cold,
and her face in the haze of vapor. Her hand is as if she was drinking while falling. That tells you
that she becomes an object. Just like other objects around her in the street. There is something
similar to this in her description in the apartment- she sees only objects and she cannot
communicate with them. The position of her body is a question mark, and indeed that is what she
is to all the people who gathered around her, these white people going to work, who briefly stop
to look at her. When the ambulance comes, they lift her already stiff body indifferently, as if she
is indeed an object. And the redness of her life is there on the pavement and it grows like a tree.
Whatever life she has is left on that pavement and she becomes an object. So is it possible that
she will live in some way after this? She will through Devika, who in the beginning of the story
sees herself as Asima, but in the end she claims that Asima was her.

What about Abdul? He owns a café nearby and as soon as he saw Asima fall, he knows what it is-
it was either a suicide, a murder or an accident. He thinks that maybe her husband pushed her,
and maybe her husband stands for Canada. Asima was holding a photo and a pair of bracelets.
Vesna thinks those bracelets are her own (because she imagines Asima as too young for a child)
and that she kept them like a memento of her childhood, or something that belongs to some
cousins dear to her. So, she longs for them, she longs to be with the people in the photo. She
asked herself what she was doing there (either she or Devika) when she should be back home
where the streets are warm, and the sun is yellow, and there are people in the streets. It is the
nostalgia that immigrants feel. Even the photograph could not keep Asima alive. She had to kill
herself to end her misery. Back to Devika and Abdul. They talk to each other because they are in
a similar situation, and they can relate. He notices her by the gesture she makes. Having seen
Asima, Devika now feels aimless just like Asima and feels the need to share how she feels with
someone, but she cannot do that with Canadians. The people in the street just go on, following
their own business. We then understand how lonely Devika and Abdul are. Although they are in a
similar situation, Abdula owns a coffee shop, and he is a man. He also sells traditional things, so
he is still in contact with his culture and he preserves his identity, while she is forced to change.
When he sees Asima hit the ground, he oddly first calmly dresses himself, instead of rushing out.
His first thought is that her husband pushed her. Most people would probably also think of that
first, because we live in a patriarchal society and women are very much subjugated. This
‘husband’ can also be a metaphor for the whole patriarchal system. But although they talk about
her husband on three occasions, we know that that is not what killed her, but the system. They are
not given the tools to assess their own position, and to say- I have my rights, and I don’t have to
accept this. They are not trained to deal with their position in a proper way, and that is why they
come to the wrong conclusion.

We have to wonder at the lies told by Devika. When Abdul first asks her if she had known Asima
she answers- no, but later she lies that she knew her, and tells the whole story about her (Asima’s)
life. In the story we again have a husband figure and an unhappy life. There are a few ways to
interpret this. The fact that Devika gave her name to Asima could be a wish-fulfillment strategy-
she doesn’t want to be Devika any more, she wants to be someone else, so she gives her name to
the dead woman and gets rid of her identity and heritage- she buries her past. But she is not
happy as Debbie, she was happy as Devika. The more likely interpretation is that she is so
desperate because of the Canadian multiculturalism, that she clutches at this last straw- she wants
Abdul to pray for her. To pray for Devika to remain Devika. To somehow survive as Devika in
this Canadian society.

Vežbe:
Canada is an immigrant country, and is proud of its immigrant policy, and of having the diversity
of various nations. The immigrant identity is very strong in Canada. The notion of dual identity is
very important in Canada- first the Canadian identity, and the other form of identity is present in
the identity of the people who come from different parts of the world. Although Canada is proud
of its multiculturalism, here in this story we have a form of criticism of the multiculturalism
policy in Canada, not the idea itself, but of the way it is put into practice in specific cases- here in
the case of South Asian immigrants. Here in the story, the people coming from South Asia are
perceived as a visible minority. However, the figures are changing, and at the moment there is a
great number of South Asian immigrants in Canada. They are not a visible minority any more,
but are soon to become a visible majority in Canada, because wherever you go you can see a
large number of people coming from South Asian countries in Canada. Toronto University is full
of students from South Asian countries. The blue and white collar workers from South Asia are
everywhere. So the situation is changing.

So, the story deals with the immigrant experience and the criticism of the multiculturalist policy
that Canada is so proud of- the difference between the theory and practice. So what is the basic
idea of Canadian multiculturalism? It is that the immigrants have the right to their cultural
identity, and that they do not have to assimilate (as opposed to the idea of “melting pot”). In
Canada there is a mosaic of different cultural experiences. That is why the dual identity is
important. This policy is supposed to be respected, but we see that this idea of multiculturalism
is preached but not practiced, from the point of view of this South Asian female immigrant.

How is this immigrant experience of isolation, detachment from other people, alienation,
depression and loneliness described in this story? There is a difference between male and female
immigrant experience. Asima and Devika are the representatives of the female immigrant
experience in the story, while Abdul is the representative of the male experience. So what is the
main difference? Abdul did not have to adopt a different identity in order to prosper in Canada.
So, he is in Canada, he owns a coffee shop and sells the food typical of his homeland. He is a
Muslim, and is free to mention the name of Allah- this is the first thing we hear from him. So he
is shaped by his Muslim identity- he sells coffee, baklava, and other delicacies that are typical of
his home country, and they sell quite well in Canada- first because there is a large Muslim
community in Canada, and then because even the Anglo-Saxon Canadians are interested in trying
new things. So can we say that he appropriated the Canadian identity? Is he a person coming
from Asia, or is he a true Canadian? We can see that he retains his values, and tradition- that he
has not assimilated. The English he uses is not very good- basic and not very grammatical.
While he calls the ambulance he says Thank you. Whenever he talks to the authorities he is an
abiding citizen. But what about the voice on the other side? It is not heard, but we have the idea
that it is cold, impartial, objective, with no emotions involved, although they are talking about a
woman who had just committed suicide. The coldness of the atmosphere is even seen in the
description of the weather. It’s December, Christmas time- time when families come together. But
from the immigrants’ point of view, it is the time of the greatest crisis, because their families are
not with them, and this is the time when they experience the greatest feeling of loneliness,
isolation, and alienation from other people. Not only because they are far away from their
families, but also because most of them do not celebrate Christmas, because they belong to a
different religion, so they cannot participate in this happiness that Christmas brings. It is the
atmosphere which is present not only in the family surrounding, but also in the work place,
because in these great corporate companies there is the idea that Christmas should be celebrated,
that certain Christmas gift should be given to the employees in order to promote this idea of
gathering and community.

What about the female immigrants? For men it’s difficult, but we see that Abdul has managed to
fit into the Canadian society, and not give up on his old identity, but adopt a new one and become
accepted. What about Asima and Devika? We don’t really know where Asima comes from, but
we know that she is a woman of color. The diversity of cultures of South Asia is not perceived by
the white Anglo-Saxon community in Canada. They all look the same to them. There is the scene
when Devika accidentally pushes a man, and this man swears at her calling her a Paki. There is
not even the idea that they should learn something about this diversity among the cultures of
South Asia. There is a lack of interest about this diversity among Canadians. Although in theory
the multicultural policy is glorified and it is quite welcome to have a variety of different cultures
on the Canadian soil, in practice the picture is completely different. The immigrants are
maltreated, they are not given the same rights, and there is inequality and intolerance. So
basically until the end of the end of the 20th century, people were praising the multicultural policy
in Canada, but with the beginning of the 21st century this multicultural practice is criticized, or, to
use the words of the critics, it is seen for what it is. So, now, the critics and the sociologists say
that they should call the Canadian multicultural policy its right name – racism. This story
obviously shows that there are hints of racism present in the Canadian society.

She quotes- The Color of Democracy- Racism in Canadian Society:

“Canada suffers from historical amnesia. Its citizens and institutions function in a state of
collective denial. Canadians have obliterated from their collective memory the racist laws,
policies, and practices that have shaped their major social, cultural, political, and economic
institutions for three hundred years.”

The state of collective denial is that their society is multicultural, it praises multicultural values.
Three hundred year is actually the whole history of Canada.

The second quote is from the book Race and Ethnic Relations:

“Denials of racism are the stock in trade of racist discourse.”

How can we relate these two statements to the female immigrant experience in the story? Is it an
exaggeration? There will always be a part of the society that will be against multiculturalism,
because they feel threatened by the other. During the 90’s many Serbs living in Canada were
forced to accept Canadian identity, because of the negative image of the Serbs.

Let’s go back to Asima and Devika- how is their immigrant experience different from a Mr.
Abdul? How is Devika to prosper in the Canadian society? By completely assimilating into it.
There is the description of Devika Bardhan who wore a starched sari, and a braid, waiting for a
sight of rickshaw to appear. Whenever there is talk about the differences between Canada and her
home country, there is the difference in the weather. This is one of the stereotypes often used in
immigrant poetry and prose, and it is what Himani Bannerji also uses. Devika remembers India
with hot and moist weather, while in Canada it is biting cold. When Devika was coming out of
the subway she literally experienced the fist of coldness punching her in the face. It’s as if the
whole nature is set against her, and this corresponds to the stereotypical description in which the
people coming from the southern parts of the world experience Canada. The people from her
home country are friendlier, they are not hostile, they are more emotional. The people in Canada
are, on the other hand, just like Canadian weather- cold, official, not interested, but they keep up
the appearance of doing what is right. So in order to prosper in this new country- she has to reject
her old identity. It is like this in the case of female immigrants especially if they come from South
Asia, as here in the story. She has to go through a complete transformation- from Devika Bardhan
to Debbie Barton. So in order to have a future in Canada, she has to let go of her sari, and adopt
Canadian way of dressing, wearing make-up, as if to conceal her true person. For her, these
clothes represent a disguise, concealing her true identity. She uses a lighter foundation, to make
her face less dark. This is something that she has to do in order to blend in. Even the brand of her
lipstick is called Cover girl, so she is wearing a sort of a mask. What connects her to Asima? It is
the way Canadians see them. Devika identifies with Asima. When she sees Asima’s prostrate
body on the ground, she sees herself. That is the first impression she gets of Asima. Of course,
the difference between them is obvious- one is alive, and the other one is dead, but why does she
identify with her? There is the idea of the oppression of the South Asian women in their own
culture. And usually, in their attempt to get away from this oppression in their own countries, they
run into racism, cultural chauvinism and a different variety of the oppression of women in the
western cultures. That is why we don’t know anything about Asima, but we can guess, based on
the story of Devika and Mr. Abdul what her personal crisis was. Why does Devika identify with
Asima? It is because she also feels trapped and oppressed, and she goes through the same things
Asima goes through. What do we know about Asima, except that she feels trapped in Canada, in
her small apartment? She is pacing up and down, and she is gathering things, as if she was
packing to leave, and she did leave. She feels lonely, isolated, there are no familiar voices, and
she herself is seen as an object in the Canadian culture. What do we know about Devika’s life?
We know about the difficult financial situation in her country and the reason why she had to
come to Canada, her brother’s unemployment, her old parents.

When Abdul sees Aisma’s dead body- what is his immediate reaction? He thinks that maybe her
husband pushed her. That gives us an idea about the treatment of women in these traditional
societies. They are oppressed, and subordinated. These women have heard about the equality that
is practiced in Canada, and they fled for their lives from their traditional societies. Many left their
families in their home country. But there is a difference between the expectations they had about
the quality of life in Canada, and the realization that they did not escape the oppression- the
oppression just took on a different form. They run into racism, cultural chauvinism, and a
different kind of women suppression found in the western world. Isn’t it a form of cultural
oppression when you ask of a woman named Devika Bardhan to change her name into Debbie
Barton? To make her wear make-up that makes her less conspicuous, and to, in a way, force her
to celebrate Christmas with other colleagues from work because she hopes she will be more
accepted if she does. What about her behavior outside work? She feels oppressed wherever she
is. As if the small space she occupies is too much for them. Whenever she is pushed people don’t
apologize to her, but they do to other white people.

When Abdul and Devika see Aisma on the ground, we see their way of perceiving death. The first
thing that comes through Abdul’s head when he sees her is- Her shame can be seen (naked body).
He has an instinct to come and cover her. While, for Canadians, they see that she is dead, and that
there is nothing they can do, so they just put her on the stretcher. She is just an object, and not a
human being. The difference in the perception of her death is also seen when later Abdul asks
about her name in order to pray for her, although he didn’t know her. This is a sort of a funeral. It
seems that none of the people that stopped to look at her want to pay their respect, but were there
just out of curiosity. When Abdul says that he had called the police, no-one in the crowd reacts.
And he only did the only thing he could do. And he will mention her name in his prayers
(actually the name of Devika Bardhan). Devika also, when she sees the body on the ground, is
disturbed by the scene. She cannot just go on with her activities, but she instead goes into the
café, where she bonds with Abdul. So, they can talk about the thing that happened, and about
their experience. When it comes to Canadians, they are completely impartial, and emotionally
detached. But this is another stereotype, because, certainly, not all Canadians are like this, but
that is the way H. Bannerji, herself an immigrant from Bangladesh, chose to present them. She
was the one who shared the destinies of Asima and Devika. She talked about racism and colonial
discourse in her class, because she was not only a writer, but also a sociologist. Her impression of
teaching a class of white students can be seen in her theory of the gaze. Here is her impression on
how they perceived her (ovi citati su na handout-u... nisu bas kratki, a Milena ih brzo cita pa
nisam sve čuo, nemam ni taj handout, tako da neka slika ko ima, pa neka postavi negde...):

“They confront me. They look at me- their look tells me volumes. They stop on the outer edges of
my skin. They pick out of my color______________ and I am aware of this look. The gaze that
both comes from…

This is again a stereotype. She is quite qualified to teach, but they look at her. They will never
openly say anything racist, but their look tells her volumes.
“And I’m teaching about bodies, and how they are constructed into_______________ How
histories, cultures and ideologies of Europe constructed a European, white ________ in relation
to whom the others, now called- people of color, visible minorities, immigrants, third world
people are different. The inferiority of whose difference is signaled physically, materially, by skin
color, nose shape, mouth_____________ And while I’m lecturing on bodies and history and
social organization of relations...

So she is giving her own example that there is something different. That that which is different
doesn’t have to be rejected and criticized.

So her way of fighting with racism and this theater of cruelty, as she calls it, is teaching, writing,
and educating. Gradually through this process, student by student, things might change.