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  • Writer's pictureJaycee Crouch

"The Waiters Wife" Analysis: Just A Waiter?

I chose this short story called The Waiters Wife because I felt that it shows a great comparison between people today and how things were perceived back in the day. This story is about a husband and a wife and their journey from Bangladesh to London. The culture shock between the two societies are drastically different and it takes some time getting used to the “new” way for their lifestyle changes in their new homeland.

For Alsana, the wife, her life involves the liking of a man whom she does not know very well and thus feels culturally oppressed with her decisions that were needed to be made. The more she gets to know him though, the more she seems to dislike him as a person. Which today, one would call that “settling” for someone.


Samad on the other hand is a person who is highly experienced with his education but is forced to work a horrible job as a waiter to provide for his family. From my experience as a server, it can either make or break you when relying on other people for the sake of your income. Especially back in this time era, I am sure that serving was seen to be a very judgmental and hard job to do being that there were so many cultural differences between Bangladesh and London at the time. Being that he is ridiculed for being a waiter and that is what society has labeled him, Samad wishes to wear a sign around his neck that says “I AM NOT A WAITER. I AM A WAITER, BUT NOT JUST A WAITER.” Samad is very frustrated with the fact that society has essentially “dehumanized” him as a human being and just refers to him as the “waiter,” then making his wife just known as the “waiter’s wife.” This concept is frustrating for the both because they both know that they are more than that, yet seem to be reminded every single day that their worth does not matter and the overall image of them is that is miniscule compared to others.

Now, what does this all say about the world we live in today compared to the world a long time ago? It all comes down to the society in which people grow up in. Being respectful and having the mindset that people in lower waged jobs are just as equal make others realize the importance of them. The character that is grown through people is unspeakable, being that so few of people have this respect towards others. If anything, the world we live in today has the same issues as times long ago, just the concept behind them are not as expressed as they were before being that so many boundaries are kept from being crossed.

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