Indian Relationships to American Relationships

Within the first few pages in the novel the namesake, Ashima and Ashoke compare their relationship to American relationships.  Ashima hears another man standing by another woman's bed saying "I love you, sweetheart" (the namesake by jhumpa lahiri).  The text is direct when stating that this is not what would happen in Ashima's and Ashoke's relationship.  Another difference between the relationships of Americans and Indians from the novel, American and Indian pregnant women have very different support systems set up when they are in labor.  From Ashima's view, the American culture consists of the husband and the doctors aiding the woman and being the support system. In the Indian culture, Ashima notes that the immediate family of the woman provides the support system.  Although there are many noted differences between the relationships, there are also similarities which Ashoke and  Ashima can't see from their perspective or the author chooses not to include.  One example of the similarities is the attention to detail that Ashoke and Ashima have towards each other like Ashima's detail about how Ashoke prefers his food salty.  I believe many American relations show there concern for one snore by picking up small details that the average person wouldn't notice about their spouse or loved one.  Another detail that was not thoroughly emphasized was the anxiousness of the father.  Both American fathers waiting and Indian fathers show their anxiety differently, maybe by reading a book or smoking a cigarette.  The inclusion of the differences of the types of relationships and not as much on the similarities add to the feeling loneliness that comes up in the first part of w novel