An Interface between Tradition and Modernity in I too had a love story

Abstract

This thesis studies an interface between modernity and tradition in I too had a love story. Deriving the theoretical insights from the discourse of modernity, it shows how tradition still prevails over modernity despite the Indian society has embraced the latter's forces. In the novel, the death of Khushi, the female protagonist, manifests that the Indian society is too deeply rooted in the traditional values to accept all the modern forces like the probable intercultural marriage between Ravi, a Punjabi boy and Khushi, a Tamil girl. It becomes possible for Khushi and Ravi to fall in love with each other even without meeting each other in person due to the Internet. However, the tragic twist the novel takes in the form of Khusi's fatal accident exposes the trial modernity has to undergo in their communities, which are shaped by traditional values despite they have embraced certain aspects of modernity.