55 pages • 1 hour read
Sandhya MenonWhen Dimple Met Rishi
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Balance Between Practicality and Passion
The tension between practicality and passion is a major theme in When Dimple Met Rishi. Dimple is a passionate coder, and although Rishi is passionate about comics, he initially has chosen to attend MIT to pursue a more practical engineering degree. At the novel’s outset, it seems as though Rishi represents practicality and Dimple represents passion, though these simplistic designations are made more complex throughout the course of the book.
When Rishi’s parents tell him about the arranged marriage to Dimple, Rishi notes that he values compatibility and stability, saying that he doesn’t want “a million dramatic, heart-stoppingly romantic moments” but rather “one long, sustainable partnership” (17). However, when Rishi courts Dimple, he orchestrates the very “heart-stoppingly romantic moments” he claims he doesn’t want: He organizes a romantic dinner at Two Sisters Bar and Books and gives Dimple a meaningful edition of A Wrinkle in Time.
In contrast, Dimple strongly pursues her passion for web development, in spite of her mother’s disapproval. Dimple’s mother wants her to be practical and focus on finding a husband, but by American standards Dimple is immensely practical. At the relatively young age of 18, she wants to attend Insomnia Con to better position herself in her chosen career path. She also understands the importance of a good education and will attend Stanford in the fall. In fact, she is so laser-focused on education and career success that she completely swears off the possibility of romantic passion. Here it seems as though the novel is simply presenting two characters who are heavily focused on practicality, albeit in different ways.
However, as the book progresses, we learn that passion frightens both Dimple and Rishi. According to Dimple, Rishi “thinks he loves his art too much. He’s afraid of it consuming him” (261). Likewise, Dimple ends their relationship because she fears losing “an essential part of herself” (353). Passion’s potential to take over one’s life causes both characters to push away the very thing they desire most. Ultimately, the two realize that, together, they can balance practicality and passion. Rishi chooses to study art at SFSU instead of attending MIT, and Dimple decides to be in a relationship because she loves Rishi so deeply. As Rishi says to Dimple, “I’d originally wanted a practical partnership, but now I think I’m getting the fairy tale anyway” (284).
Following Tradition Versus Forging One’s Own Path
Tradition versus individuality is a fraught question for both Dimple and Rishi. As the children of Indian immigrants, both grow up with strong parental expectations. Dimple’s mother wants her to wear traditional kaajal and focus on finding an “Ideal Indian Husband.” Mamma tries to wear down Dimple’s strongheadedness and questioning of tradition: “It was customary to always be respectful of your elders, a lesson that had been drilled into [Dimple] since she was a baby. And yet, somehow, Dimple found herself questioning them—and really, everything—all the time. Mamma often lamented that [Dimple’s] first word had been ‘why’ ” (9). Rather than simply accepting traditions, Dimple questions the reasons for their existence and often expresses critiques when she disagrees with something. Dimple views her mother’s insistence on makeup, for instance, as misogynistic. Sandhya Menon uses both Dimple and Rishi to showcase the role that gender can play in a person’s relationship to tradition. Dimple, for example, sees arranged marriage as a vestige of a patriarchy that negatively affects women.
For his part, Rishi is strongly attached to Indian traditions. He proudly honors his parents and fulfills the role of a dutiful Indian son, including when it comes to arranged marriage. He is heavily influenced by the relationship that he witnesses between his parents, whom he considers the “poster children for arranged marriage” (17). Tradition provides Rishi with a meaningful connection to his ancestors and his past: “This wasn’t just an arranged marriage to Rishi; this was the rich fabric of history, stretched through time and space” (35). In spite of the strength of these values, Rishi is able to compromise to be with Dimple. He still knows that he wants marriage and children someday, but he’s willing to put those desires on hold because he falls deeply in love with Dimple.
However, tradition starts to become a challenge for Rishi when it comes to college and career plans. He has chosen to attend MIT not because he loves engineering but because he wants to make his parents happy. Dimple serves as a model for Rishi by inspiring him to forgo tradition in favor of doing something he really loves. Likewise, Rishi shows Dimple the value of tradition. She admires the connection he feels to India and respects Rishi’s relationship with his cultural history. Dimple also realizes that her resistance to tradition is getting in the way of what she actually wants: a relationship with Rishi. After she breaks up with Rishi, she weeps over the hardheadedness that led her to prioritize carving her own path over honoring her deep feelings. Ultimately, Dimple and Rishi get back together with the understanding that even though they are following tradition, they also are in charge of their own relationship and get to make their own choices.
Love, Fate, and Individual Agency
A love story, When Dimple Met Rishi includes many romance tropes: A boy and girl encounter each other in a meet-cute; they initially dislike each other; they gradually grow to love each other; they break up; and ultimately, they get back together. The novel brings a fresh lens to these tropes by focusing on first-generation Indian American teenagers, a commonly marginalized group. Like many romance novels, When Dimple Met Rishi plays with the ideas of fate and destiny but through the culturally specific lens of kismet. (Notably, Kismet, made in 1943, was one of the first and foundational Bollywood films.)
In this story, the cultural practice of arranged marriage is used to explore questions of fate and individual agency. Dimple completely rejects arranged marriage because she is determined to assert her individual agency. At first it seems as though Dimple and Rishi meet each other only because of their parents’ desires to follow tradition. Later, the two discover that they first met as children. This information leads each of them to wonder whether they might indeed be each other’s destiny. Nevertheless, Dimple purposefully maintains her agency throughout the book, such as when she and Rishi decide to have sex. She emphatically reminds him, “This is our decision” (294). The moment itself, described as “both hard to believe and completely inevitable” (294), likewise characterizes their overall relationship.
Ultimately, Dimple and Rishi realize they have the power to make their own choices despite whatever forces brought them together. Dimple gets back together with Rishi for this reason, admitting, “I was so afraid of going down the same path as my parents…that I forgot to consider one thing: This is our life. We get to decide the rules” (378). This realization of agency and power is a critical moment in Dimple’s development and it allows her to pursue a relationship with Rishi. Understanding that they can make their own choices—a notable trope in young adult fiction and coming-of-age stories—is a powerful moment for both characters. In the end, their relationship is both arranged and a love match, a product of their individual choices as well as external forces outside their control.
