Relationships in Mississippi Masala and Persuasion Although they happen at extremely different times, I think there are parallels between Mina and Demetrius' relationships in Mississippi Masala and Anne and Captain Wentworth in Persuasion. In both mediums, women are torn between their families and their relationships with their lovers. In Mississippi, Mina's family's prejudices are racial, while in Persuasion, Anne's family has prejudices related to wealth and social class. There are also many differences between the two. In this article I will discuss Mississippi Masala, Persuasion and the ideas of marriage in both. In Mississippi Masala, Mina was born and raised in Uganda until the age of six, when dictator Idi Amin decided to expel all South Asians (Indians). After six years of moving, Mina and her family end up in a small town in Mississippi. Mina works at an Indian-owned motel while her mother runs a liquor store and her father continues to fight the Ugandan government for their lost items. Mina meets Demetrius, an African-American carpet cleaner, after a car accident. Struck by Demetrius' good looks, Mina is immediately attracted to him, something her father, Jay, strongly objects to. His wife respects the current times a bi......middle of paper......and he ignores her. Nair does not seem to agree with arranged marriages. This is demonstrated in the marriage between Patel and his wife. Every night his wife refuses to sleep with him. Their marriage lacks all the qualities that an ideal marriage should have. I find it interesting that Nair never mentions having children when talking about marriage. In conclusion, despite living and writing in different times, Austen and Nair seemed to have similar ideas about what constitutes a good marriage. Mississippi Masala shows the strain that racial biases can have on a relationship, while Persuasion shows the strain that social and wealth biases can have on a relationship.