How does Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni use imagery in Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter?

The story also juxtaposes many contrasting images that further help to underscore the conflict between Indian and American cultures. For example, in America, Mrs. Dutta uses "her metal tongue cleaner" but does not like "the minty toothpaste" that Sagar's family uses, since it "does not leave her mouth feeling as clean as does the bittersweet neem stick she's been using all her life." Other contrasting images include food. When Mrs. Dutta prepares a traditional Indian meal, it is an involved process: "With practiced fingers she throws an assortment of spices into the blender: coriander, cumin, cloves, black pepper, a few red chiles for vigor. No stale bottled curry powder for her." This exotic image contrasts sharply with the "burritos from the freezer" that Mrs. Dutta knows her grandchildren would rather eat. Also, when Mrs. Dutta looks out the window of her son's house, where one can stare "for hours and not see one living soul," she offers some images of what life was like in India. She remembers "vegetable vendors with enormous wicker baskets balanced on their heads," "peasant women with colorful tattoos on their arms," and even animals, such as the "cows that planted themselves majestically in the center of the road, ignoring honking drivers.