Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of short stories that encompasses quite a lot of themes, many of which are religious. In the story, "This Blessed House," the characters deal with religious identity and distance.
The characters in the story, Twinkle and Sanjeev, have just been married, though they have only known each other for a few months. The distance between them is evident from the start, since they are basically strangers that have been forced to live in the house together. While they are both Indian and Hindu, Twinkle is alone in being charmed by the Christian objects that she finds around the house. As Twinkle continues to find the objects, she becomes attached. In the meantime, Sanjeev becomes more and more detached from his wife. While Christianity fascinates Twinkle, it alienates and somewhat angers Sanjeev. As a foreign religion becomes more and more a part of their lives, their relationship is stressed and they become distant from each other.
Perhaps Lahiri is expressing her own struggle with being a Hindu in America. Christianity is such an ubiquitous topic in America, and Sanjeev feels like a stranger in his own home because it keeps popping up and invading his life.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Feeling of being Misunderstood
Each of the stories in Interpreter of Maladies deal with characters that are going through everyday life. At times finding happiness by getting over their problems (A Temporary Matter) or luck (The Treatment of Bibi Halder). At other times, their hopes and dreams gets shattered (Interpreter of Maladies).
Some of the stories, I felt, left me with a few questions unanswered. For example, in the story Mrs. Sen I couldn't figure out at the end why there was a gap between Mr. and Mrs. Sen? Is it because they don’t have many children? Or was I really missing something? Also in the story The Blessed House, how come so much treasure had been left behind by the previous owners? Jhumpa doesn't attempt to unravel the mystery behind this treasure stored in the Blessed House, but only inform her readers that this discovery leads to the relationship between the newly-wedded couples getting stressed.
Lahiri's collection of stories shows the experience of being "foreign." Her characters long for a connection, but what they find is rarely what they expected. Those trying to adapt to an unfamiliar world don't always succeed. Some are homesick, many are misunderstood. In her short store Mrs. Sen Eliot quickly becomes aware of Mrs. Sen's loneliness, her confusion in a strange new culture. She alarms him by asking: "Eliot, if I began screaming right now at the top of my lungs, would someone come?"
Overall, Jhumpa adds a little magic too her stories to catch the readers. Written in a plain and simple language, her work is a enjoyable to read.
Some of the stories, I felt, left me with a few questions unanswered. For example, in the story Mrs. Sen I couldn't figure out at the end why there was a gap between Mr. and Mrs. Sen? Is it because they don’t have many children? Or was I really missing something? Also in the story The Blessed House, how come so much treasure had been left behind by the previous owners? Jhumpa doesn't attempt to unravel the mystery behind this treasure stored in the Blessed House, but only inform her readers that this discovery leads to the relationship between the newly-wedded couples getting stressed.
Lahiri's collection of stories shows the experience of being "foreign." Her characters long for a connection, but what they find is rarely what they expected. Those trying to adapt to an unfamiliar world don't always succeed. Some are homesick, many are misunderstood. In her short store Mrs. Sen Eliot quickly becomes aware of Mrs. Sen's loneliness, her confusion in a strange new culture. She alarms him by asking: "Eliot, if I began screaming right now at the top of my lungs, would someone come?"
Overall, Jhumpa adds a little magic too her stories to catch the readers. Written in a plain and simple language, her work is a enjoyable to read.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Where Has the Love Gone?
Throughout Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, a common “thread” that exists among the texts is the theme of failed/failing relationships. For instance, in “A Temporary Matter”, the couple’s relationship is failing because of a stillborn child. In “This Blessed House”, the couple suffers from a lack of communication about religion and in the “Interpreter of Maladies”, the wife reveals that she has had an affair on her husband. While reading these texts, it made me realize that Lahiri may be inferring that the constitution of marriage is not as serious as it used to be. It is not uncommon to know that divorce rates are very high among couples in the United States and that couples are separating at a quicker pace. During class, we discuss the concept of arranged marriages and it made me realize that this concept could be a very clever idea for United States’ families because it places a lot of importance on family. One thing that has become obsolete in some marriages today is the concept of having parental acceptance about a potential spouse. Also, while reading the texts it made me questions what is really important in a marriage: communication, love, trust, or compatibility? Has this contemporary society become so fixated on the perception of having a beautiful wedding or attractive spouse, that we have ignored the things that are really important for making a marriage last? I believe we have. Today, it is so common for the media to place some much importance on the cost of a wedding, instead of the commitment that a marriage involves. In conclusion, even though Lahiri makes the reader take a look at failing relationship, she also makes the reader see the possibility of a relationship succeeding. So, there may just be some help for marriages in the future.
"This Blessed House" Jhumpa Lahiri
In Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, "This Blessed House" was one of the most powerful stories to me. It exemplified the respect for a religion that people have whether they actually believe in it or not. Sanjeev and Twinkle were Indian Hindus who were certain that they weren't Christians. Lahiri presents Twinkle, the female character, as the dominate force in the relationship. Twinkle has all of the masculine traits in the story such as the bad habit of smoking, laziness, a wild side, and is the decision maker of the relationship. Although Sanjeev insists on getting rid of all the Christian paraphernalia, Twinkle simply replies to him with, "No, we're not Christian. We're good little Hindus" (137) as she kissed the head of the Christ figure.
The inclusion of music symbolism helped highlight the role reversal between Sanjeev and Twinkle. The music is playing in "adagietto" at the point when Sanjeev first began to question his love for Twinkle. He references Mahler and the 5th Symphony to relay to the reader that slow, funeral-like music is being played. This music was supposed to symbolize "love and hapiness" and Sanjeev was not happy at that moment. An example of the role reversal is evident when , "a few ashes had fallen to the floor where she'd been standing. He bent down, pinched them between his fingers, and deposited them in his cupped palm" (140).
"This Blessed House" included a lot of themes including: love, sacrifice, respect, etc. Sanjeev's love and respect for Twinkle made it possible for him to sacrifice his personal beliefs and hold the Christ's head at the end of the story, "Sanjeev pressed the massive silver face to his ribs, careful not to let the feather hat slip, and followed her [Twinkle]" (157).
The inclusion of music symbolism helped highlight the role reversal between Sanjeev and Twinkle. The music is playing in "adagietto" at the point when Sanjeev first began to question his love for Twinkle. He references Mahler and the 5th Symphony to relay to the reader that slow, funeral-like music is being played. This music was supposed to symbolize "love and hapiness" and Sanjeev was not happy at that moment. An example of the role reversal is evident when , "a few ashes had fallen to the floor where she'd been standing. He bent down, pinched them between his fingers, and deposited them in his cupped palm" (140).
"This Blessed House" included a lot of themes including: love, sacrifice, respect, etc. Sanjeev's love and respect for Twinkle made it possible for him to sacrifice his personal beliefs and hold the Christ's head at the end of the story, "Sanjeev pressed the massive silver face to his ribs, careful not to let the feather hat slip, and followed her [Twinkle]" (157).
Miscommunication and Unexpressed Feelings
Common themes running through Lahiri's, Interpreter of Maladies, are miscommunication and unexpressed feelings. “Mrs. Sen’s” and “A Temporary Matter” are two stories in which the characters long for a meaningful connection they never find. Characters try to adapt to an unfamiliar world and don’t succeed. Some are homesick, many are misunderstood.
In "Mrs. Sen's," Lahiri tells of a woman who finds herself completely isolated. The narrator is 11-year-old Eliot, and Mrs. Sen is his after-school babysitter. We learn early on that Mrs. Sen doesn't need to work; she's only looking for a way to fill up her lonely afternoons while her husband is at the University working. Eliot quickly becomes aware of Mrs. Sen's loneliness and dissatisfaction in a strange culture. Driving the point home, she asks: "Eliot, if I began screaming right now at the top of my lungs, would someone come?" At home in India, she explains, "...just raise your voice a bit, or express grief or joy of any kind, and one whole neighborhood and half of another has come to share the news, to help with arrangements."
When Eliot gets off the bus at the edge of the complex, Mrs. Sen is already there, and seems to have been waiting for some time. She gives Eliot some snacks she produces from her pockets, and then they get into the car and she practices driving around the complex awhile. She is not allowed to drive onto the main road without her husband. This is a perfect example of Mrs. Sen’s loneliness and confined isolation. Eliot becomes Mrs. Sen's companion and confidant, and ultimately, witness to her unraveling. He discovers that she lives for the two things that make her happy: letters from home and whole fresh fish from the sea. Since she can't drive, Mrs. Sen must rely on her husband to take her to the fish market, but he is busy and resentful of her persistent requests.
In "A Temporary Matter," a young couple, whose marriage is at an end, receives a notice from the power company explaining that their neighborhood will be without power one hour each evening.On the first evening, they sit down to a candlelit dinner, their first meal together in months. We learn that they had a baby who'd died at birth. Shoba, his wife, used to be very capable and organized. She paid bills on time, and was always prepared for surprises. Now she was distracted, her clothes left lying around the house. Their responses to grief are opposite: as Shoba stays away, working late, burying herself in work even at home, Shukumar becomes a hermit, and cannot focus on his work at all. During dinner, Shoba proposes a game she used to play with relatives during power outages in India, in which each person takes a turn sharing something with the others. She suggests they tell each other something they've never told before. What ensues is a series of disclosures exchanged between Shukumar and Shoba during the dark hour, revealing "the little ways they'd hurt or disappointed each other, and themselves."Although Shukumar is wary of this game at first, he begins to look forward to their meals and this exchange with anticipation. Shukumar becomes hopeful, seeing this as the beginning of the restoration of their relationship. On the fourth night, they make love.
Shukumar has misunderstood the point of Shoba's game. For during this time, when he thinks they are growing closer, when it seems they might survive their grief after all, Shukumar learns through Shoba's final admission that she has been planning to move out. She returns home on the fifth night to announce that she has signed a lease.
Shukumar reveals to us that Shoba's one consolation was that they did not know the sex of their baby. She believed keeping that information a mystery lessened the blow somehow, the only thing she'd ever wanted to remain a surprise. However, unbeknownst to Shoba, Shukumar had held the baby in the hospital before the doctor took it away, and he knew it had been a boy. Realizing the end, Shukumar makes this his final confession to Shoba. "A Temporary Matter" is the most moving of the nine tales in Lahiri's collection. It is so tenderly written that by the end, we feel sorrow for both Shoba and Shukumar, for what they shared and lost, "for the things they now knew."
In "Mrs. Sen's," Lahiri tells of a woman who finds herself completely isolated. The narrator is 11-year-old Eliot, and Mrs. Sen is his after-school babysitter. We learn early on that Mrs. Sen doesn't need to work; she's only looking for a way to fill up her lonely afternoons while her husband is at the University working. Eliot quickly becomes aware of Mrs. Sen's loneliness and dissatisfaction in a strange culture. Driving the point home, she asks: "Eliot, if I began screaming right now at the top of my lungs, would someone come?" At home in India, she explains, "...just raise your voice a bit, or express grief or joy of any kind, and one whole neighborhood and half of another has come to share the news, to help with arrangements."
When Eliot gets off the bus at the edge of the complex, Mrs. Sen is already there, and seems to have been waiting for some time. She gives Eliot some snacks she produces from her pockets, and then they get into the car and she practices driving around the complex awhile. She is not allowed to drive onto the main road without her husband. This is a perfect example of Mrs. Sen’s loneliness and confined isolation. Eliot becomes Mrs. Sen's companion and confidant, and ultimately, witness to her unraveling. He discovers that she lives for the two things that make her happy: letters from home and whole fresh fish from the sea. Since she can't drive, Mrs. Sen must rely on her husband to take her to the fish market, but he is busy and resentful of her persistent requests.
In "A Temporary Matter," a young couple, whose marriage is at an end, receives a notice from the power company explaining that their neighborhood will be without power one hour each evening.On the first evening, they sit down to a candlelit dinner, their first meal together in months. We learn that they had a baby who'd died at birth. Shoba, his wife, used to be very capable and organized. She paid bills on time, and was always prepared for surprises. Now she was distracted, her clothes left lying around the house. Their responses to grief are opposite: as Shoba stays away, working late, burying herself in work even at home, Shukumar becomes a hermit, and cannot focus on his work at all. During dinner, Shoba proposes a game she used to play with relatives during power outages in India, in which each person takes a turn sharing something with the others. She suggests they tell each other something they've never told before. What ensues is a series of disclosures exchanged between Shukumar and Shoba during the dark hour, revealing "the little ways they'd hurt or disappointed each other, and themselves."Although Shukumar is wary of this game at first, he begins to look forward to their meals and this exchange with anticipation. Shukumar becomes hopeful, seeing this as the beginning of the restoration of their relationship. On the fourth night, they make love.
Shukumar has misunderstood the point of Shoba's game. For during this time, when he thinks they are growing closer, when it seems they might survive their grief after all, Shukumar learns through Shoba's final admission that she has been planning to move out. She returns home on the fifth night to announce that she has signed a lease.
Shukumar reveals to us that Shoba's one consolation was that they did not know the sex of their baby. She believed keeping that information a mystery lessened the blow somehow, the only thing she'd ever wanted to remain a surprise. However, unbeknownst to Shoba, Shukumar had held the baby in the hospital before the doctor took it away, and he knew it had been a boy. Realizing the end, Shukumar makes this his final confession to Shoba. "A Temporary Matter" is the most moving of the nine tales in Lahiri's collection. It is so tenderly written that by the end, we feel sorrow for both Shoba and Shukumar, for what they shared and lost, "for the things they now knew."
Jhumpa Lahiri is a sexist
Jhumpa Lahiri is a sexist. In three of her stories, A Temporary Matter, Interpreter of Maladies and Sexy, she portrays men negatively. She portrays them in different negative lights, but in all cases their bad traits shine through more brightly than any other.
In A Temporary Matter Shukumar is a weak, brooding man. He is depressed and he is not there for his wife in a time of shared pain and selfishly focuses on his own pain. He is blind or unconcerned that his marriage has disintegrated in front of him.
Mr. Kapasi is the center of Interpreter of Maladies. He is old and discontent. He dreams of being unfaithful to his wife. He fantasizes about a woman whom seems pretty but not stunning. He is like a small child.
In Sexy Dev is a voracious womanizer. He woos Miranda, who is portrayed as naive and guiltless in the affair. Dev comes and goes throughout the story without mention of his emotions. He is cold and calculated, shrewd and distant.
In short, Lahiri is a sexist.
In A Temporary Matter Shukumar is a weak, brooding man. He is depressed and he is not there for his wife in a time of shared pain and selfishly focuses on his own pain. He is blind or unconcerned that his marriage has disintegrated in front of him.
Mr. Kapasi is the center of Interpreter of Maladies. He is old and discontent. He dreams of being unfaithful to his wife. He fantasizes about a woman whom seems pretty but not stunning. He is like a small child.
In Sexy Dev is a voracious womanizer. He woos Miranda, who is portrayed as naive and guiltless in the affair. Dev comes and goes throughout the story without mention of his emotions. He is cold and calculated, shrewd and distant.
In short, Lahiri is a sexist.
Endings Schmendings
Jhumpa Lahiri has a strange pattern amongst all her stories. In class we talked about some stories seeming not to fit, or lacking some of the poignancy of other stories. What I found interesting is that there is a universal theme between them in that Lahiri is writing about endings without ever actually writing one. In each of Lahiri’s stories something important for the characters ends. It could be the end of a family friendship in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”, or it could be the end of the affair in “Sexy”, but whatever it is Lahiri manages to couple it with a vague and inconclusive ending. All of her stories lack a sense of conclusion, or more to the point they lack any form of closure for the reader. The characters go from one state of being to another through some experience or hardship, and then the story is over. At first this bothered me a bit. I can count the number of stories I’ve enjoyed that had “Lady or the Tiger” endings on one hand with fingers to spare. This is probably the result of my being a spoiled reader, and I fully admit that it doesn’t necessarily weaken the impact of the stories that they have these non-endings. Still Lahiri’s lack of conclusions made me wonder if she knew how to write an ending. I have since taken a more distant look at the content and context of these stories, and am forced to admit that in a sense they fit. How often do relationships really end in a neat little package? One smart and witty paragraph that seamlessly moves you from being one of a unit to one alone, or from one job to another, one friendship to another, or even one country to another? For Lahiri to write about these interpersonal relationships it makes sense to give them the same unfulfilling and pointless endings real world relationships have. This doesn’t mean I enjoy them anymore, because generally I read stories to escape those kinds or dreary realizations, but it does make me respect them more. I suppose Lahiri was going for realism and her endings, or lack of endings, are a tool to achieve it.
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