Form 5 Literature in English Short Stories – “A Temporary Matter” by Jhumpa Lahiri Reading Quiz 1. Explain this image: Wife and her husband – the power dynamics. The wife is more active, the husband passive A power cut – Shoba who suggest and leads the game of truths/ revelations Shoba is more dominant – Shoba has already made a plan. Her plan is to move out and leave her husband. The ending – the wife will leave her husband Unconventional gender roles – husband associated with the home / the wife gives out to work 2. Who are the characters and what do you learn about them? Shoba – Shukumar – Relationship / marriage is distant and stagnant – there is little communication. Eat their meals separately. Unable to communicate- they struggle to commit to married life – the discord The still birth of their baby – can they recover from the loss of their baby? Realism through details Shoba is the bread-winner Shukumar post-graduate student How do they deal with the trauma and loss of their baby? Unconventional norms and responses Indian-American identity – first generation Indian-Americans Breaking gender stereo-types 3. What are the two main plot events in the story? One takes place in the present (within the narrative) and one took place in the past. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. What conflict(s) take place in the story? Internal – Shukumar’s struggle – third person but dominated by Shukumar’s point of view – Shukumar’s thoughts and feelings Inter-personal/ inter-relational conflict – the loss of their baby drives a wedge between them and they are unable to talk about. External – the pressure to have children in marriage There is no reconciliation – there is NO fairy-tale ending The ending is anti-climatic – isolation and alienation 5. State two themes that this story conveys and offer reasons for your choice. Guilt and blame Grief Loss Betrayal and trust Marriage – contrast with “The Taming of Shrew” 6. Make a connection between this text and ONE other text you have studied. Explain. Short stories - MUST write about TWO “Araby” “Happy Endings” “In the American Society” “The Great Gatsby”
