INSIDE STORIES
Interpreter of Maladies
by Jhumpa Lahiri
Teaching notes prepared by Andrew Doyle
INTERPRETER OF MALADIES
by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Teaching notes prepared by Andrew Doyle.
Edited by Laura Deriu.
Cover design and formatting by Viveka de Costa.
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2
Ways into the Text ........................................................................................... 4
Running sheet and Structure of the Text ......................................................... 5
A Perspective on the Text .............................................................................. 12
Characters...................................................................................................... 14
Issues and Themes........................................................................................ 17
Language and Style ....................................................................................... 20
Close Study.................................................................................................... 22
Further Activities ............................................................................................ 25
Key Quotes .................................................................................................... 27
Text Response Topics ................................................................................... 29
Two Guided Text Responses......................................................................... 30
References, Resources and Supplementary Texts ....................................... 33
1
INTRODUCTION
In the nineteenth century the British Empire was the largest the world had
seen – stretching from Australia and New Zealand to Canada and Africa to
the so-called ‘Jewel in the Crown’, India. When looked at through the lens of
the Empire, India extended from modern day Afghanistan in the west across
to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, finishing in the east in Burma
(Myanmar). It encompassed a multitude of languages, religions, traditions and
ethnicities.
There are three notable features of the British Empire system. The first was
an entrenchment of previously established class and caste systems,
sustaining divisions and keeping the status quo, but with the addition of the
British at the top. The second was the relatively free movement of people
within these countries; the people of the Indian sub-continent grew used to
migrating. The last feature was the spread of the English language, becoming
and now remaining the most useful second language to know.
With the slow decay of the Empire in the twentieth century, Britain often
unwillingly sliced up the enormous multicultural vision of India into the
countries we are familiar with today. This creation of new states led to
enormous conflicts that are still being played out. Following independence
and the partition of India in 1947 there was a huge movement of people to
and from various parts of the country, often based on religious lines. This
strained relations between those moving in and out of these areas.
Contemporary, India is also a poor country with a huge population that needs
to be fed and widespread homelessness. Even in the twenty-first century
there is a strong division between the ‘haves’ – that is, those who have won
economically in the new world of free trade – and the ‘have nots’ – those who
remain at the bottom of the social and economic pile. This division is often
linked to the long-standing caste system that dictates where people live and
what jobs they can hold.
In response to poverty and conflict, many people left India in the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries, in what has been known as a diaspora. This
spreading or dispersion of people across the world is similar to the Jewish,
Irish and Chinese experience. Many initially migrated to Britain and her
colonies; others moved further to other English speaking countries such as
Australia, Canada and the United States.
The North East Coast of the USA is one of the richest areas in the country.
While much of its heavy industry has disappeared there is a strong focus on
education, through the grand universities of MIT, Yale, Harvard and Princeton.
Many towns are so-called University towns, filled with places of higher
learning where the emphasis is not on physical objects but the development
of minds. These are places where people are judged on their intelligence;
places far from violent conflict.
These towns are places that are paradoxically connected to the natural
landscape. Escaping much of the industrialisation of the Midwest, they tend to
be close to the ocean and have huge swathes of national parks. These
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regions of no visible commercial enterprise are the result of history and these
states are often quite wealthy. The climate in this part of the USA is usually
very cold in winter and balmy in summer. A contrast to much of India’s climate
and environment.
Like many first generation migrants, many Indians were very successful, often
going into prestigious white-collar jobs. Next to this success, however, are the
difficulties that many of them faced; largely to do with identity and where they
fitted into the world. This is the world Jhumpa Lahiri writes about. She herself
is an immigrant of Indian background. She was born in the UK, but grew up in
Rhode Island, USA. Her stories are often to do with the gaps between
societies and the problems people feel when they are a stranger in a strange
land.
Note: In this edition of Inside Stories the word ‘Indian’ is used to refer to
people from India or whose background is from India; it does not refer to
Native Americans.
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WAYS INTO THE TEXT
It is useful for students to have an understanding of the world the characters
have come from.
•
Ask students to draw a map of India and the subcontinent; then research
the demography and climate of the area. Finally, compare and contrast
living standards between India and themselves.
•
Provide students with information about Indian society; then ask them to
consider how Indians might perceive the west.
•
If they were an Indian living in the west how would they write a letter
home to their parents – what would they write about?
As well as examining specifically Indian concerns, Lahiri often refers to the
migrant experience.
•
Ask students to interview a migrant about their experiences. How did
they or are they dealing with the new society? What did they feel they
had to change about themselves, their lifestyle and values? What were
the things they couldn’t accept? How much of the ‘old’ or previous culture
and ways of thinking have they preserved in their transition to a new
society?
•
Ask students to consider how migrants are represented in Australia.
What are the stereotypes? How might they differ from reality?
Lahiri examines the idea of identity, not just within the migrant experience.
•
Ask students how they define themselves. Which aspect of themselves is
the most important? Are they part of a family / cultural group / social
group and how does this impact on their sense of self?
•
What are the conflicts within themselves that are related to these
groups? Are they resolved?
•
How do they maintain, or show, their cultural connections / sense of self?
•
Ask students to draw and describe the natural world, and their built
environment. Which one is more important in defining their sense of self
and why?
It is also worth examining the short story form and structure.
•
What are the structural features of short stories? How do they work?
•
How do they provide the maximum amount of information in the shortest
possible space?
•
What effect does having a number of different perspectives in the
collection have on the reader?
4
RUNNING SHEET AND STRUCTURE
OF THE TEXT
This collection follows a rough narrative development even though it doesn’t
have any recurring characters or settings. It starts with a universal human
story, and then moves towards explicitly Indian stories and dealing with issues
of identity. The collection ends with a final story about coming to America. The
order of stories slowly develops the central themes of the migrant experience,
perspective and identity, and the attempts to connect with others.
‘A Temporary Matter’
This story is set in the USA in a typical university town. The two characters
from an Indian background have achieved personal success in their
professional fields. Shukumar, the husband is slowly finishing, or not finishing
a book on Indian history; while his wife Shoba is an apparent workaholic
editor of books. They appear to live separate lives in the same house,
however it is slowly revealed that their first baby was stillborn. The baby’s
death accounts for their emotional distance and their difficulty in being around
each other.
What starts to bring them together, at least from Shukumar’s perspective, is
the power going out for five days. The story opens with a letter describing
what will happen: ‘The notice informed them it was a temporary matter’. (p.2)
This highlights that the situation will be brisk and business-like, an American
stereotype; it implies that any problem Shukumar and Shoba have will be
short lived and they will get over it promptly. The story slowly plays out the
opposite.
The blackouts provide the catalyst for the couple to talk over matters, to force
them to become close again. Their intimacy is reignited, at least in the eyes of
Shukumar, through whose perspective the story is told. They use these
moments at dinner, in candlelight to tell each other what they have never told
each other before. Shukumar tells Shoba he returned a sweater she gave him
and his guilt in tearing a picture of a woman out of a magazine.
While they rediscover some form of intimacy they see their neighbours
walking down the street for ice cream during the power blackouts. To
Shukumar they represent what he would like to be with Shoba, close and
apparently happy. This dream and hope is rekindled when they eventually
have sex for the first time since the death of their baby.
The second last revelation belongs to Shoba. She tells Shukumar that she is
moving out of their house, to initiate a separation. This revelation turns the
story on its head – what Shukumar thought was about reconciliation was to
Shoba about separating. Shukumar finishes the story by telling Shoba the sex
of their dead child, helping them both to move on. This lets the reader think
that maybe the ‘temporary matter’ of the first line may not have been their
grief, but their marriage and love.
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•
Why does the story end with Shukumar seeing the neighbours walking
by?
•
Why is the reader denied Shoba’s point of view?
‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’
This is the first story to deal with the Indian expatriate experience. It examines
issues of identity such as attempts by Indians, or people from the subcontinent, to fit into their new society and how their children try to become
American.
The plot centres on the narrator, Lilia, and her memories of her parents’ friend
– the eponymous Mr Pirzada, who used to come around to their house as she
was growing up. Set against this memory are more catastrophic events of the
era; in this case, Bangladesh declaring independence from Pakistan. Lilia’s
queries as to the identity of Mr Pirzada confuse her, but highlight Lahiri’s
attempt to pose questions to the reader concerning identity and nationality.
Despite the potential strife and division that may erupt between Lilia’s family
and Mr Pirzada, they remain friends and are more intent on learning how to
become American than continuing any partisan squabbles. This is shown
when they play Scrabble ‘arguing long into the night about the spelling of
English words’. (p.34)
At the same time her parents are trying to encourage Lilia to become more
American, through participating in Halloween and watching television, she is
trying to find out what it means to be Indian. Interestingly she comments on
her friend’s parents and how ‘the television wasn’t on at Dora’s house at all.
Her father was lying on the couch reading a magazine, with a glass of wine on
the coffee table’. (p.39) This scene is quite removed from her parents’ vision
of America. Lahiri is pointing out that Lilia’s parents are almost trying too hard
to fit in, that Americans are far removed from the clichés her parents are trying
to live up to.
Similarly, her attempts to understand the world she has come from are
ultimately meaningless. The book she reads about Pakistan in her school
library is dismissed when her teacher asks, ‘I see no reason to consult it…do
you?’ (p.33) While this quote is to do with Lilia staying on-task, it also
represents the fact that Pakistan does not exist in the American worldview,
except as a remote place of strife. This is not an anti-American statement,
instead it is to do with how people construct their national identity: it is not
important if it does not take place in the USA.
The story ends with Mr Pirzada going home to Bangladesh and being reunited
with the family he feared was dead. Lilia eventually stops a ritual she started
to bring him good luck, finally throwing away the candy with which she did it.
This signifies that she has not only cast off her Indian and sub-continental
attitudes and desires, but also her attempts to fit into the American cliché. Her
previous identity, cast partly by Mr Pirzada, is no longer relevant.
•
Why do the adults try to become more American?
•
What does Lilia represent for Mr Pirzada?
6
‘Interpreter of Maladies’
This looks at the same issue in ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’ from another
perspective: in this case, how Indians react when they are faced with those
who have succeeded and thrived outside of India. The interpreter of the story,
Mr Kapasi, is a tour guide through India and he shepherds the American Das
family around temples and sites.
Even though they are of Indian background, the Das family seem to be fully
integrated into American society. Mr Das carries the requisite guidebook while
the children complain about the lack of air conditioning in the car. Mr Kapasi’s
life is a poor photocopy of the Das family’s success. His youthful dreams of
being an interpreter for world leaders has been discarded for the more prosaic
job of an interpreter for the local doctor.
Lahiri in this story addresses not only the gulf between cultures, but the gulf
between two people. Mr Kapasi paints an image in his mind of a future
correspondence between himself and Mrs Das with whom he seems to
connect. He thinks their connection is about him as a person, instead of his
role as an interpreter, not only of languages, but of the countryside. However,
this perceived connection is revealed to be a fantasy when Mrs Das
confesses that one of her sons is not her husband’s. Mr Kapasi is not able to
give her advice on how to resolve her guilt over it. It becomes clear to the
reader and Mr Kapasi that he will not be able to fulfil his dream life; the gap
between their cultures is too great. It also shows that he is a poor interpreter
of her guilt, he lacks the imagination to put himself in her position.
When Mrs Das leaves the car in search of her missing son, the comparison
between the monkeys around the temple, and Mr Kapasi are made evident, in
that they are a world away from each other. They have no real understanding
of the human world, in the same way that Mr Kapasi has no real
understanding of the Das family. His dream of being with Mrs Das, which he
partly acknowledges as a dream, is crushed by reality when the paper with his
address that he gave to her flutters away into the trees. He knows that he will
not have any understanding or any other entry into their lives again.
•
Why has Mr Kapasi compromised his life?
•
Why does Mrs Das reveal her secret to Mr Kapasi?
‘A Real Durwan’
This is the first story set exclusively in India, and examines ideas of class and
human nature: in this case, Boori Ma, a woman of reputedly high class birth
who is forced to sweep stairs and live on the roof of a crumbling apartment
building in Calcutta.
Lahiri moves away from many of her previous ideas on the Indian diaspora
and, instead, focuses on the distance between people. Boori Ma’s life is
inscrutable, she describes herself as high born yet none of the residents
believe her. They tolerate her because she provides the service looking after
the house. She is heralded by the bunch of keys around her waist, a symbol
of wealth and prestige; even if it is a symbol of a history they don’t believe.
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However, she is ejected from the building after a robbery; blaming her
absence from the building at the time instead of their own complacency. Lahiri
seems to be saying that people become avaricious and greedy, and
consequently lose their previously held common humanity. Similarly, people
don’t like having someone like Boori Ma around, the symbol of what they
might become – a fallen person.
•
Why does Boori Ma always talk about her old life?
•
Why is there so much description of her bedding?
‘Sexy’
This story, set in the USA, is used to show two perspectives on the same
subject – people having affairs. The central character, Miranda, is not of
Indian background, but her lover, Dev, is. However, his background seems to
be irrelevant.
The story is told from Miranda’s point of view, a woman who doesn’t appear to
be particularly astute. By entering into an affair with a married man, Dev, she
gains pleasure, feeling special and wanted; even going to the point of buying
an alluring cocktail dress to act out her dream of being treated in a special
way. This dream comes to nothing when Dev visits and it is clear he just
wants sex: ‘he carried her over to the bed, wearing sweatpants and sneakers,
and enters her without a word’. (p.93) She can’t find a way out of this
situation, apparently stuck in stasis.
A way out is presented to her with the parallel story that runs through the
narrative, the story of her work friend Laxmi’s cousin’s husband. After leaving
his wife for a much younger woman his family is in uproar. The two affairs are
juxtaposed to show why people might commit these acts of betrayal. Lahiri is
careful not to damn their motives. She seems to say that people will do things
to feel important, often to the detriment of others, and in the long run,
themselves.
Miranda works out that Dev is using her for sex when she is babysitting the
cousin’s precocious child and he explains what he means by ‘sexy’: ‘It means
loving someone you don’t know’. (p.107) This reveals to Miranda what has
happened. She thought she knew Dev and was special to him. Yet, Dev
seems to have no desire to make the leap to understand and relate to her.
The story ends with Miranda postponing meetings with Dev, not wanting to
make a decision, but at least able to think about her sense of self as
something other than a cliché or stereotype.
•
Why does she put on the dress for the young boy?
•
Why is the young boy written in such an unappealing way?
‘Mrs Sen’s’
Like ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’, this story is about trying to adapt and
change to a new life. The central character is a young boy, Eliot, who needs
to be babysat after school. Like Miranda in ‘Sexy’ he is not Indian, but Mrs
Sen who comes to look after him is.
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Unlike other Indian characters in the collection, she is unable to change and
adapt to the new way of life in the USA. Her husband seems kind, but he is
unable to help her adapt and change. His life at the University is ordered; he
has adapted to the new life, but she is unable to do so. This inability to
conform to this new society is shown by her inability and unwillingness to
learn how to drive. Her separation from the culture she is living in is shown
when she is on a bus with a ‘bloodlined bag’ (p.132) full of fish and a woman
with ‘a crisp white bag from the drugstore’ (p.132) tells the bus driver. Mrs Sen
is living in a world where blood and the real world are ever-present, a distinct
contrast with the antiseptic world of America.
Mrs Sen is frustrated at her new life and wants to hold on to her old life.
Conversely, Eliot is in wonder and awe at the new life he has when he is with
the Sens, experiencing the natural world in a different way than he did
previously. For example, he compares a trip he makes in the car with the
Sens with the same trip he makes with his mother: ‘in the back set of Mr and
Mrs Sen’s car the ride seemed unfamiliar, and took longer than usual’. (p.126)
This life with the Sens is significantly different from the hurried and often
impersonal life with his mother. The fact that the story ends with Mrs Sen
crashing the car is a metaphor for the fact that she will never get used to living
in America. This event precipitates Eliot no longer going to the Sen’s;
however, this separation awakens in Eliot a new understanding and
interpretation of the natural world.
•
How is the second visit to collect the fish different from the first? What
purpose does this serve in the story?
•
How is Eliot’s mother presented and why?
‘This Blessed House’
This story is a more amusing take on trying to fit in. It looks at how a husband
Sanjeev and his wife, Twinkle, encounter the world together. Upon moving
into their new home they keep finding Christian religious iconography
secreted in various parts of the house: much to Sanjeev’s disgust and
Twinkle’s delight.
Sanjeev is obviously obsessive and uptight, interested in reading the liner
notes of a CD to understand what it means. He is presented as a lonely
person, who doesn’t know if it’s better to be lonely and contained or have
unhappy companionship. By comparison, the aptly named Twinkle confronts
the world in a carefree and breezy manner. Despite the fact that they are from
a non-Christian Indian background, Twinkle is adamant that they keep and
display the found religious paraphernalia.
While their arranged marriage is an impediment to them getting to know each
other, it is less an Indian story that one about trying to bridge the gap between
two people. Twinkle seems to relate to others with ease, yet Sanjeev finds
making connections very difficult. When asked to take a huge bust of Jesus
down from the attic, an image he hates, Sanjeev does what is right: ‘Sanjeev
pressed the massive silver face to his ribs…and followed her’. (p.157) This
final image indicates that even though he may not love his wife, he is at least
willing to do the right thing by her, something he did previously by
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compromising over the location of a statue of Jesus. Another interpretation of
the final line could be an indication that their forthcoming years of marriage
will be unhappy and full of unsaid anger.
•
What effect does humour have in the story?
•
What do Twinkle’s tears signify in the story?
‘The Treatment of Bibi Haldar’
For this fable-like story, Lahiri returns to India. Bibi Haldar has fits, and is
despised and exiled by her family. She is reduced to living in the back of the
family’s shop and is shunned by all in the village. All Bibi desires is a
husband, but marriage is unlikely due to her neurological condition. She is
gradually de-socialised by her family, despite the rest of the village’s attempts
to help her.
The family’s treatment of Bibi hastens the demise of the shop and the family
moves away leaving her behind. She slowly comes out of her insular exile and
emerges as a new person with a child. She is revitalised by the child, despite
not knowing who impregnated her, but it gives her purpose. Bibi also starts
running the shop to great success.
As a story it doesn’t have too many links with the others in the collection, yet it
does provide hope for people. Lahiri seems to be saying that love and support
is what will cure people; that psychological problems are caused not by things
within a person, but factors outside them.
•
What is the lesson being taught in this story?
•
What is the family’s motivation for putting the ad in the newspaper?
‘The Third and Final Continent’
The final story looks at outcasts: the first is the narrator, an unnamed male
Indian student; the second is the woman he rents a room from, Mrs Croft; and
finally, the narrator’s wife, Mala. They are all strangers in a strange land at
some point in the story and all impact upon each other.
The story starts with the narrator tracing his trip from India to the USA, via
London. He is often unaware of what to do in these new societies; for
instance, eating cornflakes for every meal; a classic sign of being out of place.
He sees a kindred soul in Mrs Croft. She is a woman so old who is almost out
of time. He looks after her, in the same way he looked after his mother and
during her increasing dementia. However, once he learns her real age, over a
hundred, he feels he has to treat her differently, yet he states ‘apart from
those eight dollars [for rent], I owed her nothing’. (p.189) This belies the fact
that she gave him an opportunity to be a good person to her. She is slowly
and inadvertently teaching him how to look after people, opening up his heart.
This kindness is invaluable once his wife, Mala, finally arrives. The earlier
contact he had with her is tinged with exasperation; she seemed too unworldly
and hard to look after. Indeed, she is weak when she gets off the plane, not
having anything to eat since the only food option was oxtail soup. Yet in the
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same way he considers Mrs Croft, he slowly considers Mala and they build
and establish their relationship.
In a way, they are all students of each other. Mrs Croft’s influence on his life
helps him relate to his wife. Her importance is highlighted by the fact he
regularly drives by Mrs Croft’s street long after she is gone to point where they
both lived. The world has moved on, yet the place in his memory for her has
not; the connections he has made linger on.
•
What is the relevance of the title?
•
Why are the moon landings included in the story?
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A PERSPECTIVE ON THE TEXT
Since the stories were largely written for a number of different publications,
they don’t have a common thread. Interestingly, there are ideas and thoughts
Lahiri returns to in her stories, suggesting there are a few underlying concerns
she is trying to address.
Her short stories generally fall under two categories. The first is the classic
short story, with a beginning, complication, and resolution. This structure
underpins many contemporary narrative formats, including novels and films.
The concern of many of Lahiri’s short texts is not the characters themselves,
but how they overcome the narrative complication. These include ‘The
Treatment of Bibi Haldar’ and, to a certain extent, ‘A Temporary Matter’.
Lahiri balances these stories with other more observational pieces. These
types of short texts are more to do with snapshots of people’s lives than
overcoming a problem. ‘Mrs Sen’s’ is a classic example where little unfolds
beyond Eliot’s growing understanding of himself and Mrs Sen. Similarly, ‘A
Real Durwan’ provides the reader with a person, Boori Ma, and a vision of her
life as it deteriorates.
Two noticeable stylistic choices are used to explore different ideas. The first is
how people learn more about themselves by solving a particular problem or
overcoming an obstacle in their way. The second shows how the world and
people are. The realisation and revelations in the text are more to do with the
character than the plot.
All of Lahiri’s stories address the idea of people reaching out to others, how
well they understand this or achieve success in this can be difficult for the
reader to gauge. Lahiri seems to be saying that our attempts to connect with
others are often misplaced or futile. Yet she doesn’t dismiss these attempts,
they are what makes us human.
While there are only two stories told from a first person perspective, there is
always a central character whose internal thoughts and emotions are
presented over others. It is useful to note how often the reader is made aware
of a character’s shortcomings or dramas before they themselves are; for
example, the way Miranda is used by Dev in ‘Sexy’ is made clear to the
reader much sooner than she realises it herself. Even by the end of the story
the reader is still doubtful whether she can truly see what has happened.
Similarly in ‘Mrs Sen’s’: it takes until the end of the story for Eliot to realise
something the reader is already aware of; in this case, Mrs Sen’s difficulties in
settling in and coping with her new world experience.
Like many short story writers, Lahiri uses metaphors and comparisons to
reinforce her central themes and ideas. The most commonly used metaphor
or image is the use of the natural landscape. Many of her stories use the
natural world to illustrate the underlying theme. Even though the reader is
granted an insight into the central characters’ heads, there is still much that is
hidden. By ending her stories with glimpses of the natural world, the reader is
given an insight into how the central characters are really feeling. ‘Sexy’ ends
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with a clear blue sky, while ‘Mrs Sen’s’ ends with ominous grey waves. Such
metaphors give the readers clues to the true state of the characters emotions.
The Indian expatriate experience is explored in the collection. The cultural
differences faced by some of the characters face are peculiarly Indian,
particularly those stories based in India. These include the role of family;
consider how many of the marriages depicted in the collection are arranged.
Lahiri’s protagonists try to find a way to reconcile their desires to be with a
person they love with their desire to be secure. Neither option is shown to be
the right one; her characters just try to come to peace with the compromise
they have made.
The role of family is central to these stories. It is interesting that the Indian
families, despite their formality and lack of apparent love are seen to be closer
than the non-Indian families. This is an indication that the idea of ‘family’ not
only means a blood relative, but also implies duty, a duty that is repaid in later
life.
The Indian background helps centre the stories in an identifiable milieu;
however, they are also about universal themes and ideas. They explore ideas
about what it means to enter into another society and what it means to be an
outsider in these new societies. Issues of identity are more to do with who you
are, and what it means to identify yourself with one particular group. This is
best shown in ‘When Mr Pirzada Came To Dine’ and ‘Mrs Sen’s’.
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CHARACTERS
Jhumpa Lahiri is adept at creating characters with credible emotions and
feelings, and who exhibit realistic and believable attributes. While there are no
recurring characters, there are common concerns or ideas that correlate
roughly with the age groups of Lahiri’s characters.
The children in the book seem to be searching for an identity. They don’t
necessarily choose one by the end of the story, but are still in wonder and
awe at the choices available to them. Even though ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to
Dine’ is told as a memory with the benefit of hindsight, the story is told as Lilia
experienced it. She spends much of the story trying to work out who she is.
She embraces the American culture and schooling through her history
lessons and Halloween costumes. Yet she still tries to work out who she is by
looking around her. The clues to another reality and history are there, but she
can’t read them as well as the American clues.
Another of the young characters in the collection, Eliot from ‘Mrs Sen’s’, is
also trying to determine his identity. His lack of understanding towards his
mother and his own life is mirrored by Mrs Sen’s frustration at the new world
she finds herself in. The greater tragedy is that he cannot relate and share his
present sense of dislocation with her. The young boy in ‘Sexy’ by contrast is
precocious, yet knows less of himself than Eliot. He is in the throes of
establishing a new sense of self, using the language and attitudes of his
absent father in an attempt to work out who he is.
The other young characters are relatively peripheral, but are present to
illustrate Lahiri’s points about developing identity. Lahiri suggests that
characters are what their family says they are, and it is only once they get
older that the characters begin to question their construction of themselves.
The second character types in her stories are the unattached younger adults.
Miranda, Bibi Haldar and the narrator in ‘The Third and Final Continent’ are
included in this group. They, like the children in Lahiri’s stories, are also
searching for their identity. Unlike the children, they are able to articulate a
vision of what they don’t want to be like: in Miranda’s case, she does not wish
to be merely a sexual object; and Bibi Haldar does not want to grow into an
old spinster. Like the children, these characters are not able to shape their
realities, not because they don’t have the ability, but rather because they don’t
know how to place themselves in their world. Miranda can’t work out her
sense of self because of a lack of understanding of others and, at least until
the end of the story, herself. For Bibi her sense of self is hard to define
because of her condition and her family’s insistence that they control her life.
The narrator in the ‘Third and Final Continent’ is unable to work out who he is,
at least not until he arrives in the USA and defines himself against Mrs Croft
and his soon to arrive bride.
Lahiri moves from these younger characters to established married couples.
Their concerns as characters are less to do with their sense of self, but rather
how they interact with their new partner. In ‘A Temporary Matter’ both
Shukumar and Shobas’ ways of dealing with grief are different; she by
14
throwing herself into her work, he by not doing any work. This is a reflection of
both of their personalities; she is well organised and he is more distracted. He
is able to produce high quality work, but to little academic or intelligent gain.
This makes Shoba’s decision to leave a surprise for him, but believable for the
reader. She is seen to be dealing with the grief over the loss of their child in a
business-like way, unlike Shukumar’s unfocussed manner. He can’t see the
‘big picture’ or plan like she can.
By contrast, the young couple in ‘Blessed House’ are learning about each
other in a much more tangential, but in many ways, more stable manner.
Their difference in personalities is highlighted and the way they deal with this
gap is in sharp contrast to Shukumar and Shoba. Sanjeev’s ability to
compromise, suggests their marriage will continue. To keep going they have
to be willing to acknowledge the unhappiness in their relationship, but they
have to also think of the happiness in their lives. They still have the vestiges
of joy and spontaneity that have been sucked out of the relationship between
Shukumar and Shoba.
The couple in ‘The Third and Final Continent’ are also representative of the
attempt to control and deal with living and coping with others. The pair
manages to deal with their lives by forgiving each other. The ability to absolve
and understand the other seems to be what separates the happy and
unhappy characters in this age bracket in Lahiri’s collection.
The fourth character types are the older married couples with children. These
characters are resigned to their lives. In ‘The Interpreter of Maladies’ the
reader is presented with two couples, the Das family and Mr Kapasi. Both Mrs
Das and Mr Kapasi are searching for fulfilment in their lives; in her case, it is
absolution for cheating on her husband. Interestingly, Mrs Das is not sorry for
the act of having sex; she seems unfussed when relating the story. Instead,
she is unhappy that she has not been able to tell the story, the same kind of
guilt that the characters in ‘A Temporary Matter’ experience. She is focussed
on her family even though she doesn’t love her husband anymore. Mrs Das
acknowledges the compromise she has had to make for a sense of
happiness.
By contrast Mr Kapasi is resentful of his marriage and his dreams seem to be
the only things that sustain him. His dreams are contrasted with his lack of
imagination, much like Shukumar. Both of them are people who possess great
skills, but without the ability to think about them differently. Mr Kapasi’s
dreams are a way of dealing with his reality, but when the opportunity to
realise those dreams is presented to him, he is unable to take action. In this
way he is a foolish and tragic figure, unaware until he sees his address
fluttering away in the breeze, that he is unable to make his dreams come true.
The reader is offered glimpses of Lilia’s parents in and they seem to be much
like the other older married couples in the collection. Their concerns are to do
with their sense of self and enforced compromise; for instance, after Lilia’s
father laments her apparently insular education, her mother silences him.
Their private compromise has migrated to the public sphere.
The final character types are the older ones. While some are married, they
are presented to the reader as uncommitted and relatively free. Mr Pirzada as
15
seen through Lilia’s eyes is glorious. He looks different and is far removed
from her parents’ apparent mundane existence. He sees in Lilia the girls that
he has left behind in Bangladesh. He is also comfortable in his sense of self;
he dresses formally and is never without his hat. Mr Pirzada’s ability to
conform and alter who he is in the American context is only achieved through
the friendship he has with Lilia’s parents. Lilia’s presence as a proxy daughter
enriches his sense of self. In a similar way, Mrs Croft manages to cope with
her new world by staying resolutely connected to the old world. While she
lives in the modern world, remarking on the moon landing, her values, such as
no visitors of the opposite sex and expressions such as ‘Splendid!’ preserve
her identity. She is able to remain unchanged because she is still living her
past life. Boori Ma also survives her perceived fall from grace by staying in her
imagined past with servants. Interestingly, the reader isn’t told whether this
world really existed for her or not. It is enough that she remembers it.
However, she finds her final eviction difficult since she does not have the keys
around her waist, the symbols of her old life. Her identity is on the verge of
fragmenting.
Not all of the older characters cope with the world they live in. Mrs Sen can’t
cope with her new reality. Her sense of self is too tightly controlled by her past
and she feels dislocated. Buying fish is central to her, however the efforts she
has to make to ensure she can continue in this manner are too great for her.
Mrs Sen is trapped, not by her inability to change, but by her inability to let go
of the past. In this respect, she is one of the most tragic of all of the
characters in the collection.
16
ISSUES AND THEMES
The central theme of the collection is identity: who we are and who we feel
ourselves to be. Lahiri addresses these questions and indecisions through the
Indian expatriate experience. Although they are strongly centred in particular
cultures, her settings are less to do with particular places and traditions,
instead they illustrate broader human concerns. To say the stories are only
about identity is to ignore the wider themes of the collection. She poses four
distinct questions concerning identity:
•
How do we search for an identity?
•
How can we change our identity?
•
How is our identity changed for us?
•
How are we trapped by our identity?
How do we search for an identity?
This question is covered in the stories ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’ and
‘Mrs Sen’s’. The central characters are trying to determine what sort of person
they are. Lilia’s identity in the story is still fluid: she doesn’t know who she is
and her attempts to be American feel as false as her attempts to be Indian.
While she understands American culture, she is excluded from it by her
ethnicity and her experiences at home. Lilia’s attempts to forge an Indian
identity flounder through physical distance and her own parents’ insistence
that she be like everyone else.
Similarly, Eliot is searching for the type of person he wants to be and he is
unsure of the direction to go in. Even though he is a largely passive character
there is still an implied preference for Mrs Sen’s reality. He is unable to be
part of this reality since Mrs Sen herself is unable to be her true self.
Many of the other characters explore ways to define their identity. The
narrator of ‘The Third and Final Continent’ in his search away from his family
and his homeland finds an identity in the USA. This identity is not far removed
from the one he escaped from, an intentional choice on Lahiri’s part. This
implies that we are only who we are – that, in fact, we each have a set of
qualities that make up our core identity no matter where or how we live.
How can we change our identity?
Unlike Lilia, her parents and Mr Pirzada are more adept at changing and
altering their selves. Lilia’s parents seem content and able to alter their sense
of self. While Mr Pirzada appears to be changing his sense of self, he really
manages to remain the same person through the clothes he continues to wear
and the substitution of Lilia for his daughters. All of this takes place in the
shadow of his changing nationality, from Pakistani to Bangladeshi. This is
used to show that even though his passport is changing, he is still able to
continue his sense of selfhood. His attempts to be more American, such as
carving the Jack-O-Lantern are brought asunder by the news from
17
Bangladesh. The reader is lead to interpret the ruined carving as a sign that
despite his desire to assimilate, he is still linked to his old life.
In ‘Sexy’, Miranda tries on a number of identities in her search to feel
comfortable within herself. She recalls being exploited when she was
younger; however, the affair with Dev offers her hope that she can establish a
new sense of self. This is dashed once she realises that she is being used;
curiously, this realisation is the true catalyst for being able to think of herself
differently. Even though her affair has failed she is able to cast herself in a
changed role; she still has the ability to think about herself in a different way.
How is our identity changed for us?
In ‘A Real Durwan’, Boori Ma’s personality is shifting. Her attempts to create
an identity for herself, either through her stories or her presence in Calcutta,
are irrelevant. She will always be what others tell her she is. This is shown
when she is thrown out of the apartment building. Boori Ma may persist in
claiming that she was high born, but it is irrelevant once others turn against
her. She goes from being tolerated to being reviled. In this story, Lahiri
suggests that we are only what others say we are.
This is a point of view that is argued against in ‘This Blessed House’. Not only
has Sanjeev changed from being single to a married man, but he is also
required to be thoughtful and negotiate in ways not previously necessary. This
shift of identity is very hard for him to adjust to since, on the one hand, he is
happy about the love and affection that exists between himself and Twinkle.
However, Sanjeev is also furiously angry that his desires won’t always be met;
a fact he appears to be resigned to by the end of the story.
Interestingly, Bibi Haldar is trapped inside a version of herself which she tries
to escape from. She is unable to do so; however, once she becomes a mother
she achieves the full identity she craves. She moves from the isolated woman
of the village to achieving a curious form of liberty by having a child; even
though it is out of wedlock.
How are we trapped by our identity?
Mr Kapasi in ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ is struggling to change his identity.
Although he is trying to hold on to his old aspiration of being a translator for
politicians, he uses his dreams to cast a new role for himself. This is despite
the fact that he is not able to actually move away from this reality. He will
remain nothing more than a cipher for others.
The Das family seem secure in their identity, which makes Mr Kapasi anxious:
how can they be a ‘happy family’ when they don’t behave according to his
impression of the way a family is meant to behave. He is unaware until the
end of the story that he is trapped in his own narrow-minded vision of the
world and his place in it.
Mrs Sen is comfortable in her identity, just not where she is. She is unwilling
and unable to adjust to the different identity demanded by her new
environment. Her attempts to change herself, such as learning to drive are
18
unachievable. She is trapped by her inability to change and the fact that her
sense of self is linked to her past.
The difficulty of human contact and loneliness
Another one of the themes in the collection is the gulf that exists between
people and their often detrimental attempts to bridge them. The collection also
looks at loneliness and how people try to avert it. These two themes intertwine
throughout the collection.
In ‘A Temporary Matter’, the grief Shukumar and Shoba feel separates them
until the final estrangement at the end. They are unable to deal with their
emotions and the sad truth of their relationship. It is only by bridging the gap
with their candlelit meals that they are able to express their emotions;
however, this only serves to show how far apart they have grown. Despite
this, there is a bittersweet sadness to their renewed intimacy; they have been
able to communicate with each other even though it has led to their break-up.
This new capacity for communication seems to be more important than their
marriage.
Mr Pirzada also tries to assuage his loneliness by giving the love he would
have shown to his daughters to Lilia instead. He is able to cope with the
distance and the separation from his family by loving Lilia. She responds in
kind too, yet it is a response that is more to do with playing out a role. She
forgets his significance in her life after he has returned home, signified by
throwing away the candy with which she performed her superstitious act. This
is not necessarily seen as a negative act, since the memory of Mr Pirzada
was so vivid and important. This seems to indicate that human contact by its
very nature is fleeting, and the ability to communicate and share no matter
how brief is vital. This idea is also borne out by ‘A Temporary Matter’.
‘Interpreter of Maladies’ shows how sometimes the differences between
people can’t bridge the gaps thus hindering the possibility of connection. This
is partly because Mr Kapasi is himself not able to be anything more than a
cipher, and also because he and Mrs Das are unable to share their culture.
This is not a fault of cultures, but a failure of the imagination by both of them.
‘Blessed House’ suggests that making a connection between people is difficult
and that it often leads to anger and disappointment. Both Twinkle and
Sanjeev show their frustration towards the other. The story ends with a
possibility that Sanjeev will alter his attitudes and find the joy of common
connection. Something that may or may not occur, but the reader is consoled
that he can see the benefits of it even if he can’t make it happen.
19
LANGUAGE AND STYLE
Jhumpa Lahiri is a masterful stylist. She uses a number of different
techniques in her writing to add depth and greater meaning to the stories.
Her use of narrators is strategic in creating meaning. She writes in the first
and third person, in one instance the first person plural. She also gives more
understanding of a particular character in her narratives and lets the reader
appreciate what they are thinking. Since these stories are inextricably linked
with people, it helps reinforce their intense singular viewpoint. However,
despite this detailed information, the reader is often not shown what these
characters are really thinking. The reader has to fill in the emotional blanks of
the story by drawing on the imagery and metaphors associated with the
characters.
While the reader gets to understand one character in detail, they are often not
the most interesting or central character in the narrative. Many of her stories,
like ‘Mrs Sen’s’ and ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’, are often about another
character. The narrators of these stories are not the protagonists of their
story. This is an intriguing technique, since the reader is searching for an
understanding of both characters, the person telling the story and the central
character. The reader can track the narrator’s progress through their attempts
to comprehend the other character.
The reader is often given indications of what will happen, or the true meaning
of events before the characters themselves do. This is an effective technique;
it draws the reader in and makes them hope these characters will understand
their plight and the way to resolve it. However, this is a false hope for some of
the stories. Many of the stories are recollections, even though the characters
are remembering these events, they still present their memories as they
experienced them. They tend not to interpret what has really happened,
leaving the reader to decipher meaning.
Lahiri’s short stories often have few characters and repeated iconography.
This is used to reinforce her point in the particular story. Consider examples
such as: Sanjeev reading the liner notes, Shoba’s coloured pens and Mrs
Sen’s curved knife. What do these objects represent in terms of character and
theme?
Lahiri often draws on the physical world as a counterpoint to the action in the
story. When her characters undergo stress and anxiety, images of the natural
world often follow. This is to provide cues to the characters’ internal life. This
is especially important since they are often unable to express or indicate their
emotions.
She also pointedly incorporates metaphors into the stories. These metaphors
are used to compare the characters’ plight and their anxieties. They provide
the reader with two ways into the story. One example includes the religious
iconography Twinkle finds throughout the house. Since ‘Bless This House’ is
about faith and trying to find meaning in marriage, this search is contrasted
with the apparently unshakeable religious faith the previous tenants had.
20
Sanjeev is meant to see that he has to submit to faith and trust to enjoy his
marriage.
Within stories, Lahiri sets up contrasts between characters to highlight her
views about human nature and relationships. The Bradford couple in ‘A
Temporary Matter’ are intended to be a counterpoint to Shukumar and Shoba.
The two couples apparent happiness and connection are contrasted,
Shukumar wishes he could be like the Bradfords; but to achieve this he feels
he has to be honest, leading to less than happy results.
21
CLOSE STUDY
Passage One
Carving the Jack-o-Lantern, pages 34-36
This extract from ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’ covers the Halloween
preparations. This section addresses cultural differences and how people try
to connect with others. Mr Pirzada’s attempt to carve the Jack-o-Lantern is
ruined when news from the conflict in Bangladesh is conveyed.
1. Why does Mr Pirzada decide to ignore the television so they
can carve the pumpkin? What does this suggest about his
relationship with Lilia?
2. Why is there a close description of what Mr Pirzada is wearing,
down to his opal cufflinks? Think about it in the context of
wanting to be like Americans. Why then do his clothes ring
false?
3. Why do the family and Mr Pirzada eagerly engage in the
carving of the pumpkin? What does this suggest about their
attitude towards their adoptive country?
4. What similarities are there between Mr Pirzada and the reporter
on the television? What effect does this have on the reader?
5. Why does Mr Pirzada seem so competent and confident carving
the pumpkin? What does this suggest about his sense of self?
6. What effect does the eventual shape and size of the Jack-oLantern have on the reader? Why is it important to the story that
it does not look correct?
7. Why is this an important passage in the story?
8. What is the significance of Lilia teaching the adults how to carve
the pumpkin?
22
Passage Two
Buying the fish a second time, pages 131-133
This extract from ‘Mrs Sen’s’ follows her refusal to drive the car. In
desperation she tries to get to the fish shop and back by public transport. This
attempt is fraught with drama.
1. What kind of landscape is the shopping centre? What effect is
this description meant to have on the reader?
2. How are the women from the nursing home contrasted with Mrs
Sen? What differences between them are highlighted in this
passage?
3. Mrs Sen’s description of Eliot’s future treatment of his mother is
about two things. What is Mrs Sen really commenting on?
4. How different is the service she receives in the fish shop from
her previous experience? Why is this important to the story?
5. What does the built environment look like in this section? What
purpose does it serve in the story?
6. Make a list of the numerous details and aspects that are
juxtaposed in this section.
7. Why is Eliot’s point of view rarely mentioned in this extract?
Who does the central character appear to be?
8. What does Mrs Sen’s despair at seeing the women in the bus
shelter signify?
9. What do the fish represent for her? Why are they so important?
10. What does the bus driver’s desire to get them to open the
window represent, especially in the light of the natural and built
environments described in this section?
23
Passage Three
Sanjeev feeling he has the house to himself during the party, pages 155157
This extract from the end of ‘This Blessed House’ is at the tail end of the
party. While it displays Sanjeev’s inability to have fun and his irascibility, it
does show his growing understanding of love and acceptance. The extract
ends with him carrying the bust of Jesus down for Twinkle.
1. What does the religious iconography represent in the story?
2. Why does he want to be undisturbed? What is his desire for a
quiet night really about?
3. What does the reference about the liner notes indicate about his
personality?
4. Is his desire to tear down the posters about them being
blasphemous or is it about something deeper?
5. What is the stated reason for not pulling the ladder up? Where
is the comedy or humour in this reason?
6. What seems to be the source of his anxiety and the knotting in
his neck?
7. What stops Sanjeev from going into the bedroom? What does
this suggest about his feelings towards Twinkle?
8. What is the relevance of her finding the kitschiest of the objects
at this point in the story? What sort of test is Sanjeev being put
through by the writer?
9. List the reasons why he hates the silver bust. What do you think
is the most important? Why?
10. What seems to be the consolation to having this thing he hates
on the mantel? Is this consolation enough to keep him happy?
11. Why is Sanjeev careful with the feather hat? What does it show
about him?
12. In what mood do you think Sanjeev leaves the story?
24
FURTHER ACTIVITIES
Individual student activities
•
List the recurring images or common elements of the stories. What
themes are they linked to?
•
Select one of the stories and insert the emotions the characters would be
feeling. Compare your responses with the rest of the class.
•
Write down some examples on the gulf and separation between people –
try to use real life examples if appropriate or draw from other texts. How
was this separation overcome?
Oral presentation activities
•
Have several people read out the story ‘The Treatment of Bibi Haldar’.
How does having a chorus telling the story affect the reader?
•
Present personal immigrant stories. They could be interpretations on
immigrant stories you know. What are the similarities or differences
between this collection and the personal stories?
Written responses
•
Re-write one of the stories from another character’s perspective. What
are the differences and similarities? How would the previous narrator’s
life be related to the audience?
•
Write creative stories using similar methods as Lahiri. This includes the
use of the natural world to reflect inner feelings and using other
metaphors as a counterpoint to the story.
Group activities
•
Find examples where Lahiri foreshadows what is about to happen.
•
Find instances where the natural world mimics and reflects the drama
that the characters are going through.
•
Using Venn diagrams compare three stories by identifying their
similarities and differences.
Whole class activities
•
Write essay questions on large sheets of paper and in groups of three to
four get the students to prove or disprove the statement with examples
from the text. Write an introductory paragraph in the middle of the paper,
and then display these around the room. Students are then required to
write their own essay based on one of the essay questions.
25
Extension work
•
Visit the Immigration Museum in Melbourne and draw links to the
experiences depicted in the collection.
•
Since migration is often a matter of adaptation, visit your town or city’s
migrant hub, Chinatown is often a good place to start. What has been
adapted from the original culture, and what has been retained? What
might this suggest about attempts to keep or discard people’s culture of
origin?
26
KEY QUOTES
‘They wept together for the things they now knew.’ (p.22)
This quote from ‘A Temporary Matter’ illustrates how difficult it is to make
connections with other people, to reveal yourself to others can be very
damaging. It also suggests that telling the truth is important, despite the fact it
can cause considerable grief.
‘Lilia has plenty to learn at school,’ my mother said. ‘We live here now, she
was born here.’ (p.26)
This quote from ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’ shows that many
immigrants feel they are part of the new society and should abide by the new
society’s customs; also that their old customs are not compatible with their
new country.
‘It was hard to believe they were regularly responsible for anything other than
themselves.’ (p.49)
This quote from ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ by Mr Kapasi who is in amazement at
the Das parents, is used to show the lack of understanding he has of them.
He cannot comprehend that they have not only taken to the new culture, but
that he cannot bridge these cultural differences.
‘Among the wives, however, resentment quickly brewed. Standing in line to
brush their teeth in the mornings, each grew frustrated with having to wait her
turn…’ (p.79)
This quote from ‘A Real Durwan’ shows how people are often dissatisfied with
their condition, even when it is an improvement on what they previously knew
and experienced.
‘As he talked he smoked three cigarettes, crushing them in a saucer by the
side of her bed.’ (p.94)
This quote, in reference to Dev’s behaviour in ‘Sexy’, highlights how he is
regular in his actions. The affair is clearly not about her needs, nor is it about
building a relationship, but rather a satisfying routine for Dev. This is
something that takes Miranda longer to notice than the reader, a conscious
strategy on Lahiri’s part.
‘They think I live the life of a queen, Eliot.’ She looked around the blank walls
of the room. ‘They think I press buttons and the house is clean. They think I
live in a palace.’ (p.125)
Mrs Sen’s sad line from ‘Mrs Sen’s’ highlights two aspects of the immigrant
experience. The first is the inability for those who are back in the home
country to understand the new life and culture. The second is Mrs Sen’s
frustration at her new life, and her desire to return to her old life.
‘Now he had one [a wife], a pretty one, from a suitably high caste, who would
soon have a master’s degree. What was there not to love?’ (p.148)
27
This line from ‘This Blessed House’ highlights the ephemeral nature of love
and whether Sanjeev has chosen his wife because his alternative was
insufferable loneliness. It is about the compromises people will make not to be
lonely. A choice Lahiri consciously does not judge.
‘We found her lying on the camp cot. She was about four months pregnant.’
(p.172)
This reference from ‘The Treatment of Bibi Haldar’ is used to show how the
community is vital to people, how it can and does help and save others. It is
also meant to highlight the fable-like nature of the story, that Bibi’s pregnancy
is what will save her from her troubles.
‘In my son’s eyes I see the ambition that had first hurled me across the world.’
(p.197)
This line from the final story in the collection ‘The Third and Final Continent’
highlights the circular nature of many of these stories; that the travails the
father went through in his youth are not individual to him, but rather they are
universal dramas. His experiences are less to do with culture and more to do
with human connection and nature.
28
TEXT RESPONSE TOPICS
1. ‘It is impossible to bridge the gap between two people.’ Discuss.
2. ‘Jhumpa Lahiri’s stories aren’t about being Indian, but about
being a human.’ Do you agree?
3. ‘How people react to a situation is determined by their history
and culture.’ Discuss.
4. ‘None of the characters in these stories are at peace.’ Do you
agree?
5. ‘Cultural differences are more difficult to resolve than personal
differences.’ Discuss.
6. ‘To be different is a curse.’ Discuss.
7. ‘While these stories are told from a character’s perspective, that
character is rarely the central character.’ Do you agree?
8. ‘The people in these stories are searching for something they
are not able to find.’ Do you agree?
9. ‘Immigrants shed their previous cultures with ease.’ Discuss.
10. ‘Mr Kapasi in the story ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ is not able to
understand the Das family.’ Do you agree?
11. ‘Becoming part of the new society is more important to migrants
than retaining their old society.’ Discuss.
12. ‘The stories people tell themselves are more important than
their realities.’ Discuss.
13. How does the use of imagery from the natural world influence
these stories?
14. ‘We can never broach the space between two cultures.’
Discuss.
15. ‘While the characters’ lives remain largely unchanged, they do
undergo a transformation.’ Do you agree?
29
TWO GUIDED TEXT RESPONSES
Guided Response One
Topic:
‘It is impossible to bridge the gap between two people.’ Discuss.
Consider the key words of the topic. What do they mean in relation to the
text?
•
The use of the word ‘impossible’ is important. It is rare that you would get
a question that can only be answered in one way. What this is asking
you is how the gap between two people can be bridged.
•
The ‘gap between two people’ refers to the emotional distance two
people feel; perhaps even the innate differences between two people.
Sample evidence to draw on to develop a response:
•
‘A Temporary Matter’ – the young couple eventually learn to connect,
even though it is ultimately leads to unhappiness
•
‘Interpreter Of Maladies’ – the attempts by Mrs Das and Mr Kirpasi to
connect fail
•
‘This Blessed House’ – there is the hope of a connection between
Sanjeev and Twinkle
•
‘Sexy’ – understanding the impossibility of a bond in one situation can
convince you it is possible in others
•
‘The Third and Final Continent’ – when the narrator learns to relate to his
wife, a wife he has largely resented and shunned prior to her arrival.
Some ideas to draw on to develop a response as ‘bridging the gap between
people’ is achievable when some of the following conditions or ideals are
achieved:
•
Understanding of others – ‘This Blessed House’, ‘Interpreter of Maladies’
•
Honesty – ‘A Temporary Matter’, ‘Sexy’
•
Forgiveness – ‘This Blessed House’, ‘The Third and Final Continent’.
When people achieve one or more of the above three conditions they have a
possibility to connect.
30
Guided Response Two
Topic:
‘The stories we tell ourselves are more important than our realities.’ Discuss.
Before answering the topic, you may question the topic itself to ensure that
you understand its requirements. Some questions to pose about this topic are:
•
What are the stories we tell ourselves?
•
What is our reality?
•
How do they clash?
•
Which story holds more sway over us?
•
Does important necessarily mean more beneficial?
In this case the question is asking whether it is better to live with a vision of
our world that is not accurate, over truth and reality.
Sample evidence to draw on to develop a response:
•
‘A Temporary Matter’ – Shukumar is so consumed by grief that he can’t
see what his wife is actually doing; this is to his detriment
•
‘Interpreter of Maladies’ – Mr Kapasi’s daydreams are fine as long as he
doesn’t have to confront them; as long as they can’t come true, they’re
manageable, they take him away from his less than satisfying reality
•
‘Sexy’ – Miranda imagines the situation to be something it isn’t; this has
a damaging effect on her, to grow and move on she has to see the world
as it is
•
‘The Third and Final Continent’ – Mrs Croft lives in a world far removed
from reality, but is able to bend the real world to fit her perception; as
long as she doesn’t leave the confines of her home, it is acceptable.
Introduction
All people live, to some extent, in their heads – that is, their imaginations.
People’s internal monologues may describe a world where they are the
central character. Problems can occur when this vision of the world is overlaid
with reality. Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ looks at this
idea in a number of different ways, although her stories arrive at roughly the
same conclusion about the stories we tell ourselves.
First topic sentence: As long as it is possible to control the surrounding
environment, it is possible to live in the world in our heads.
Second topic sentence: The dreams and fantasies people make for
themselves can be liberating; however, if the possibility of them coming true
arrives, it can have dire consequences for these people.
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Third topic sentence: While it may be convenient and easy for the imagined
life to control people’s lives, it is often better to live in the real world, even
though it may be more difficult and disappointing, it is usually more rewarding.
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REFERENCES, RESOURCES AND
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS
There are numerous films and novels that explore the Asian immigrant
experience.
Note: some of these contain confronting language and sexuality, please watch
/ read them before using them in class.
Films
Ae Fond Kiss (Ken Loach, 2004). Set in Glasgow, Scotland, this tells the story
of a relationship between a Pakistani man and a teacher at his sister’s
Catholic school. It examines the problems such a union would cause within
their respective communities. It also addresses the difficulties of trying to
adapt to a new way of life, across cultural boundaries.
Brick Lane (Sarah Gavron, 2007). Based on the book of the same name,
telling one woman’s story in an arranged marriage and her attempts to adjust
to her new life and identity in London.
Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008). A filmed version of a book about
the life and adventures of an unlikely winner of the Indian ‘Who Wants To Be
A Millionaire?’. It presents a bubblegum vision of India.
Books
Hanif Kureishi, The Black Album. A dark novel about the Asian expatriate
experience set in the dank and grimy London of the early 1990s.
Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth. A short story collection, sharing the
same milieu as Interpreter Of Maladies. The last three stories are a
heartbreaking, interlocking novella.
Alice Pung (ed.), Growing Up Asian In Australia. A non-fiction collection from
numerous contributors. It examines the idea of difference and the difficulty of
establishing an Asian Australian identity.
Shaun Tan, The Arrival. A word free graphic novel recording a character
settling in a new land. It examines the foreign nature of the expatriate
experience with sensitivity and an immersion in a fantastic world.
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