INTERPRETER OF THE MALADIES
Jhumpa Lhari (1999)
Historical background: The British Empire
In the 19th Century the British Empire was the largest in
the world
The Partition of India in 1947
The Empire began to break apart in
the 20th Century. Britain sliced up its
vision of a united, multicultural India,
into the countries we know today.
The creation of new states and
countries led to massive conflict.
Following Independence form Britain
and the partition of India in 1948
there was a huge movement of
people, often based on religious
lines. This lead to further conflict
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
This war was fought between India and Pakistan and was closely
linked to the Bangladesh’s fight for independence.
After months of violence and twelve days of war, East Pakistan
separated from West Pakistan. East Pakistan became
Bangladesh.
The Caste system
Poor Country
Huge population
Widespread
homelessness
Huge division
between the
“haves’ and the
“have nots”
The caste system
dictates where
people live and
what jobs they can
hold.
Migration: a diaspora
The diaspora that resulted from the conflict and
poverty in India meant that many Indians found
themselves living in countries such as Britain,
Australia, Canada and the United States.
THE AUTHOR
Jhumpa Lahiri was born in 1967 in
London, England, and moved to
Rhode Island when she was 3.
Her father and mother emigrated
from Calcutta, India, and Lahiri
spoke Bengali with them at home.
CULTURAL CLASH
Lahiri never felt fully American
Her parents had a strong
connection with India and
the family travelled there
several times.
In addition, Lahiri was
born in another country,
SETTING
Most of Lahiri’s work focuses on the lives of
Indian Americans, and the stories in
Interpreter of Maladies are set in India or
parts of the United States, including
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and an
unnamed university town very much like
Cambridge.
India is a part of
each story, although
its influence varies in
as it does in each
character’s life.
INDIAN AMERICANS
Indians have immigrated to the United States in large
numbers since the 1960s. Largely well educated and
highly skilled, Indian immigrants come for a variety of
reasons, but often to seek work in technological fields.
Indian Americans now constitute the third-largest Asian
American community in the United States.
Central themes of “Interpreter of Maladies” include the
difficulties that Indians have in relating to Americans and
the ways in which Indian Americans are caught in the
middle of two very different cultures.
TASK: Write a paragraph explaining what you think some
of these clashes might be?
•
INDIAN FAMILY LIFE TRADITIONS
and CUSTOMS
Each of the different stories trace the individual
characters’ ability to adapt to a new culture and changing
times.