Literary Elements

Lahiri’s collection of short stories are told through the third person limited omniscient narrative, as each story is filtered through the eyes of a character(s).  Being that the book is of the short story genre, there are few characters in each story, yet each contains the same elements of the fiction genre.

            The stories take place often in or around the homes of the characters in Lahiri’s book. Very brief descriptions are given of the place and location by Lahiri, fitting of the short story genre, as the readers are thrust into the lives of the characters. This is fitting as each character’s struggle or problem remains personal, and is virtually confined to his/her environment. In “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar” Bibi struggles with her illness and life in her small closet of a home, while in “This Blessed House” Sanjeev’s issue with Twinkle and the Christian items she finds is confined to only his home.

            Characteristic of the short story genre, the reader is catapulted straight to the height of the action/drama when the stories begin in the Interpreter of Maladies. Readers are caught in the middle of the characters’ stories, often where the stakes are high for each of them. In this book, this tends to be a problem that is affecting the daily life/lives of the characters. For example, in “Mrs. Sen”, Mrs. Sen’s homesickness and her failure to fully adjust to life in America leaves her throwing saris around her room, and her happiness and unease begins to affect her driving. However, as each story progresses the story and plots come to a close, and the reader is left with some sense of closure.

            Lahiri’s book takes on the characteristic of the short story cycle. In this case, many themes and elements reoccur in other stories that in some way unify them.  For example, marriage and love appear as common elements and themes. This can be seen in just about every story included in the book. The story “A Temporary Matter” showcases an unhappy, rather loveless marriage, while “The Third and Final Continent” shows an arranged marriage, where love is also lacking, but grows over time. While “A Real Durwan” and “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar” do not have married main characters, there are other married couples in the story, along with Bibi who is searching for a husband and someone to love.

            Being that the book is of short story genre, readers only get a brief description of the characters, as the story is already in full swing before we get a brief introduction to them. That being said, readers are able to gain enough knowledge and characteristics of each character simply by their actions and interactions with others. Like in “A Temporary Matter”, from the way Shoba dresses, and acts-no longer cooking meals, and having little interaction with Shukumar, we learn enough to know her life has taken a complete turn and her feelings of grief have left her in somewhat of a careless state.

Multiculturalism

          Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, further continues our discussion on multiculturalism in America. Lahiri’s book shows the struggles and accomplishments faced by some immigrants in their move to America and/or their new life in America, in this case as faced by the Indian culture.  Not only does Lahiri show the struggles that Indian Americans face, but also the relatable struggles that people of any race or culture may face in their lives, whether it be the breakdown of a marriage, or the loss of a child. This book depicts, in many characters, the disconnect from “home” and culture that many ethnic cultures face as they make their new lives in America. For example, in Mrs. Sen, “Mrs. Sen” feels like an outsider in America, missing her family and seemingly simplistic way of life in India.

Lahiri’s novel depicts race, ethnicity, gender, and class issues throughout the many stories in her book. In Sexy and Mrs. Sen, the reader is presented with some sense of racial issues, as in “Sexy”, Miranda and her neighborhood fail to understand and fully accept the Indian American Dixit family. As Lahiri wrote, “The fathers complained,” (Lahiri 95) and “the mothers never invited Mrs. Dixit to join them” (Lahiri 95). While the children of the neighborhood taunted the children saying, ““The Dixits dig shit,” under their breath, and then burst into laughter” (Lahiri 95). Lahiri also showcases class issues in her short story, “A Real Durwan”. In the story the main character, Boori Ma, is treated poorly because of her low class status. As Boori Ma is blamed for ‘aiding’ in the building robbery, and is always considered to be lying, as one building member said, “Boori Ma’s mouth is full of ashes. But that is nothing new” (Lahiri 82). In the story, “Sexy”, ethnic issues arise.  For Miranda looks at the Indian culture of both her friend and boyfriend as something of exoticism, as she becomes fascinated and curious with the Indian culture.

The Interpreter of Maladies supports many of my ideas of about Multicultural America. After reading other novels and having some prior knowledge, this book showed what I had already known about the struggles that other cultures face in America. I had known from prior knowledge and prior readings that many ethnic people can feel like outsiders in their new home in America, and the ridicule and judgments of the dominant culture can only make matters worse for them. Many other cultures/ethnicities feel as though they are outsiders in their new home, like Mrs. Sen from the story “Mrs. Sen”, and how she longed for her family, and had difficulties adapting to the American way of life. What’s more, while America seems like a welcoming and accepting place, some of its citizens seem to find judgment and disapproval of those who are trying to make a new life for themselves, often failing to understand and accept their new culture, religions, languages, etc.  This is shown in Lahiri’s story, “Sexy”, wherein Miranda and the rest of the neighborhood failed to understand the Indian American Dixit family, in some cases taunting them with hurtful names, demonstrating what I had known, that some ethnicities in multicultural America are not given the respect that they deserve. However, I think this book shows a good depiction of a modern Multicultural America, as America has improved greatly. While unfortunately racism is still around, it is not as much as it used to be, and you see this in the book, as there is little to no mention of racism.

I think I was forgetful of the fact that once in Multicultural America other issues can arise, whether it be personal, familial, or other, that no matter what race or ethnicity, we all face. This made me realize that being all the farther away from the home they love, and the ones they love, can only make their situation seem all the more dire, and their life in America all the more difficult as they grapple with this new culture and issues.

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. New York. Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print.

Critical Context-Essay

Essay: Reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies as a Short Story Cycle                                By: Noelle Brada-Williams

            In this essay, Brada-Williams makes the point that Jhumpa Lahiri’s book is not simply just a bunch of differing stories within the same book, but a collection of stories that are woven together through unifying themes and the balancing act of “the most important theme running throughout the cycle” (Brada-Williams 456)- care and neglect.

            Brada-Williams makes note that marriage is one of the most common and easily noticed themes within Lahiri’s book. Though it is in various types and forms, this is easily noticed in all of the stories. To name a few, “A Temporary Matter” has a broken marriage, “Sexy” has two marriages effected by affairs, and the final story “The Third and Final Continent” has a long marriage made strong by their new lives in America. Along with this, we see the balancing act, as well. As there is a mixture between good and bad marriages throughout the book. This element and theme of marriage relates to Brada-Williams’ main focus on the balancing of care and carelessness that goes across all of the stories.

            Brada-Williams focuses much of her essay on the balancing of care and carelessness/neglect, along with the representations of each throughout the stories. Brada-Williams writes of these images/representations stating, “Such images serve as augurs of the characters’ emotional states and processes” (Brada-Williams 456). For example, as carelessness/neglect is seen in the way the Das children are treated by their parents in “The Interpreter of Maladies”, along with the dying plant and marriage in “A Temporary Matter.” Both show the characters’ state of mind, as Mrs. Das is unhappy with her life, and Shoba and Shukumar are so grief stricken they forgot to take care of something as simple as watering a plant. These acts of carelessness are balanced by the care in “Mrs. Sen” and “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar”. In “Mrs. Sen”, Mrs. Sen takes great care of Eliot, not letting him out of her sight as she cuts vegetables. Whereas in “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar” the women of the community rally around Bibi to care for her and find her a husband.

Overall, I found Brada-Williams’ essay very interesting. I agree with everything that Brada-Williams makes note of in her essay. After having gone through the stories again after reading this essay, it is easy to see how all the stories share common elements and themes, and how the author created the balancing of such themes from story to story.  It wasn’t quite until I read her essay that I could really see the balancing act that the author created in her book. At the very end of the essay Brada-Williams makes a really great point in regards to reading Lahiri’s novel, which states, “We are given the freedom to create our own closure, and in many cases our own judgments as to the outcomes suggested by Lahiri’s narratives. But with this freedom comes our responsibility to read with care” (Brada-Williams 463). For if readers don’t take this into consideration, they may miss the bigger the picture and may not take or learn anything from the stories. In the end it’s up to the reader to interpret the maladies.

 

Brada-Williams, Noelle. "Reading Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies as a Short Story Cycle." MELUS 3/4 29 2004. 452-464. Print.

Multimedia Resources

Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JqdydDWK8k

http://apa.si.edu/indianamerican/about.html

http://indianamericanstory.wordpress.com/

Each of these links go together hand in hand, as it was when I found the first source that I stumbled upon the other two websites. The first link I have included is a short video on being Indian American, as told by an Indian American man. This video was created as part of The Indian American Heritage Project for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, which was created to “chronicle the experience of immigrants from India and Indian Americans in the United States”(3). The man in this video speaks about his culture, and how he will pass on the story of his parents and grandparents to his future children, who will be even more American than his parents and himself.

The second link I included takes you to the project’s website, where you can read stories, or view pictures of the project, as well as those sent in by people of Indian heritage. The site includes discussion on the future exhibition Beyond Bollywood, which “will explore the heritage, daily experience, and numerous, diverse contributions that Indian immigrants and Indian Americans have made to shaping the United States”(2). The final link takes you to the project’s blog where more of these pictures and stories are put together from submissions, as well as with posts about family, events, identity, and culture along with some interviews.

These resources tie into many of Lahiri’s stories of Indian American characters/families, and focuses on the connection to culture, family and the struggles faced while making a new life in America. For example, like the main character in “The Third and Final Continent”, the last story in the Interpreter of Maladies, the man in the project’s video speaks of how different his children will be from him. The main character in the “The Third and Final Continent” reflects some of what the man in the video link speaks of, in regards to his child stating, “So we drive to Cambridge to visit him, or bring him home for a weekend, so that he can eat rice with us with his hands, and speak in Bengali, things we sometimes worry he will no longer do after we die” (Lahiri 197). For in the video similar sentiments are made as the man states he will pass down stories of the Indian heritage of he and his family, as his children will be even more American, and they won’t understand what it’s like coming from a different culture/world. Much like Lilia in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”, many of those who submitted stories about their lives as Indian Americans stated their lives are the “best of both worlds”(4).

I think this resource is a great way for people to learn more about the Indian culture, as well as learning about the lives of Indians and Indian Americans. I also think it’s a great way to connect to the characters and stories in the Interpreter of Maladies as well, as this relates to real people and events.  I think it’s wonderful that those of Indian heritage are able to become involved with this project, as stories from every walk of life are able to be presented and heard.

1. Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies.  New York. Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print.
2. "About Beyond Bollywood." Smithsonian Indian American Heritage Project. Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
 3. "About the Indian American Heritage Project (IAHP)." Smithsonian Indian American Heritage Project. Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. http://apa.si.edu/indianamerican/about.html.
  4. Mukerji, Alakananda. "What Does Being Indian American Mean to You?" Smithsonian Indian American Heritage Project. Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. http://apa.si.edu/indianamerican/stories/alakananda-mukerji.html.

 

Reader Responses

Goodreads.com
        Many readers on this site praised Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection of short stories. In many cases, reviews were met with responses such as, “Amazing, extraordinary”, “Splendid!” and “Beautiful”! These reviewers loved the book for its universal human struggles that made the characters more relatable and empathetic. Another commonality for those who enjoyed the book, was that it kept them engaged and having a hard time putting the book down.That being said, there were others who felt differently about Lahiri’s book, leaving comments like, “Overrated”, “Very depressing”, and “Just Ok” for example. A common thread between those who didn’t enjoy the book, often was the book’s short story genre and many of their overall themes. For many of these readers didn’t like how the stories and characters were without development, and time and time again did not like how “miserable” some of the stories were. However, the overall response to The Interpreter of Maladies was overwhelmingly positive on this site.

One reviewer, Nataliya, made a comment that really stuck out to me, which stated,“It's not about the plot; Lahiri's storytelling hinges on the inner world of her characters, their hopes, dreams, and memories.” For there were always certain aspects or struggles characters faced that left impressions on me, that could be seen after interpreting each one’s maladies. For example, I can’t forget Twinkle and her fascination with the Christian objects she kept finding in her home, or Bibi Halder and her determination/dream to turn her life around and find love. Through these hopes, dreams, memories, emotions, etc. within the inner world of the characters readers are able to see the commonalities not only between the characters, but possibly between themselves and the characters, as well.

barnesandnoble.com

            Readers on this site also enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies. Reviewers loved her writing style, and lots of readers liked the book because of its focus on “humanity”.  These reviewers also enjoyed how Lahiri was able to “capture and evoke feelings”, and found the book as a whole to be very creative. There weren’t as many negative reviews, however those who didn’t care for the book commented that they didn’t find the book “interesting”, with some even calling it “confusing” and “frustrating”. Those who liked the book often said they were inspired to read other novels by Lahiri, while those who didn’t quite enjoy her book felt let down given that it was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Overall, the book was met with a positive response from readers.

A comment, left by Anonymous, that I felt many readers of this book could agree with read, “We are often wowed by tales of war, tragic love, or deceitful revenge, but some stories invoke that same amazement through more ordinary situations.” This quote echoes my same feelings, as Lahiri is able to capture so much emotion within the everyday lives of her characters in the Interpreter of Maladies. In doing so, she leaves us feeling for the characters, or relating to their struggles, some of which we too may have faced at some point in our lives. It is these emotions and situations that keep readers turning page after page.

Amazon.com

            Much like the other two sites, Amazon’s reviewers had a positive to the book. Unlike the other two sites however, the good reviews heavily outweighed the negative. Many of those who liked the stories, enjoyed the human emotions and struggles in each of the stories, as many said they were “touched” by this and Lahiri’s “well drawn characters”. These reviewers also commented on how they enjoyed the book in part because of Lahiri’s writing style, as well as saying that they looked forward to reading some of her novels because of their reading experience with this book. Some of the few people who didn’t enjoy the book left comments similar to those on Barnes and Noble and Goodreads. These reviewers found the story “just ok” with one reviewer even saying that they felt many of the endings were “predictable”.

One particular comment, left by vanishingpoint, that stood out to me while reading the reviews on this site was as follows, “Thanks to you, Jhumpa Lahiri, when I now see Indian people, especially the women walking in their saris, I smile. Every time I see them, I think back to this wonderful book.” I think it is great when a book such as this one can bring new insight to its readers. For books such as this one, brings people to see cultures in a new light, and understand them.  The way Lahiri brings universal human struggles and emotions into her novel allows for readers to understand how these universal experiences can connect us to others. In doing so, people can understand the struggles that others may face, and it lets for any preconceived judgments or thoughts to be cast away.