Dedicated to the study of literature.
1. What seems to be the author’s intention or purpose for writing the narrative? Try to think of several purposes and consider varying audiences in your response.
2. Describe the role of faith in the author’s ordeal or in the narrative as a whole.
2a. In general, what would a Puritan say about God and his providence in their everyday lives?
3. Describe the relationship between Mary and her captors.
4. Based on the reading, what do you think the characteristics of a “good” Puritan are?
5. How do you think Mary feels about her captivity by the end of it?
9 comments:
Aubrey Butts
In “A Temporary Matter,” Lahiri paints the picture of a young couple torn apart by the loss of their child. Secretly, both Shoba and Shukumar blame themselves for the accident, Shoba for actually losing the child and Shukumar for not being present and giving support at the birth. Through the days after the stillbirth, Shoba throws herself into her work and Shukumar makes half-hearted attempts to finish his schooling and to reconnect with Shoba, and instead of bonding through the guilt, they isolate themselves. “…he thought of how he and Shoba had become experts at avoiding each other in their three-bedroom house, spending as much time on separate floors as possible. He thought of how he no longer looked forward to weekends…he feared that putting on a record in his own house might be rude.” (Lahiri 4-5). Once young lovers who anticipated each other’s needs (Shoba was always overly prepared) and couldn’t stand to be apart (“He remembered… when they were so thrilled to be married, that they would just reach for each other foolishly…”), they now had to worry about messing up the simplest aspects of life and pleasing each other just enough to keep the other from abandoning them (Lahiri 10).
“A Temporary Matter” supports the belief that young couples fall apart at the first signs of danger and hardship. However, Lahiri also shows how they can easily reconnect through vulnerability, exposing their souls so they can more easily relate. “Somehow, without saying anything, it had turned into this. Into an exchange of confessions-little ways they’d hurt or disappointed each other, and themselves…They were able to talk to each other again.” (Lahiri 18-19). Knowledge has the power to repair or destroy. Shoba and Shukumar use the five dark days to bring back a semblance of their past relationship. However, when the light is restored, they both use their knowledge to kill the other’s wishes of moving on in life with a clean slate. The themes behind “A Temporary Matter” remind us what can happen when accidents occur and change the way two people, once deeply connected, react to each other.
When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine
Grandfathers are jolly but fierce protectors of their grandchildren. They spare no cost to put a smile on their loved ones faces, and they are often the ones pouring out the most sympathy over pains and aches. These characteristics are evident in Mr. Pirzada, and the young narrator views him as not only a grandfatherly figure but also as a mysterious adult whose emotions she has difficulties responding to. “His ears were insulated by tufts of graying hair…He had thickly lashed eyes shaded with a trace of camphor, a generous mustache that turned up playfully at the end…” (Lahiri 28). Mr. Pirzada is portrayed as a comforting creature, one you can turn to without reserve, knowing there are no preconceived judgments. However in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” it is the “grandchild’s” turn to comfort her struggling “grandfather.” Mr. Pirzada is dealing with the uncertainty surrounding his family’s whereabouts and their safety in a country engaged in conflict. How can a young child, with no resources, fix an adult’s problems and console their worries though? The simplest acts of kindness can do it. “…I prayed that Mr. Pirzada’s family was safe and sound. I had never prayed for anything before…but I decided, given the circumstances, that it was something I should do.” (Lahiri 32). Even though the narrator feels some intimidation because of Mr. Pirzada’s presence, she can sense his raw emotions. The only offering she can make is a prayer but the sincere feelings behind it go straight to the source of Mr. Pirzada’s longings and touch him in a way that nothing else can. In the end, all he needed to hear were the words don’t worry.
Interpreter of Maladies
A malady can be viewed in a physical or emotional sense. Most often people see a malady as an ache or pain or maybe even a chronic illness that you seek medical attention for. However, what about the maladies that we suffer in our minds? We all have days where we feel too “weak” to move, too defeated to try, or too lost to better ourselves.
Mr. Kapasi, the protagonist in “Interpreter of Maladies,” uses his knowledge of different languages to translate the feelings of patients into more “scientific” terms, enabling the doctor to treat them effectively. He also acts as a tour director on the side, and it is through this job that he meets the Das family. Mrs. Das catches Mr. Kapasi’s eye simply because she listens to him and seems interested in his work, unlike his own wife. Mr. Kapasi’s personal maladies come to light through his relationship with Mrs. Das. His first malady is the sense of failure surrounding his life, stemming from an unaccomplished dream of being an important international interpreter. “Mr. Kapasi knew it was not a remarkable talent. Sometimes he feared that his children knew better English than he did, just from watching television.” (Lahiri 52). With Mrs. Das, there is no language barrier, but there is a wall between them, formed because of Mr. Kapasi’s imagined longings that Mrs. Das will never return. The most remarkable of Mr. Kapasi’s maladies though is his inability to silence Mrs. Das’s suffering. After revealing that Bobby is not her husband’s son, Mrs. Das asks Mr. Kapasi to give her a remedy from the pain. “Mr. Kapasi felt insulted that Mrs. Das should ask him to interpret her common, trivial little secret. She did not resemble the patients in the doctor’s office…unable, above all, to give words to their pains. Still, Mr. Kapasi believed it was his duty to assist Mrs. Das.” (Lahiri 66). Even though he is insulted, Mr. Kapasi probably feels some displeasure because he can’t perform his job for his new friend. Through Mr. Kapasi’s story, Lahiri reveals that the most troubling maladies often stretch beyond the physical. Our conscience frequently troubles us the most, disturbing our everyday actions and leaving us unable to let our failures go.
A Real Durwan
Boori Ma is the durwan of a rundown apartment building in Calcutta. Its residents, the Dalals, Mrs. Misra, and Mr. Chatterjee, are thankful that Boori Ma protects their building from thieves, peddlers, and other hooligans. They also simultaneously gripe about and enjoy her exaggerated stories of her past life and journey as a refugee to Calcutta. As events in the story progress, Boori Ma is cruelly affected by the residents’ desires to heighten the luxury of their building and their attempts at fixing their wounded pride. One day, the building is ransacked by thieves because Boori Ma was not present to protect it. They collectively blame her for their own undoing and decide to throw her out of the building, even though she proclaims her innocence.
In “A Real Durwan,” Lahiri noticeably copies the plot of the story, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” “…whose skeleton keys she still wore, along with her life savings, tied to the free end of her sari. Aside from her hardships…” (Lahiri 71). Boori Ma can be seen as the shepherd of these things, ones that run her routine and remind her of the present reality. The townspeople are the residents of the building, those who watch from a distance and mainly see Boori Ma as a source of entertainment, not as a fatigued old woman with nothing in the world. Then, as we all know, Boori Ma is kicked out of her home because of the residents’ anger and need to base their guilt on someone else. “So the residents tossed her bucket and rags, her baskets and reed broom, down the stairwell…Then they tossed out Boori Ma. All were eager to begin their search for a real durwan.” (Lahiri 82). What the residents had once valued, Boori Ma’s ability to bring character to the building and to transport them away from their own hardships, only supported the accusations being fired against her in the end. While “A Real Durwan” does drift away from the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” mainly in the relationship between the residents and Boori Ma, the basic sentiments remain the same. In life, any person can go from familiarity, “The residents, for their part, assured Boori Ma that she was always welcome…,” to betrayal in the blink of an eye, based only on their personal quirks and minor infractions that we each commit everyday. (Lahiri 76).
Sexy
When we first meet Miranda, the insecure protagonist of “Sexy,” she is in the middle of an affair with Dev, a handsome Bengali man she met at Filene’s Basement. At the same time, her friend’s, Laxmi, cousin’s husband is also engaged in an affair with a much younger British woman. “Somehow, without the wife there, it didn’t seem so wrong.” (Lahiri 88). Miranda does not have a difficult time possibly destroying one man’s marriage even though she sees how much damage a mistress can cause to a family’s life. It is her loneliness and uncertainty about how other people perceive her that drives her to maintain the affair. “She had silver eyes and skin as pale as paper, and the contrast with her hair, as dark and glossy as an espresso bean, caused people to describe her as striking, if not pretty.” (Lahiri 87). This quote describes Miranda’s relationship with Dev, adventurous and exciting but not cohesive with her personality and normal lifestyle.
Rohin, the son of Laxmi’s cousin, summarizes the theme of the story with these words, used to describe the meaning of sexy, “It means loving someone you don’t know.” (Lahiri 107). Sexiness is a mindset, pulled off by people with the greatest amount of confidence. In Miranda’s case, Dev’s version of sexy is completely different then Rohin’s. Dev admires Miranda for her long legs, and the highlight of their relationship is when Dev tells her she is sexy at the Mapparium. To Miranda, Dev’s compliments are reassurance that they have a valid relationship. When Rohin tells her she is sexy, Miranda plays it off as nothing because he could not possibly know the true meaning of the word. However, Rohin’s words are more sincere because they refer to the transformation she made from his frazzled babysitter to an elegant, confident woman. Dev loves Miranda’s elusive nature while Rohin loves her comforting essence. To each of them, nothing could be sexier about a woman.
Mrs. Sen's
Mr. and Mrs. Sen are a very ill matched couple. Mr. Sen does not understand Mrs. Sen’s needs, and Mrs. Sen can not comprehend why Mr. Sen can not do simple tasks for her. Throughout the story, Mrs. Sen’s longing for her homeland is very noticeable. She makes sure to maintain her Indian appearance by wearing saris and vermillion in her hair. She also tries to imitate their Indian lifestyle by cooking in the traditional way. Being Indian or hearing about India, as Eliot observes, are the only things that keep Mrs. Sen happy. Mr. Sen chooses to be unaware of Mrs. Sen’s loneliness and unhappiness by misinterpreting her Indian desires for boredom and stress at not adjusting to America. “They proceeded directly to the car, and for twenty minutes Mrs. Sen practiced driving…Mrs. Sen told Eliot she didn’t feel right leaving him alone in the apartment, but Eliot knew she wanted him sitting beside her because she was afraid. She dreaded the roar of the ignition…” (Lahiri 119). Mr. Sen believes everything will improve once she gets her license, but by forcing Mrs. Sen into an uncomfortable and unfamiliar situation, Mr. Sen makes her even more anxious to go back to normal. On the other hand, Mrs. Sen is very selfish in her belief that Mr. Sen can drop everything to fulfill her wishes. Because she can not drive, Mrs. Sen has to call Mr. Sen every time she wants fresh fish picked up for dinner. “Through them she murmured something about a meeting Mr. Sen was required to attend…She stared at him. Her lower eyelids were swollen into thin pink crests. ‘Tell me, Eliot. Is it too much to ask?’” (Lahiri 125). Secretly, Mrs. Sen is mad at Mr. Sen for dragging her away from India to a life she does not fit in to. By interrupting his work, she uses her dependency as a form of punishment. Mr. and Mrs. Sen can not happily coexist unless one of them gives way and attempts willingly to cater to the other’s needs.
This Blessed House
Recently married, Sanjeev and Twinkle just moved into a house together. While they are busy fixing it up and renovating it for their personal needs, Twinkle begins to find prominently Catholic items. Starting with a porcelain effigy of Jesus, she later discovers, “a 3-D postcard of Saint Francis…a wooden cross key chain…a framed paint-by-number of the three wise men…a tile trivet depicting a blond, unbearded Jesus, delivering a sermon on the mountaintop…” (Lahiri 137). Sanjeev declares the items silly and useless, rightly so considering Twinkle and himself are Hindu, but Twinkle insists on displaying them proudly on the undusted mantle. Their Catholic treasure hunt and conflict over the items comes to its climax and resolution at Sanjeev’s business party. Twinkle, with most of the guests, discovers a thirty pound silver bust of Christ in the attic. After this latest find, Sanjeev gives in to Twinkle’s desires, even though his feelings on the paraphernalia have grown into a deeper resentment.
Sanjeev’s relationship with Twinkle is full of contradictions and unanswered questions. While he is hard-working and a tad uptight, always striving to improve his station in the business world or simply just to keep the house tidy, Twinkle is relaxed, without a care in the world. “Now in the second month of their marriage, certain things nettled him-the way she sometimes spat a little when she spoke, or left her undergarments after removing them at night at the foot of their bed rather than depositing them in the laundry hamper.” (Lahiri 142). Sanjeev lacks a manly assurance of himself, and Twinkle drifts restlessly through the relationship. The Christian theme of the story, “This Blessed House,” illustrates both of these qualities. “Its expression was confident, as if assured of its devotees, the unyielding lips sensuous and full.” (Lahiri 156). Sanjeev’s description of the bust of Jesus displays the jealousy he has because of the way Jesus has become a more prominent figure than him. Twinkle constantly needs guidance, and whether she gets it from Sanjeev or an unknown God does not matter.
The Treatment of Bibi Haldar
“The Treatment of Bibi Haldar” opens with a list of remedies performed, attempting to cure her mysterious disease, such as, “stinging poultices…massaged eucalyptus balm…herbal infusions…amulets warning against the evil eye…auspicious stones…” (Lahiri 158) This inventory sets a somber but ridiculous mood for the story. All of Bibi’s neighbors appease her and try to expose her to normal activities. After Bibi is told the cure for her illness is finding a husband, she becomes more depressed, and her once random attacks become more consistent. At the same time of Bibi’s increasing distress, her cousin’s wife becomes pregnant and banishes Bibi from the house. Once the baby is born, Bibi is allowed to move back into the house. However, the baby becomes deathly sick, and she is once again banished to the storage room. The Haldars move away, leaving Bibi with only a small sum of money and no skills to earn a living. Little to their knowledge, Bibi is pregnant, and once she delivers her baby, her illness vanishes.
The best description for Bibi is an over imaginative epileptic. “Anticipation began to plague her with such ferocity that the thought of a husband, on which all her hopes were pinned, threatened at times to send her into another attack.” (Lahiri 160). All of Bibi’s neighbors and her cousin elevate her illness to dramatic heights, and because of this, Bibi sees herself as a victim who can not escape from her disheartening fate. Bibi does not help her own cause either. “But in truth she stopped going out altogether. When we asked her to come with us to the fish pond…she refused, claiming that she was stitching a new curtain…” (Lahiri 170). At the end of the narrative, Bibi is cured by the birth of her son. All she needed was to learn responsibility and sacrifice because she would then be forced to grow up and accept not being the center of attention. “Apparently some activity was what the poor girl needed all along. For the first time we imagined the contours below her housecoat…” (Lahiri 162). Having her human qualities come to light, instead of her illness being center stage, cured Bibi of her self-pity and outlandish imagination.
The Third and Final Continent
The Bengali protagonist of “The Third and Final Continent” is a young, ambitious man who has recently taken a job working at the Dewey Library of MIT University. In order to fill this position, he first had to move from India to London, then from London to America. After adjusting to America, he moves into a boarding house operated by Mrs. Croft, a one hundred and three year old very stubborn and proper woman. As their relationship develops, he gains an understanding of her odd ways and a respect for them because they are manners she has learned way before he was born. Near the end of the summer, Mala, the protagonist’s wife, receives her travel papers to join him in America. They are strangers with no mutual affection. However, on the day the protagonist presents his wife to Mrs. Croft, “I like to think of that moment in Mrs. Croft’s parlor as the moment when the distance between Mala and me began to lessen.” (Lahiri 196). Mrs. Croft gave Mala and her husband the greatest gift ever by bringing them together. After that night, they started to love and comfort each other, emotions that lasted through the rest of their trials together.
In “The Third and Final Continent,” the protagonist, Mrs. Croft, and Mala must all make unique adjustments and transitions into new ways of life. The protagonist’s largest adjustment is to his new life in America. “I learned that Americans drove on the right side of the road, not the left, and that they called a lift an elevator and an engaged phone busy.” (Lahiri 174). He possesses the gift of youthfulness, an advantage that makes the changes of life easier for him to handle and understand. After meeting Mrs. Croft, we see their adjustments as interesting contrasts to one another. She has dealt with over one hundred years of adjustments, her latest, and perhaps most difficult, one being her newly discovered inability to easily take care of herself. “’A few years ago she could still open the cans herself,’ Helen said. ‘She hates that I do it for her now. But the piano killed her hands,’” (Lahiri 186). The protagonist has a rough time absorbing Mrs. Croft’s age and hardships because he had always viewed her as a solid rock, one that could make it through any storm. Finally, Mala must transition into life as a married woman, especially difficult considering she is forced to go thousands of miles away from her family and live with a man she was ‘special-ordered’ for. However, considering the difficulties of each situation, Mala adjusted the easiest because she simply had to do what she was taught, and she possessed the ability to move through the pain and fulfill her duties. In the end, the protagonist, Mrs. Croft, and Mala use all of their capabilities to come together and make the transitions simpler for everyone involved.
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