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?
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Interpreter of Maladies
In "Interpreter of Maladies", the Das family is visiting the country of India. The family includes includes three children, Bobby, Ronny, and Tina. They are of Indian blood lines, but "Dressed as foreigners did" (Lahiri 44). They decide to take a tour of an ancient temple at a place called Konarak, and they are assigned to an English-speaking cab driver named Mr. Kapasi. During observation of the family, Mr, Kapasi has come to the conclusion that Mrs. Das, although beautiful, doesn't seem to be a caring, responsible mother. During conversation, it is mentioned that Mr. Kapasi is an interpreter for a local doctor. At this, Mrs. Das takes an interest in him. She keeps asking him to recall interesting events and happenings in his job. Because she shows interest in him, Mr. Kapasi thinks that she has feelings for him. However, she just wants him to find a solution to her problem. "Eight years... I've been in pain. I was hoping you could make me feel better, say the right thing. Suggest some kind of remedy" (Lahiri 65). However, when he fails to comfort her, she leaves him and rejoins her family. He then realizes that she has no feelings for him, and he gives up any hope of having a relationship with her.
A Real Durwan
The fourth story is about Boori Ma, an old woman who sweeps the stairs of an apartment building. The residents regard her as a durwan. Besides cleaning, she also bars certain people from entering the building, and helps keep the residents safe. "Boori Ma...stood guard between them and the outside world" (Lahiri 73). While the residents appreciate this, they also feel that she might be a little crazy. As she sweeps the stairs, she tells tales of untold riches and luxury in her previous homeland. They don't believe what she is saying, and they make excuses for her. "She probably constructs tales as a way of mourning the loss of her family" (Lahiri 72). One of the residents, Mr. Dalal, installs two basins in the building. This makes the other residents feel jealous toward him and his family. They start to barter their own valuables toward improving the condition of the building. However, one day thieves steal the sink on the stairs, and the residents blame Boori Ma for telling the thieves to steal it. She pleaded her innocence, but the people retorted, "For years we have put up with your lies. You expect us to believe you now?" (Lahiri 82). Afterwords, they decide to kick her out and hire a real durwan. This story shows how people's desire to improve their lives doesn't always have a good ending for everyone.
When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine
Mr. Pirzada, a botanist, is living in America away from his homeland in the region of Dacca. Mr. Pirzada is a married man, and has a family, but is living alone. During his stay away, a violent and bloody civil war breaks out in his homeland. Mr. Pirzada's wife and seven daughters are still in the area. Feeling lonely, and longing to be with a family, he frequently visits a girl named Lilia and her family. Lilia has "no memory of his first visit, or of his second or his third, but by the end of September I had grown so accustomed to Mr. Pirzada's presence in our living room that one evening...I asked my mother to hand me a fourth glass from a cupboard still out of my reach" (Lahiri 24-25). Mr. Pirzada longs for his family so much that he becomes very attached to Lilia. He presents her with a gift everytime he shows up "He reached into his suit packet and vave me a small plastic egge filled with cinnamon hearts" (Lahiri 29). He worries for her safety, for he wanted to go with her on Halloween to keep her safe. "Perhaps I should accompany them" (Lahiri 38). Eventually Mr. Pirzada returns to an independent Dacca, and is reunited with his family. He writes Lilia and her family, informing them that everyone is perfectly fine. As Lilia recalls him, she thinks, "Though I had not seen him for months...it was only then that I knew what it meant to miss someone who was so many miles and hours away" (Lahiri 42). She had come to love Mr. Pirzada as a family member. This event re-inforces the theme that family love is an unbreakable, intangable, universal force.
A Temporary Matter
Jhumpa Lahiri's "A Temporary Matter" is about a married couple who aren't able to seal the rift that has parted their relationship. The wife, Shoba, and husband, Shukumar, become less connected to one another after Shoba bore a stillborn. They both have a feeling of guilt that it is their fault that the baby died, and this guilt contributes to the growing distances in the marriage. Other family menbers also contributed to the feeling of guilt that they had. Once, when Shoba's mother had been visiting, and the subject of the baby came up, she responded, " But you weren't even there." (Lahiri 9). One day, the couple recieves a notice that "for five days their electricity will be cut off for one hour, beginning at 8 p.m." (Lahiri 1). During this time, the coulpe shares previously unknown facts and secrets about one another. On the last unpowered night, Shoba tells Shukumar that she is moving to a seperate apartment. This action makes her seem very selfish, for she is not the only one who is suffering. However, "She wouldn't look at him" (Lahiri 21), and this signifies that she does contain sorrow for what she is doing to him. However, she feels that her action is in the best interest for their relationship and lives. This action can be linked to a theme that humans will think and care about others no matter what the circumstances are.
Sexy
This story is about a woman named Miranda, a public radio secretary, who has an affair with a man named Dev. At the same time, her friend, Laxmi, has a cousin who's husband has left her and his son for a woman in England. Even though Miranda sees how an affair can destroy a person's life, she continues to have one of her own. Laxmi even says, "If my husband so much as looked at another woman I'd change the locks" (Lahiri 92). However, Miranda wanted to be with Dev because he made her feel special. "It was the first time a man had called her sexy" (Lahiri 92). One day, Laxmi asked Miranda to watch her cousin's son, Rohin. While Rohin is with her, he asks Miranda to try on her dress. She does, and he say she is sexy. She asks him to explain to her what sexy means, and he responds "It means loving someone you don't know" (Lahiri 107). Dev once told her that on a date, and when she called and asked him if he remembered that he said that. He didn't, and it was then that she realized that he truly didn't love her. The affair ended. This shows that true love can only exist within a genuine relationship.
Mrs. Sen's
This story is about a boy who stays with Mrs. Sen after school until his mother can pick him up after work. The Sen's are of Indian descent. Mr. Sen teaches at the university. Mrs. Sen lives a very Indian lifestyle, and immerses herself in her culture, especially with her cooking. "She split things in half, then in quarters...she could peel a potato in seconds" (Lahiri 114). She longs to be back in India, to be back with her family. "When I was your age I was without knowing that one day I would be so far. You already taste the way things must be" (Lahiri 123). Mrs. Sen refuses to try to adopt American customs and habits, such as driving, for instance. One day, she exclaims, "I hate it. I hate driving. I won't go on" (Lahiri 131). This goes with the theme that home is truly where the heart belongs.
This Blessed House
"This Blessed House" is a story about a young Indian couple, Sanjeev and Twinkle, who are moving into their new house. During the moving-in process, they find many symbols of the Christian religion. Twinkle wants to display them, but Sanjeev is hesitant. They are Hindu, and would be afraid that people would think they are immoral. He also worried about his personal appearance. " Though he he was of average build, his cheeks had a plumpness to them; this, along with the eyelashes, detracted, he feared, from what he hoped was a distinguished profile" (Lahiri 140). Twinkle, on the other hand, wasn't worried about her appearance, or about what other people thought of her. She puts all of the Christian items up on the mantle for all to see. During a party, Twinkle tells the guests how they have come across the items.She says, "Everyday is like a treasure hunt" (Lahiri 153). They then proceed to rummage through the house, looking for any new items. They find a silver head of Jesus. She wants to display it on the mantle for just the night, and he agrees, but he knows that it will stay there for the rest of their days. This story tells the message that if a couple truly loves each other, they will put up with each others impulses.
The Treatment of Bibi Haldar
Bibi is a woman who has suffered from an ailment "That baffled family, friends, priests, palmists, spinsters, gem therapists, prophets, and fools" (Lahiri 158). None of her treatments help her, and after her father dies, she goes to live with her cousin, Haldar, who owned a cosmetic shop. Bibi longed for a companion, and her excitement grows when a doctor tells her that marriage could be a possible cure for her ailment, which is epilepsy. Haldar places an add in the newspaper, but no one responds. Haldar encourages her to "Engage in small conversations with nearby men" (Lahiri 165). Eventually, her cousin and his family leave her, and she lives in the shed. However, one day the residents of the building found her pregnant. The identity of the father is never discovered, but her pregnancy cures her of her epilepsy. This shows that when a person has someone to share their life with, they can make miraculous recoveries.
The Third and Final Continent
This story is about an Indian man who sailed from India to England to further his education. He then moved to America so he could work in one of the libraries at MIT. After staying at the YMCA, he moved in with an elderly woman by the name of Mrs. Croft. He feels she is a bit odd, but he gives her a new respect when he learns that she is 103 years old. He will stay with her until his wife, Mala, can come to America from India. He didn't seem to be very close to her. "Although I would be leaving the country in a few days...I did nothing to console her" (Lahiri 181). After he has left Mrs Croft, and Mala has come to America, the narrator takes her to see Mrs. Croft, who has broken her hip. After examining Mala, Mrs. Croft exclaims "She is a perfect lady!" (Lahiri 195). The narrator then realizes the sacrifices the Mala has made to be with him, and he grows closer to her.
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