·
The first
story in Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut collection, Interpreter of Maladies
(1999)
·
The
collection explores the problems faced by Indians living the USA due to
their hybrid status
Setting
·
The story
takes place over five days, beginning March 19, at the suburban Boston home of a married
couple, Shoba and Shukumar
Point of View
·
Third
person narrative
Characters
Shoba,
·
A
thirty-three-year-old Indian-American woman working as a proof reader
·
“She was
tall and broad shouldered, with hips that her obstetrician assured her were
made for child bearing”
·
She was a
homemaker as well as a loving wife earlier – she changes a lot later
·
She does
not cook, socialize, or care about her looks
·
She goes
to the gym from work and brings home work
·
She uses
her work to keep her husband away
·
“She …
looking at thirty-three, like the type of woman she’d once claimed she would
never resemble ”
·
She is
traumatized by the stillbirth of her first baby, but unable to communicate her
grief
·
She becomes
alienated form her husband and plans to move out of their home
·
Shukumar
feels that Shoba is treating ‘‘the house like a hotel.’’
Shukumar
·
Shukumar
is supposed to be working on his PhD dissertation; instead, he spends most of
his time reading novels and cooking dinner
·
He was
using up the stock of pickles, etc. Shoba had made six moths ago
Bradfords
·
The ideal
marriage – support, communication, shared interests
Themes
·
Lack of
communication and alienation
o
Western
individualism prevents people from expressing grief
o
They
become “experts at avoiding each other in their three bedroom house”
o
Shoba
visits the study before going to bed and Shukumar has “come to dread it. He
knew that was something she forced herself to do”
o
In a
Capitalist society only the fittest survive, so expressing grief is considered
a weakness in character
o
Bottling
up grief is unhealthy
o
As a
result psychological problems like depression and break up of relationships
occur
·
Secrets/
deception
o
Shukumar
§ Had forgotten to tip the waiter on their first
date
§ Cheated at an exam
§ had sold the anniversary gift and had got drunk
with the money
§ had kept a magazine page of a woman while Shoba
was pregnant
§ had held their stillborn baby son
o
Shoba
§ had checked his address book to see if her name
was there
§ said she had to work and gone out with friends
when his mother was visiting
§ had not told him about the bit of food on his
chin at an important function
§ did not like Shukumar’s only published poem
§ had not told him that she intended to move out
Techniques
·
title
o
at the
beginning the title seems to suggest the power cut to be a temporary matter
o
at the end
the relationship between Shobha and Shukumar seems to be the temporary matter
o
in
contrast, Shukumar’s mother mourns her husband’s death many years after his
death
·
Suspense –
each night a secret is to be revealed; even the end is left open
·
Symbols
o
Light and
darkness
§ Light prevents communication between the couple
§ They are in the dark – despite being married
they don’t know much about each other
§ Learning leads to catharsis – both cry –
possibility of a healthier relationship
o
Food – the
store of food Shoba had made was running out
o
Clothes
and makeup – Shoba a careful dresser does not care about her appearance any
more. Shukumar does not even brush his teeth an the morning
o
Bradfords
o
Two
mothers - Shoba – modern mother and Shukumar’s mother – traditional mother
o
Jhumpa
Lahiri an Indian American examines the lies of Indians living in the USA
o
The
Indians living in the west are torn between their traditions and the western
way of life
o
A
Temporary Matter was a part of the collection Interpreter of Maladies
o
Lahiri
narrates the story of a young Indian American coupe whose first child had died
at birth
o
Before the
death of the child Sukumar and Shoba were a loving couple.
o
Shukumar
had dreams of a large family. He dreamt of taking his children to the dentist
and music recitals in a station wagon
o
Shoba has
also played her part as a good wife
o
The
couple’s home was a warm loving place
o
Such
happiness is always transient
o
The
breakdown of the marriage of Sukumar Shoba is due to their indiscretions
o
As the
marriage breaks down Sukumar stays at home telling he had to write the thesis
but sleeps most of the day away
o
Shoba goes
out to work and visits the gym
o
The two
become “experts at avoiding each other in their three-bedroom house”
o
Shukumar
comes to dread Shoba’s brief visit to his study just before bed time
o
He
believed she had to force herself to do it
o
At one
point Shukumar remembers how Shoba upon returning from hospital “pick out
objects of theirs and tossed them into a pile in the hallway”
o
Shoba’s
anger is in complete contrast to her usual behaviour
o
His wife’s
behaviour seems to have shocked Sukumar
o
The loss
of the baby creates a sudden rift in the relationship
o
Since the
two are still young Sukumar thinks that life will go back to normal after a
while – but it doesn’t
o
To make it
worse a power cut is announced.
o
The couple
hardly realizes the consequences of their decision to pass time by revealing
secrets of their past
o
They do
not realize that such revelations often open cans of worms
o
Non of the
secrets revealed are not serious enough to break a marriage on their own, but
they plant germs in the already wounded minds of the couple
o
On the
fifth night the greatest secret is reveled – Shoba is going to leave.
o
The couple
switch off lights and cry for the knowledge they have gained – this reminds the
scene in which Adam and Eve cry after eating the fruit of the tree of Knowledge
o
In this
respect ignorance is bliss. When it is a matter of someone’s weakness it is
best not to know it – Shakespeare!
Language
o
Lahiri has an eye for nuances and ear for
irony – Amy Tan, a writer
o
Nuances
are suggestions and symbols suggest. L
o
Lahiri
uses the symbol of darkness
o
The events
of the story unfolds in the darkness
o
Darkness
is usually associated with ignorance. Lahiri associates it with knowledge
o
The couple
reveals their secrets and give each other knowledge, but it is wrong type of
knowledge. So this knowledge can be associated with darkness, not light . That is why at the end the couple switches off the light and cries in the darkness
o
The month
of September is also another image. September is the month of autumn in which
leaves turn colour and fall. It is the butt end of an year
o
Winter
comes after autumn – winter is the month of death
o
In the
story the baby dies in September and the marriage comes to an end in the same
month
o
Lahiri
sees irony in the loss of the baby. Ironically the baby is born before time and
dies
o
It is also
ironic that the couple should separate due to a game
o
Unlike
writers like Joyce who employ the ‘stream of consciousness’ Lahiri focuses on
the events outside the characters and show how these events reveal the
character and lead them to their denouement
o
In the
story the events that take place during the power cuts reveal unpalatable
‘truths’ about the two characters to each other and lead to their separation
o
Lahiri’s
technique is action oriented, not reflection
o
However,
there is a psychological element in the use of flashbacks
o
The author
uses symbolism, irony, the narrative of events and reflections to achieve unity
o
The events
are interconnected and each event lead to the next – a tight plot
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment