Post #4

Interpreter of Maladies p. 70 (chapter 4)


In the last chapter of the book, the chapter was titled Interpreter of Maladies, just like the book. The chapter was about a man that lived in India, who was an assistant to a doctor. He worked as a translator between patients and doctors. The man, named Mr. Kapasi, also works as a tour guide. One day, he gave a tour to a family from America, the Das family. They were Indian, but no one spoke an Indian language. Right away, Mr. Kapasi is intrigued by Mrs. Das. The most interesting part of the whole chapter is at the end. Mr. Das takes their kids out to see one of the tourist attractions. Mrs. Das stays in the car with Mr. Kapasi. She suddenly starts talking about her life, confiding in Mr. Kapasi, thinking that because he was a translator that helped patients and doctors communicate, he would be able to help her. She tells him that she doesn't love her husband any more, that she doesn't want to be herself anymore, even that her second born son is not her husband's. Mr. Kapasi, who was at first intrigued by Mrs, Das, starts to get uncomfortable. Here was a woman he barely knew, confessing her deepest darkest secrets to him. Mr. Kapasi tells her that maybe it wasn't that she was ill, maybe it was guilt. She acts strangely, yelling at him, then going to find her husband and kids.

Another theme I have noticed in Jhumpa Lahiri's novels are secrets. There are always secrets that people hold, that are weaved through the plot. In the chapter just described, the secret was that Mrs. Das had a child that was not her husband's. In The Namesake, the secret was of Gogol's father's accident, the incident that helped in naming Gogol. Jhumpa Lahiri uses secrets to add to the plot. They are not just secrets that characters hold, but each secret adds more to the plot, enhancing it, and leading to the resolution of the plot.

Jhumpa Lahiri uses some symbolism in her writing. So far, the symbolism I have seen used is secrets. They aren't just secrets, and they don't just weave through the plot. The secrets are what the character holds dear. It's like their desire to get rid of their pain. All the characters that have secrets, they are fart different than any other secrets. They don't reveal them to just anyone. The person they reveal their secrets to is always a person that they feel can help them through it. Their secret isn't just a secret. It is something more revealing about each character.

The hardest thing about Jhumpa Lahiri's writing is finding out what exactly is symbolism. Most of her writing is figurative. As your read the story, you do not learn the plot directly. Everything is not clear at first. Nothing is revealed right away.