Post #6

Interpreter of Maladies p. 136 (chapter 6)

This next chapter in the text was about a boy, Eliot, who's new babysitter is Mrs. Sen, a woman that has just moved to America. Her husband works at a nearby University. Eliot enjoys his time with Mrs. Sen, but he finds that there are times when she seems lost in her own home. Eliot finds that Mrs. Sen misses India and her life there. She is lonely in her new world.

What I've noticed, especially in this chapter, is the theme of loneliness. Jhumpa Lahiri doesn't ever come out and say exactly what the characters feel, it is always implied by the tone of the entire passage. There is always a character in the story, that, just like the audience that learns about the other characters in the book. This is true for Gogol in The Namesake, as well as all the other characters in the short stories of Interpreter of Maladies. Eliot is one example of Lahiri describing characters through the point of view of the main character, as well as implying all of the emotions. Lahiri describes the way the person walks, talks, the way their eyes shift of focus to enhance the feelings. This would be a really good thesis, going along the lines of describing how Jhumpa Lahiri relays information about characters to the audience, without openly announcing it. The thesis could also use how she uses death and loneliness to eloquently describe all the characters, and revolve around the plot.