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Lahiri’s stories make us aware of the loneliness people experience as they go about their ordinary lives. Discuss.
In her collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri depicts the lives of a range of different characters, and the loneliness they experience, whether it’s due to deportation or broken down relationships. In “A real Durwan”, Boori Ma was taken away from her family, and her lies separate her from the community. In “Sexy” Miranda feels lonely, and turns to Dev for false comfort. In “Mrs. Sen’s”, the protagonist isolates herself from American culture as she dreams of her life back in India. These three stories are written in third person, which offers an omniscient viewpoint. The common themes of displacement and cultural differences all contribute to the loneliness that the characters face as they go about their ordinary lives.
In “A real Durwan”, Boori Ma experiences loneliness through being forced to move to Calcutta due to war in her hometown. This makes her feel displaced and disconnected because she had to leave her family behind. Her forever changing tales of her past lead the residents to believe that she is a liar, in which she replies “believe me, don’t believe me…” Her stories contribute to her loneliness, as the tenants believe that she can’t be trusted. Many believed that she constructed her tales to mourn her family and past life, while Mr Chatterjee believed that “…she [was] the victim of changing times.” The place in with Boori Ma and the other residents reside has a sense of community, however, she is not accepted and is often left alone because she is the “durwan”. When the community sink gets stolen, the residents blame Boori Ma because she is not seen as one of them, and is portrayed as the only culprit. When she is evicted, she becomes a total outcast, with nowhere to live, and no one to listen to her. She is all alone.
In the following story “Sexy”, the protagonist, Miranda, is portrayed as a lonely woman who,
In her collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri depicts the lives of a range of different characters, and the loneliness they experience, whether it’s due to deportation or broken down relationships. In “A real Durwan”, Boori Ma was taken away from her family, and her lies separate her from the community. In “Sexy” Miranda feels lonely, and turns to Dev for false comfort. In “Mrs. Sen’s”, the protagonist isolates herself from American culture as she dreams of her life back in India. These three stories are written in third person, which offers an omniscient viewpoint. The common themes of displacement and cultural differences all contribute to the loneliness that the characters face as they go about their ordinary lives.
In “A real Durwan”, Boori Ma experiences loneliness through being forced to move to Calcutta due to war in her hometown. This makes her feel displaced and disconnected because she had to leave her family behind. Her forever changing tales of her past lead the residents to believe that she is a liar, in which she replies “believe me, don’t believe me…” Her stories contribute to her loneliness, as the tenants believe that she can’t be trusted. Many believed that she constructed her tales to mourn her family and past life, while Mr Chatterjee believed that “…she [was] the victim of changing times.” The place in with Boori Ma and the other residents reside has a sense of community, however, she is not accepted and is often left alone because she is the “durwan”. When the community sink gets stolen, the residents blame Boori Ma because she is not seen as one of them, and is portrayed as the only culprit. When she is evicted, she becomes a total outcast, with nowhere to live, and no one to listen to her. She is all alone.
In the following story “Sexy”, the protagonist, Miranda, is portrayed as a lonely woman who,