A Temporary Matter Sparknotes

In the first story, A Temporary Matter, it is Shukumar’s guilt that divide the couple rather than their inability to communicate. During the day, he decides to work on his novel and eat in the room that was meant to be the babies “because it [is] a place Shoba [avoids],” (8). This contrasts Shoba’s decision to “[take] her plate to the living room,” which is an area accessible to both of them, showing that she is at least making an effort while Shukumar cowers in another room (8). This solitude stems from his anxieties about not being there for Shoba in the hospital; Shukumar is avoiding his wife because confronting her means confronting his guilt. Another subject Shukuma does not want to come face to face with is how little he has been able
Kapasi and allows herself to cling to an futile affair with a married man because her past boyfriends set her expectations for a good and healthy relationship so low. Dev, the man she is seeing, is “the first always to pay for things, and hold doors open, and reach across a table in a restaurant to kiss her hand,” which makes her feel special (89). This shows that she has only been with boys who were not chivalrous or respectful of her, meaning she has no standard for how she should be treated. When Dev shows her common courtesy, Miranda is oblivious to the fact that these actions are common in relationships and begins to think her connection with him is unique. Although part of her knows that what they are doing is wrong, she convinces herself otherwise in order to enjoy feeling like she is finally worth a proper relationship. This is why when Dev calls her “sexy,” she does not realize that it is not the only reason he is with her (91). However, she is no longer able to ignore reality when Robin pointedly explains to her that the word that ties her to Dev “means loving someone you don’t know,” (107). This epiphany allows Miranda to see that her relationship with Dev is based on attraction, not affection, and allows to finally move on and give herself a chance to find happiness with a person who loves her and treats her right for motives other than sex. Had she known her self-worth all along she would not