Weblog 8: Character's Unmet Needs

Jhumpa Lahiri, the author of the short story Interpreter of Maladies makes use of events not central to the story line to underscore the unmet needs of the characters. This kind of writing style is seen throughout the story. The main story line in this short story is the story of Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi, however, Lahiri often diverges from the main story line and writes about Ronny and Bobby, Mrs. Das and Tina, and Mr. Das and Mrs. Das.

            Ronny and Bobby are Mr. and Mrs. Das’ children. Several times throughout this story, Lahiri talks about these two brothers and the conflicts between them. For example, Mr. Das says “Bobby, make sure that your brother doesn’t do anything stupid.” And Bobby replies, “I don’t feel like it.” This shows how the relationship between the two boys. It seems like they do not have a good relationship. They do not respect each other, and do not get along very well. I think that the relationship between these two boys reflects the relationship of the whole family. Because the Das family does not get along very well, it could lead Mrs. Das to not love her family. In a way, the relationship between Bobby and Ronny foreshadow Mrs. Das’ conflicts. Near the end of the story, we learn that Bobby is not actually Mr. and Mrs. Das’ son. Mr. and Mrs. Das seem to give a lot of responsibility to Bobby, but it seems as if they do not love him very much.

            Tina is also Mr. and Mrs. Das’ daughter. Mrs. Das is not a very good mother to her. It doesn’t seem like she cares for her at all. At the very beginning of the story, Mr. and Mrs. Das argue about who will take Tina to the toilet. Mrs. Das eventually ends up taking her, and while she is taking her, “she did not hold the little girl’s hand.” Also, while the Das family was in the car, Mrs. Das was painting her fingernails. Tina says “Mine too. Mommy, do mine too.” Mrs. Das replies, “Leave me alone.” Mrs. Das does not seem to care for her daughter. This mother-daughter relationship underscores the main story line by showing how Mrs. Das does not love and care for her family very much. This lack of love could make her feel lonely and sad. Also, Tina does not receive enough love from her mother. All she wants is for her mother to love her. I think that she expresses her frustration through playing with her doll. She treats the doll like her mother treats her. 

            Mr. Das and Mrs. Das also have a shaky relationship. Mr. Das seems very inconsiderate of Mrs. Das. For example, Mrs. Das asked Mr. Das to roll down the car window, but Mr. Das says “Quit complaining, it isn’t so hot.” However, a few minutes later, Mr. Das rolls down his own car window. This shows that their marriage is falling apart. It also shows the difference between the two people: Mrs. Das is very materialistic and Mr. Das is not that materialistic. The bad marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Das makes it possible for Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das to start their own relationship. Mr. Kapasi’s marriage is falling apart. His wife does not love him. As a result, he wants Mrs. Das to love him, and he begins to develop feelings for her.

All of the characters in this short story are in need of love. They find different and subtle ways to cope with the their lack of love.