DIGITAL ASSIGNMENT - 5

The Boundary - Short Story Analysis

The Boundary
-Jhumpa Lahiri

I feel that this title aptly fits this short story as it talks about the author
whose life revolves around this mansion, and she also expressed that she
has never crossed the mansion's boundary. She explains to the readers how
she was leading her life for a long time.

Based on the author's illustrations, we may consider the genre of the story
to be a slightly emotional one.

This story usually takes place only during summer, as only during this
time the weather is pleasant for anyone to spend a relaxing vacation. These
vacations would last for about a week, and new families used to visit every
week. The author also explains how awful the other seasons are, and
speaks about the things that happen during those days.

The main characters in this story are the author(protagonist), her father, the
family of 4 members, which consisted of father, mother, two daughters,
and the goons(antagonist) who have spoilt the life of the author's father.

Some of the main characters in the story are the author, her father, and the
father and mother of the family who is on their vacation. We can state that
these are the main characters as the story revolves around the incidents of
their lives. We can also report from the story that the author's father's
experience was emotional, and it is what adds to the genre of this story.
The author's character is also a notable one as she describes how her life
went by within the village's boundary.
We can say that this story's tone is very emotional, and I feel that the
author has expressed her emotions in the best way possible to make the
readers realize the scenario she is going through so that people could also
connect to her through her story.
The two scenes that I could visualize are the ones in which the author's
father is beaten up for no reason by drunk goons, as this is something that
happens often. Many people are affected because of such irresponsible
behavior of few people. Another incident that struck me was when the
author explains how she and her family had to abandon their city when it
was not even their fault. I believe that these two scenes are the emotional
backbones of this story.
The story is entirely written in a first-person view, and this is proved when
we hear share her own experiences with the readers. She is describing her
family life and her life experiences in this story.
In this story, both the type of conflicts are present. To cite examples of
"Internal conflicts," we can see how the author's father is battling his life
and paying for mistakes he hasn't committed and abandoning happy city
life and living in a village with a not very pleasant scenario. Whereas for
"External conflicts," we can see how the drunk goons beat the author's
father.
The Language style of this story is straightforward and bright and can be
read and understood by people of all age groups, and the emotional
message behind this story can be heartfelt by readers of all age groups.
The vocabulary used in telling the story is also very simple and easily
understandable.

This story's main idea is how the author's life changed drastically to a
small unforeseen conflict that occurred, which was not expected in their
lives. That incident changed everyone's lives, and that had a significant
impact on the author. She doesn't really enjoy the life she is living
currently, and from the statement "he is afraid to smile," also states the
condition of the author's father, who was once happily leading his life
doing a day job in the city.

Summary
This short story is narrated by a small girl whose parents are responsible
for the care of a cottage. Her mother is off to take care of an elderly
citizen, and the plot is set with exciting characters; her father, herself as
well as a family. Families used to rent out the mansion for a week. It is
interesting to see the girls' experienced viewpoint on the matter of
families, and how they perceive the break they have taken from the
monotonicity of their everyday lives. This family is given a tour of their
makeshift home for the following week by the narrator. They undertake a
variety of activities to spend their day; visiting the beach, coloring pictures
in books, or merely swatting the flies. Mornings are spent differently by
every character. The children are all noisy and revitalized after a good
night's sleep, and try to utilize this energy for playing with each other,
coloring on sheets of paper or merely swatting flies. The parents catch up
on some much-needed sleep that has been deprived of them for quite a
while. Finally, the day that all dread arrives and the last day of the trip
looms over everyone's head. It is the father's birthday, and the entire
family celebrates it in the patio. The next day family packs and leaves to
resume their tedious lives with the hope to return someday.

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