Student: Videla, Paula

Teacher: Vizcaíno, María Paz

I do

When reading stories, there’s always one or more topics that are
mentioned throughout the pages that makes them even more interesting.
In Jumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, it’s a fact that the reader is
going to come across different subjects related to culture, religion and
communication among others. One of the most important topics has to do
with marriage. We can see three clear examples of marriage being
mentioned and discussed in three different stories: A Temporary Matter,
Interpreter of Maladies and This Blessed House.

One of the stories that discusses marriage is A Temporary Matter.

This is a clear example of how an union between two people can be
destroyed by a traumatic event that affects both of them but in different
ways. On the one hand, there is the female character, Shoba, who after
losing their kid, loses all interest in the activities that she enjoyed doing
and she also loses interest in her husband. She wants nothing more than
to divorce him and move out to live on her own, for she has no more
feelings for him. And on the other hand, there is his husband, Shukumar,
who after the painful episode and even though the two have become
strangers to one another, thinks that there is still a chance for them to
mend things up in their relationship and go back to how they were before.
Sadly for them, neither of the two are no longer the same people as when
they met, so going back to the beginning is not an option in this story that
shows us that in the end, love may not conquer all.

Another story that talks about marriage is Interpreter of Maladies.

This time, we see a matrimony where two people that have known each
other almost their entire lives, can’t really agree on anything that comes
with being together. First, there is Mina Das, whose primary problem is
that she is profoundly selfish and self-absorbed. These flaws don't allow
her to recognize that mocking her husband and not making herself
responsible for her unfaithfulness, is what is damaging the tie that binds
them. Second, there is Raj Das, a disinterested man whose personality trait
doesn't allow him to be worthy of authority nor respect from his wife. He is
so out of touch with his reality that he doesn’t even realize Mina’s lack of
interest for him and even worse, that she keeps a very important secret
from him. This couple behaves as if they were brother and sister,
preventing them from taking responsibility for their actions and the
consequences that come with them, which directly affect their marriage.
 Student: Videla, Paula
Teacher: Vizcaíno, María Paz
The third story that addresses marriage is This Blessed House. In
this case, the couple suffers the consequences of getting to know each
other through a long distance relationship for a short time, which results
in them not really knowing one another. On one side there is Twinkle, a
woman that despite her age, has a childlike and carefree personality so
this is one of the reasons she sees her husband as a killjoy. Some of the
issues come with her not caring about doing things around the house and
also her strong liking towards Christianity. On the other side there is
Sanjeev, who’s the opposite of his wife. He’s the conscious and serious one
of the two and likes having control of the situation. He doubts about his
marriage with Twinkle because their relationship is not what he expected
and because she doesn’t really follow their family’s traditions. Contrary to
the other two stories, this one lets us know that even though they argue
for the littlest things, deep down, this pair feels a kind of love that grows as
time passes.

Throughout the three stories, we can see how Jumpa Lahiri lets the reader in, in different
types of relationships and what are the issues that affect the bonds present in the
book that is full of lack of communication and secrets between husband
and wife. One contributing factor is the personal traits of the characters.
The goals and desires of each one of them directly affects the other in one
way or another and the reader can see clearly that if the marriage doesn’t
work to find a common point, the issues will still be present and they will
never be happy.

Paula: you have written an excellent essay. The only problem is the lack of controlling idea.

Anyway the use of language and the careful selection of information to support your point are outstandin