Setting:“Interpreter of Maladies”

[Ms. Miller, MAED & MA]

Prompt: Based on the “Interpreter of Maladies,” discuss how the change in settings communicates a shift in the story and discuss how the contrasts in settings communicate the specific values and ideas in the reading. Additionally, address what we learn about a character as a result of their interactions with the setting. Be certain to include multiple pieces of textual evidence. Include the contradictions and alternative interpretations in your responses.

Respond to the prompt in a minimum of 275 words and respond to two classmates from any period in no less than 50 words each, totaling 100.

*Be sure to include your name in your post.

[Christine Gu .-.]

In the “Interpreter of Maladies,” Mr. Kapasi is a tour guide that accompanies the Das family during their trip from the Hotel to the Sun Temple and the Hills at Udayagiri and Khandagiri. Although Mr. Kapsi serves as a tour guide for the Das family, he also acts as the interpreter of maladies, interpreting the characters’ interaction with each setting, especially Mrs. Das, which reveals the Das family’s afflictions, plaguing their relationship.
The story starts off with Mr. Kapasi picking up the family in front of Hotel Sandy Villa, which is located in India. It is evident that “the family looked Indian, but dressed as foreigners did”(13) and “Mr. Kapsi had pressed his palms together in greeting, but Mr. Das squeezed his hands like an American”(16). This explicitly portrays that the family has cultural ties with India as Indians, but their identity is American. Even on their way to the Sun Temple, Mrs. Das displays impatience upon learning “the roads to Konarak are poor” (15) and they would need to take longer to reach the site. The road that connects the hotel to the Sun Temple, that is a part of India’s culture, signifies the broken cultural ties and the characters’ contrasting relationship to the Sun Temple: Mr. Kapasi has an intimate and familiar relationship, while the Das family approaches the site as strictly tourists.
While the setting shows the broken cultural ties of the Das family, it reveals more about the Das family's afflictions and their relationship between each other through the perspective of Mr. Kapsi. Driving on the road towards the Sun Temple, one of the monkeys leaped onto the car, causing Mr. Kapasi to “brake suddenly”(15). This represents the literal physical threat to the Das family and the lack of concern from the parents emphasizes how the family is dysfunctional. Additionally, the car, which is a vessel that transports the family from setting to setting, acts as a catalyst, creating tension when Mr. and Mrs. Das argue as Mr. Kapasi listens. This feeds into the misunderstanding of how Mr. Kapasi views Mrs. Das, especially when they arrived at the Sun Temple since it had carved statues “erotic in nature” (22) and from Mr. Kapsi’s perspective, the power of the situation influenced how he perceived that “Mrs. Das has taken an interest in him” (22). Through the trip, Mrs. Das had told Mr. Kapsi a lot about her life, even how Bobby was not actually Mr. Das’s. In the next setting, the hills with a lot of monkeys, Mrs. Das left a trail of rice puff crumbs, which caused the monkeys to attack Bobby, an unwitting product of Mrs. Das’s affair. Rather than worrying about how hurt Bobby was, Mrs. Das began to “fix [his] hair” (29), which illustrates how she does not take responsibility. Mr. Das is also neglectful, as he fails to watch his children and Mrs. Das’ feelings. The broken relationship between the parents leaves the children and family vulnerable.
The family encountered problems in each setting, while Mr. Kapasi watched and interpreted the situation. This interpretation feeds into how he thinks Mrs. Das would take interest in him, since it is evident that she dislikes her marriage. Ironically, Mr. Kapasi has another job which he translates for doctors (“Interpreter of Maladies”), so clear and effective communication is crucial for a correct diagnosis and treatment, yet he misunderstood Mrs. Das’s intentions and “It disturbed Mr. Kapasi to learn that she thought of him as a parent.” (27)

[Emily Jane Morrow]

The change in settings from the United States and India communicate a shift in the story by drawing parallels with returning to the start, source, or origins of things. On a literal level, Ms. Das's family is from India and she is returning to the country of her ancestors. During her conversation with Mr. Kapasi, Mrs. Das reveals that one of the times she felt frustrated with her marriage was when she couldn't have lunch or shop in Manhattan" (26) with her friends since she had to watch the baby all of the time. Manhattan is on the East coast of the United States and Puri, their current location, is on the East coast of India. So on a figurative level, the change in setting represents her returning back to a difficult time in her life and reacting in an extreme way. Before, she was having an affair. In Puri, she confesses to Mr. Kapasi said, “Eight years I haven’t been able to express this to anybody” (25). The primary contrast in the setting are the two countries that are referenced in this story and the difference between the culture in India, and the culture in America communicate different values of the characters that come from their respective countries. The cultural values that the setting of India provides are conservatism, high respectfulness of age, and holding marriage and raising children to a high regard. The cultural values that the setting of the United States provides are frequent divorces, not always putting children first, and not being conservative. Mrs. Das holds the American values while Mr. Kapasi holds the Indian values and the main idea that is conveyed by this is that people never truly change. For example, Mr. Kapasi had always been married to his wife and although their marriage had been very distant, as Mrs. Kapasi “had little regard for this career as an interpreter” (19), he moved past his temptation to have an affair with Mrs. Das. Mrs. Das on the other hand, will be someone that is always looking for another romantic partner and an affair. Although keeping her first affair caused her to be “in pain eight years” (27), she still flirts with Mr. Kapasi. Mrs. Das’s most dramatic interaction with her environment is when her son Bobby, can’t be found, causing her to “sharply”(28) tell her children “What’s wrong with all of you”(28)? When they find Bobby, he is being attacked by monkeys, “over a dozen of them, pulling at his T-shirt with their long black fingers” (28). When Mrs. sees this, she demands that Mr. Kapasi does something, and he is luckily able to diffuse the situation. Mrs. Das' interaction with nature to protect her son reveals that still feels extremely guilty about her affair. Throughout the entire story, she barely paid attention to her children, making this event stand out so much. The reason why she cared so much that Bobby was safe is that if he were to die, Mrs. Das would have to grieve, believing that Bobby is his son, making her feel even worse. Alternatively, this could also reveal that she pities her son. I believe the reason why she cares for him more is that she feels bad that Bobby came out of a bad situation and won’t know the truth.

[Emily Jane Morrow]

Mar 19, 2022 19:03:56 GMT -8 Christine Gu .-. said:

In the “Interpreter of Maladies,” Mr. Kapasi is a tour guide that accompanies the Das family during their trip from the Hotel to the Sun Temple and the Hills at Udayagiri and Khandagiri. Although Mr. Kapsi serves as a tour guide for the Das family, he also acts as the interpreter of maladies, interpreting the characters’ interaction with each setting, especially Mrs. Das, which reveals the Das family’s afflictions, plaguing their relationship.
The story starts off with Mr. Kapasi picking up the family in front of Hotel Sandy Villa, which is located in India. It is evident that “the family looked Indian, but dressed as foreigners did”(13) and “Mr. Kapsi had pressed his palms together in greeting, but Mr. Das squeezed his hands like an American”(16). This explicitly portrays that the family has cultural ties with India as Indians, but their identity is American. Even on their way to the Sun Temple, Mrs. Das displays impatience upon learning “the roads to Konarak are poor” (15) and they would need to take longer to reach the site. The road that connects the hotel to the Sun Temple, that is a part of India’s culture, signifies the broken cultural ties and the characters’ contrasting relationship to the Sun Temple: Mr. Kapasi has an intimate and familiar relationship, while the Das family approaches the site as strictly tourists.
While the setting shows the broken cultural ties of the Das family, it reveals more about the Das family's afflictions and their relationship between each other through the perspective of Mr. Kapsi. Driving on the road towards the Sun Temple, one of the monkeys leaped onto the car, causing Mr. Kapasi to “brake suddenly”(15). This represents the literal physical threat to the Das family and the lack of concern from the parents emphasizes how the family is dysfunctional. Additionally, the car, which is a vessel that transports the family from setting to setting, acts as a catalyst, creating tension when Mr. and Mrs. Das argue as Mr. Kapasi listens. This feeds into the misunderstanding of how Mr. Kapasi views Mrs. Das, especially when they arrived at the Sun Temple since it had carved statues “erotic in nature” (22) and from Mr. Kapsi’s perspective, the power of the situation influenced how he perceived that “Mrs. Das has taken an interest in him” (22). Through the trip, Mrs. Das had told Mr. Kapsi a lot about her life, even how Bobby was not actually Mr. Das’s. In the next setting, the hills with a lot of monkeys, Mrs. Das left a trail of rice puff crumbs, which caused the monkeys to attack Bobby, an unwitting product of Mrs. Das’s affair. Rather than worrying about how hurt Bobby was, Mrs. Das began to “fix [his] hair” (29), which illustrates how she does not take responsibility. Mr. Das is also neglectful, as he fails to watch his children and Mrs. Das’ feelings. The broken relationship between the parents leaves the children and family vulnerable.
The family encountered problems in each setting, while Mr. Kapasi watched and interpreted the situation. This interpretation feeds into how he thinks Mrs. Das would take interest in him, since it is evident that she dislikes her marriage. Ironically, Mr. Kapasi has another job which he translates for doctors (“Interpreter of Maladies”), so clear and effective communication is crucial for a correct diagnosis and treatment, yet he misunderstood Mrs. Das’s intentions and “It disturbed Mr. Kapasi to learn that she thought of him as a parent.” (27)

Comment: My first observation is that you did a very good job of embedding textual evidence into your explanation. I really enjoyed reading your explanation of the whole monkey incident from Mr. Das's point of view since it had never crossed my mind before this to consider what that incident said about him. 

[Elia Wong]

The short story “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri opens with bickering between Mr. and Mrs. Das bickering over who has to take Tina, their daughter, to the restroom. The exchange is followed by a description of the weather: “It was a dry, bright Saturday, the mid-July heat tempered by a steady ocean breeze, ideal weather for sightseeing” (12). According to How to Read Literature Like a Professor, heat can either symbolize passionate romance or strained conflicts between characters. Based on the opening paragraph, it can be reasonably inferred that there will be conflict between the husband and wife later in the story. The fact that the weather is stated as being ideal for sightseeing adds irony that is seen whenever the family visits an attraction, in which Mrs. Das prefers to not join her husband and children. Another component of setting constitutes geography, and in this case, Mr. Kapasi and his passengers “approached a hill in the road” (16). Funnily enough, the hot weather is brought up by Mrs. Das, who criticizes her husband for choosing a car without air conditioning to save money, to which Mr. Das responds, “‘Quit complaining.’” In just a few pages, the weather had turned from enjoyable to what fuels another dispute between the couple. The hill, in this case, symbolizes the incoming conflict. Later, when Mrs. Das looked out of the window, “nearly transparent clouds passed quickly in front of one another” (17). This description appears to represent Mr. and Mrs. Das trying to support their side of the argument and trying to get ahead, rather than moving together in a stable relationship. Essentially, the two’s relationship is rocky and the parents see each other not as companions, but almost like competitors in trying to point out as many of each other’s mistakes as they could find, and the setting, from the temperature to the geography to the clouds, demonstrates that.

[Elia Wong]

Mar 19, 2022 19:03:56 GMT -8 Christine Gu .-. said:

In the “Interpreter of Maladies,” Mr. Kapasi is a tour guide that accompanies the Das family during their trip from the Hotel to the Sun Temple and the Hills at Udayagiri and Khandagiri. Although Mr. Kapsi serves as a tour guide for the Das family, he also acts as the interpreter of maladies, interpreting the characters’ interaction with each setting, especially Mrs. Das, which reveals the Das family’s afflictions, plaguing their relationship.
The story starts off with Mr. Kapasi picking up the family in front of Hotel Sandy Villa, which is located in India. It is evident that “the family looked Indian, but dressed as foreigners did”(13) and “Mr. Kapsi had pressed his palms together in greeting, but Mr. Das squeezed his hands like an American”(16). This explicitly portrays that the family has cultural ties with India as Indians, but their identity is American. Even on their way to the Sun Temple, Mrs. Das displays impatience upon learning “the roads to Konarak are poor” (15) and they would need to take longer to reach the site. The road that connects the hotel to the Sun Temple, that is a part of India’s culture, signifies the broken cultural ties and the characters’ contrasting relationship to the Sun Temple: Mr. Kapasi has an intimate and familiar relationship, while the Das family approaches the site as strictly tourists.
While the setting shows the broken cultural ties of the Das family, it reveals more about the Das family's afflictions and their relationship between each other through the perspective of Mr. Kapsi. Driving on the road towards the Sun Temple, one of the monkeys leaped onto the car, causing Mr. Kapasi to “brake suddenly”(15). This represents the literal physical threat to the Das family and the lack of concern from the parents emphasizes how the family is dysfunctional. Additionally, the car, which is a vessel that transports the family from setting to setting, acts as a catalyst, creating tension when Mr. and Mrs. Das argue as Mr. Kapasi listens. This feeds into the misunderstanding of how Mr. Kapasi views Mrs. Das, especially when they arrived at the Sun Temple since it had carved statues “erotic in nature” (22) and from Mr. Kapsi’s perspective, the power of the situation influenced how he perceived that “Mrs. Das has taken an interest in him” (22). Through the trip, Mrs. Das had told Mr. Kapsi a lot about her life, even how Bobby was not actually Mr. Das’s. In the next setting, the hills with a lot of monkeys, Mrs. Das left a trail of rice puff crumbs, which caused the monkeys to attack Bobby, an unwitting product of Mrs. Das’s affair. Rather than worrying about how hurt Bobby was, Mrs. Das began to “fix [his] hair” (29), which illustrates how she does not take responsibility. Mr. Das is also neglectful, as he fails to watch his children and Mrs. Das’ feelings. The broken relationship between the parents leaves the children and family vulnerable.
The family encountered problems in each setting, while Mr. Kapasi watched and interpreted the situation. This interpretation feeds into how he thinks Mrs. Das would take interest in him, since it is evident that she dislikes her marriage. Ironically, Mr. Kapasi has another job which he translates for doctors (“Interpreter of Maladies”), so clear and effective communication is crucial for a correct diagnosis and treatment, yet he misunderstood Mrs. Das’s intentions and “It disturbed Mr. Kapasi to learn that she thought of him as a parent.” (27)

Your analysis on the monkeys' role in the setting was very insightful. They are a looming threat and, at first, appear harmless, but eventually hurt Bobby. Bobby being the target is important since the monkeys represent Mrs. Das' guilt, and her infidelity will cause a significant amount of emotional damage.

[Elia Wong]

Mar 20, 2022 22:10:59 GMT -8 Emily Jane Morrow said:

The change in settings from the United States and India communicate a shift in the story by drawing parallels with returning to the start, source, or origins of things. On a literal level, Ms. Das's family is from India and she is returning to the country of her ancestors. During her conversation with Mr. Kapasi, Mrs. Das reveals that one of the times she felt frustrated with her marriage was when she couldn't have lunch or shop in Manhattan" (26) with her friends since she had to watch the baby all of the time. Manhattan is on the East coast of the United States and Puri, their current location, is on the East coast of India. So on a figurative level, the change in setting represents her returning back to a difficult time in her life and reacting in an extreme way. Before, she was having an affair. In Puri, she confesses to Mr. Kapasi said, “Eight years I haven’t been able to express this to anybody” (25). The primary contrast in the setting are the two countries that are referenced in this story and the difference between the culture in India, and the culture in America communicate different values of the characters that come from their respective countries. The cultural values that the setting of India provides are conservatism, high respectfulness of age, and holding marriage and raising children to a high regard. The cultural values that the setting of the United States provides are frequent divorces, not always putting children first, and not being conservative. Mrs. Das holds the American values while Mr. Kapasi holds the Indian values and the main idea that is conveyed by this is that people never truly change. For example, Mr. Kapasi had always been married to his wife and although their marriage had been very distant, as Mrs. Kapasi “had little regard for this career as an interpreter” (19), he moved past his temptation to have an affair with Mrs. Das. Mrs. Das on the other hand, will be someone that is always looking for another romantic partner and an affair. Although keeping her first affair caused her to be “in pain eight years” (27), she still flirts with Mr. Kapasi. Mrs. Das’s most dramatic interaction with her environment is when her son Bobby, can’t be found, causing her to “sharply”(28) tell her children “What’s wrong with all of you”(28)? When they find Bobby, he is being attacked by monkeys, “over a dozen of them, pulling at his T-shirt with their long black fingers” (28). When Mrs. sees this, she demands that Mr. Kapasi does something, and he is luckily able to diffuse the situation. Mrs. Das' interaction with nature to protect her son reveals that still feels extremely guilty about her affair. Throughout the entire story, she barely paid attention to her children, making this event stand out so much. The reason why she cared so much that Bobby was safe is that if he were to die, Mrs. Das would have to grieve, believing that Bobby is his son, making her feel even worse. Alternatively, this could also reveal that she pities her son. I believe the reason why she cares for him more is that she feels bad that Bobby came out of a bad situation and won’t know the truth.

I agree with the point made towards the end about Mrs. Das becoming upset and hurrying to Bobby’s aid. It made me consider that Mrs. Das perhaps really does love her children, but the fact that Bobby was a result of an affair, the guilt, prevents her from showing it.

[Andrew Collard]

In the Interpreter of Maladies the shift in setting from Mr. Kapasi’s car to the Sun temple communicates a shift in the story by giving Mrs Das a reason to think about the life that she has and its meaning to her. At the beginning, Mr. Kapasi’s car provides a topic of argument between Mr. and Mrs. Das, complaining about the overwhelming heat, "Isn’t this an air-conditioned car?" she asked, still blowing on her Hand. he responds "Quit complaining," Mr. Das said. "It isn’t so hot." The setting of the car is compact and emphasizes the uncomfortability that Mrs. Das feels around her husband. Mrs Das is really only able to think pessimistically and isn’t able to capture the true beauty of India around her and this portrays a very Americanized mindset as being inside the vehicle separates the family from the outside or diversified thinking. In relation to her marriage, she is only able to think about the absence of love but as they arrive to the Sun Temple and sees the “the countless friezes of entwined naked bodies, making love in various positions, women clinging to the necks of men, their knees wrapped eternally around their lovers’ thighs,'' it introduces her to a different culture’s view about marriage. The setting of the statues at the temple convey the importance of an everlasting bond between a man and a woman to Indian culture And this is evident when Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi are alone in the vehicle because she confides in him in a way that shows her distress, only after seeing the “friezes”, suggesting that Mr. Kapasi find her “some type of remedy.” Mrs. Das finds the only way to make herself feel better is to find her place in her family. Shown by her fear for Bobby as he was being surrounded by monkeys, even saying "Poor Bobby, Come here a second. Let Mommy fix your hair.” In the car Mrs. Das acted as if she had no attachment to her children, and this shift in setting shifts her perspective to one that sees the positive aspects of her relationship. Alternatively, we never see a great change in Mrs. Das, but the mother she portrays to be at the end of the story contradicts the role she played at the beginning.

[Andrew Collard]

Mar 21, 2022 15:56:40 GMT -8 Elia Wong said:

The short story “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri opens with bickering between Mr. and Mrs. Das bickering over who has to take Tina, their daughter, to the restroom. The exchange is followed by a description of the weather: “It was a dry, bright Saturday, the mid-July heat tempered by a steady ocean breeze, ideal weather for sightseeing” (12). According to How to Read Literature Like a Professor, heat can either symbolize passionate romance or strained conflicts between characters. Based on the opening paragraph, it can be reasonably inferred that there will be conflict between the husband and wife later in the story. The fact that the weather is stated as being ideal for sightseeing adds irony that is seen whenever the family visits an attraction, in which Mrs. Das prefers to not join her husband and children. Another component of setting constitutes geography, and in this case, Mr. Kapasi and his passengers “approached a hill in the road” (16). Funnily enough, the hot weather is brought up by Mrs. Das, who criticizes her husband for choosing a car without air conditioning to save money, to which Mr. Das responds, “‘Quit complaining.’” In just a few pages, the weather had turned from enjoyable to what fuels another dispute between the couple. The hill, in this case, symbolizes the incoming conflict. Later, when Mrs. Das looked out of the window, “nearly transparent clouds passed quickly in front of one another” (17). This description appears to represent Mr. and Mrs. Das trying to support their side of the argument and trying to get ahead, rather than moving together in a stable relationship. Essentially, the two’s relationship is rocky and the parents see each other not as companions, but almost like competitors in trying to point out as many of each other’s mistakes as they could find, and the setting, from the temperature to the geography to the clouds, demonstrates that.

The analysis of the weather provides an insight to the psychology of Mrs. Das, as mentioned above, on the car ride Mrs Das feels uncomfortable in seemingly ideal weather. Mrs. Das is not truly upset with the weather but how physically close she must be with her husband in the car because she feels distanced from her family due to the guilt she feels about keeping the knowledge of the affair from Mr. Das. With a pent up urge to confess this secret, she feels the heat of her internal conflict, which pushes her to continuously argue with her husband so she can find a justification for her past actions.

[Andrew Collard]

Mar 19, 2022 19:03:56 GMT -8 Christine Gu .-. said:

In the “Interpreter of Maladies,” Mr. Kapasi is a tour guide that accompanies the Das family during their trip from the Hotel to the Sun Temple and the Hills at Udayagiri and Khandagiri. Although Mr. Kapsi serves as a tour guide for the Das family, he also acts as the interpreter of maladies, interpreting the characters’ interaction with each setting, especially Mrs. Das, which reveals the Das family’s afflictions, plaguing their relationship.
The story starts off with Mr. Kapasi picking up the family in front of Hotel Sandy Villa, which is located in India. It is evident that “the family looked Indian, but dressed as foreigners did”(13) and “Mr. Kapsi had pressed his palms together in greeting, but Mr. Das squeezed his hands like an American”(16). This explicitly portrays that the family has cultural ties with India as Indians, but their identity is American. Even on their way to the Sun Temple, Mrs. Das displays impatience upon learning “the roads to Konarak are poor” (15) and they would need to take longer to reach the site. The road that connects the hotel to the Sun Temple, that is a part of India’s culture, signifies the broken cultural ties and the characters’ contrasting relationship to the Sun Temple: Mr. Kapasi has an intimate and familiar relationship, while the Das family approaches the site as strictly tourists.
While the setting shows the broken cultural ties of the Das family, it reveals more about the Das family's afflictions and their relationship between each other through the perspective of Mr. Kapsi. Driving on the road towards the Sun Temple, one of the monkeys leaped onto the car, causing Mr. Kapasi to “brake suddenly”(15). This represents the literal physical threat to the Das family and the lack of concern from the parents emphasizes how the family is dysfunctional. Additionally, the car, which is a vessel that transports the family from setting to setting, acts as a catalyst, creating tension when Mr. and Mrs. Das argue as Mr. Kapasi listens. This feeds into the misunderstanding of how Mr. Kapasi views Mrs. Das, especially when they arrived at the Sun Temple since it had carved statues “erotic in nature” (22) and from Mr. Kapsi’s perspective, the power of the situation influenced how he perceived that “Mrs. Das has taken an interest in him” (22). Through the trip, Mrs. Das had told Mr. Kapsi a lot about her life, even how Bobby was not actually Mr. Das’s. In the next setting, the hills with a lot of monkeys, Mrs. Das left a trail of rice puff crumbs, which caused the monkeys to attack Bobby, an unwitting product of Mrs. Das’s affair. Rather than worrying about how hurt Bobby was, Mrs. Das began to “fix [his] hair” (29), which illustrates how she does not take responsibility. Mr. Das is also neglectful, as he fails to watch his children and Mrs. Das’ feelings. The broken relationship between the parents leaves the children and family vulnerable.
The family encountered problems in each setting, while Mr. Kapasi watched and interpreted the situation. This interpretation feeds into how he thinks Mrs. Das would take interest in him, since it is evident that she dislikes her marriage. Ironically, Mr. Kapasi has another job which he translates for doctors (“Interpreter of Maladies”), so clear and effective communication is crucial for a correct diagnosis and treatment, yet he misunderstood Mrs. Das’s intentions and “It disturbed Mr. Kapasi to learn that she thought of him as a parent.” (27)

The broken cultural ties of the family similarly shows the disconnect between American and Indian marriage values and in how Mr. and Mrs. Das act as you put above contributes to a dysfunctional family. Mrs. Das's interests in luxury shows her lack of interest in her husband, but also the lack of connection between them which communicates that American valued system for wealth contrasted with the cultural values of India—being more based on a connection between partners, portrayed by the imperfect roads (less care for wealth) and the statues at the temple (focusing on the relationship between two people).

[Celina Espanta]

The change in setting matches with the shift in the story as the more Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das spend more time with each other throughout the day, their perception of one another drastically differs. During the bright day, they begin to form a fondness for one another as Mr. Kapasi talks about his job as an interpreter to which Mrs. Das replies by calling it "romantic." Mr. Kapasi's interest in Mrs. Das was first shown when the text states, "The signs he recognized from his own marriage were there- the bickering, the indifference, the protracted silences." (19). Mr. Kapasi recognizes the difference in treatment from Mrs. Das to himself and her own husband, he takes note of how interested she seems as she listens to him attentively. Mr. Kapasi sees a connection with Mrs. Das as they are both in the same situation - an unsatisfying marriage. The text states, "Unlike the other women, who had an interest only in the temple, and kept their noses buried in a guidebook, or their eyes behind the lens of a camera, Mrs. Das had taken an interest in him." (23) Due to Mr. Kapasi's wife not paying any mind to him and his job, it is significant that another lady is giving him what he's been yearning for which creates a large infatuation in Mrs. Das. Though, as the darkness of night begins to replace the daylight, these bright perceptions of one another begin to shift into distasteful ones. After Mrs. Das shares a secret that she's never told anyone to Mr. Kapasi, it completely disintegrates his feelings for her as it states, "Mr. Kapasi felt insulted that Mrs. Das should ask him to interpret her common, trivial little secret." (27) It's revealed that each party saw the other in a different light. Mr. Das believed that they shared a common aspect that connected them together, while Mrs. Das saw Mr. Kapasi as someone who could help "cure" her problem.

[Celina Espanta]

Mar 21, 2022 15:56:40 GMT -8 Elia Wong said:

The short story “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri opens with bickering between Mr. and Mrs. Das bickering over who has to take Tina, their daughter, to the restroom. The exchange is followed by a description of the weather: “It was a dry, bright Saturday, the mid-July heat tempered by a steady ocean breeze, ideal weather for sightseeing” (12). According to How to Read Literature Like a Professor, heat can either symbolize passionate romance or strained conflicts between characters. Based on the opening paragraph, it can be reasonably inferred that there will be conflict between the husband and wife later in the story. The fact that the weather is stated as being ideal for sightseeing adds irony that is seen whenever the family visits an attraction, in which Mrs. Das prefers to not join her husband and children. Another component of setting constitutes geography, and in this case, Mr. Kapasi and his passengers “approached a hill in the road” (16). Funnily enough, the hot weather is brought up by Mrs. Das, who criticizes her husband for choosing a car without air conditioning to save money, to which Mr. Das responds, “‘Quit complaining.’” In just a few pages, the weather had turned from enjoyable to what fuels another dispute between the couple. The hill, in this case, symbolizes the incoming conflict. Later, when Mrs. Das looked out of the window, “nearly transparent clouds passed quickly in front of one another” (17). This description appears to represent Mr. and Mrs. Das trying to support their side of the argument and trying to get ahead, rather than moving together in a stable relationship. Essentially, the two’s relationship is rocky and the parents see each other not as companions, but almost like competitors in trying to point out as many of each other’s mistakes as they could find, and the setting, from the temperature to the geography to the clouds, demonstrates that.

Great observation on the weather and the irony it holds that adds to the complexity of the Das' family dynamic. The contrast between the ideal weather and the odd relationship of Mr. and Mrs. Das and their attitude toward tending to their children show the absurdness of the Das family.

[Celina Espanta]

Mar 21, 2022 20:09:39 GMT -8 Andrew Collard said:

In the Interpreter of Maladies the shift in setting from Mr. Kapasi’s car to the Sun temple communicates a shift in the story by giving Mrs Das a reason to think about the life that she has and its meaning to her. At the beginning, Mr. Kapasi’s car provides a topic of argument between Mr. and Mrs. Das, complaining about the overwhelming heat, "Isn’t this an air-conditioned car?" she asked, still blowing on her Hand. he responds "Quit complaining," Mr. Das said. "It isn’t so hot." The setting of the car is compact and emphasizes the uncomfortability that Mrs. Das feels around her husband. Mrs Das is really only able to think pessimistically and isn’t able to capture the true beauty of India around her and this portrays a very Americanized mindset as being inside the vehicle separates the family from the outside or diversified thinking. In relation to her marriage, she is only able to think about the absence of love but as they arrive to the Sun Temple and sees the “the countless friezes of entwined naked bodies, making love in various positions, women clinging to the necks of men, their knees wrapped eternally around their lovers’ thighs,'' it introduces her to a different culture’s view about marriage. The setting of the statues at the temple convey the importance of an everlasting bond between a man and a woman to Indian culture And this is evident when Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi are alone in the vehicle because she confides in him in a way that shows her distress, only after seeing the “friezes”, suggesting that Mr. Kapasi find her “some type of remedy.” Mrs. Das finds the only way to make herself feel better is to find her place in her family. Shown by her fear for Bobby as he was being surrounded by monkeys, even saying "Poor Bobby, Come here a second. Let Mommy fix your hair.” In the car Mrs. Das acted as if she had no attachment to her children, and this shift in setting shifts her perspective to one that sees the positive aspects of her relationship. Alternatively, we never see a great change in Mrs. Das, but the mother she portrays to be at the end of the story contradicts the role she played at the beginning.

Furthermore, the absence of love and devotion in Mr. and Mrs. Das' relationship contributes to Mrs. Das' interest in Mr. Kapasi. Despite being a married woman, she feels infatuated with another man who she behaves toward in a way she hasn't done so to her own spouse. In contrast to her husband, she feels more comfort with Mr. Kapasi which explains why she was able to share such a deep secret with him quite easily.

[Anthony Bizzaro]

In the short story “Interpreter of Maladies,” the author tells the story of a couple's strained relationship as they take a business trip in India. The first shift we can see in the story is when Mrs. Das change her harsh tone towards her family to one of admiration towards Mr. Kapasi.  The text describes the way she speaks to him as "dreamingly, breaking her extended silence." (17) This sets a precedent for how Mrs. Das will interact with Mr. Kapasi as the story progresses. We start to see a disconnect in the way of how Mrs. Das acts for herself compared to how she acts towards her family often dismissive or complaining as seen when she says ""Leave me alone," Mrs. Das said, blowing on her nail and turning her

body slightly. "You’re making me mess up". (16) As the story progresses we begin to see a shift in Mr. Das's role and Mr. Kapasi role with Mrs. Das where Mr. Das acts more as the business partner and Mr. Kapasi as Mrs. Das object of attraction. Mrs. Das continues to act in her own interest until eventually at the end of the story Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das have a fight and end up breaking off their almost relationship over poor communication which is ironically what she also blames for her failing relationship with Mr. Das. The contradictions and Mrs. Das own realization looks to be what starts to pull the Das's family closer as symbolized by Mrs. Das losing Mr. kapasi's contact information. Oddly in the end the thing that managed to pull the Das's closer together was Mrs. Das moment of self realization spouted from her efforts at emotional infidelity.

[Lilith Zapata]

In 'Interpreter of Maladies' the shift in setting from the car ride with Mr. Kapasi and the Das family signifies a turning point in the story because of the nature in which Mrs. Das behaves towards her family and the stark contrast of her behavior towards Mr. Kapasi. Mr. Kapasi notes that "Mr. Das should refer to his wife by her first name when speaking to the little girl." This simple lack of affection of calling her Mom or another loving name is one of the first indications of what is to come. Mrs. Das is not content with her family, she complains about the two hour car ride when most would not mind spending quality time with their loved one. Ignoring her children, seemingly annoyed by her husband, her focus shifts to her driver and on the topic of his second job. Mr. Kapasi is particularly shocked at her sudden interest in him, and he comments that it is "intoxicating" since most women did not pay him any mind. The arrival towards Sun Temple is a slow one that reveals Mr. Das' lack of attention and involvement with his own children. Her lack of attention towards her husband and a sudden interest in Mr.Kapasi alludes to her lack of commitment that is confirmed later in the story. Mrs. Das is more drawn to a complete stranger than her husband, the love and desire that she is missing in her life has shaped her into a disinterested mother and wife. While her husband, Mr. Das, is not as involved with his children as he should be. A present father, but an absent one at the same time. He is more preoccupied with taking photos, a superficial memory of a trip to India.