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Post by Rebecca Au on Mar 23, 2022 22:12:20 GMT -8
In the short story “Interpreter of Maladies”, we are first introduced to the Das family at a tea stall where Mr and Mrs. Das “bickered about who should take Tina to the toilet” (12). This interaction sets the tone for the passage and indicates the tension in the two’s relationship. Following this, the family and Mr. Kapasi head to the Sun Temple in Mr. Kapasi’s car where many important scenes take place, especially for Mrs. Das. The car that is used along the trip reveals both the lack of control in Mr and Mrs Das’s relationship but also the growing familiarity between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das. For Mrs. Das and her husband, they continue to get into unnecessary bickering with her complaining about not having an air-conditioned car and Mr. Das nagging her for wearing “those stupid shoes” (24). Being confined to a small, hot space while traveling from destination to destination influences Mr and Mrs. Das’s behavior as they become more irritated and uncomfortable with each other. This further demonstrates their failing marriage and inability to communicate with one another. However, for Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das, the car becomes a safe space for the two where they learn more about each other and become comfortable confiding in another. Mrs. Das even reveals her internal struggles of an unhappy marriage with Raj, her feelings of guilt towards her son, Bobby, and how she “had the urge to throw everything I own out the window” (27). The fact that she was able to project these thoughts to a mere tour guide shows how deeply affected she was through many years of turmoil. When the setting switches to the Sun Temple and “monastic dwellings”, they were supposed to represent places of worship, peace, and admiration for the Das family, but ironically it is far from that. The Das family fails to appreciate and immerse themselves into India's true beauty and rich culture.
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Post by Madison Zhuang on Mar 23, 2022 22:49:56 GMT -8
In the short story, “Interpreter of Maladies”, there are multiple settings that reflect how the characters, in particular Mrs. Das, feel and act. As the scenery and setting shift, so does the overall demeanor of Mrs. Das. At the beginning of the story, as they are leaving the city, Mrs. Das seems to be in an irritable, impatient mood. In Western culture, people in the city are stereotyped to be very serious, hardworking, and determined people. With this description, it can be concluded that they are no-nonsense people, which is how Mrs. Das is. As the setting transitions from the city to more nature-like surroundings, Mrs. Das seems to relax more. Nature is traditionally symbolic for calmness and relaxation, and she seems to fall under this category now. Although this shift in mood can be attributed to her conversation with the tour guide and driver, Mr. Kapasi, it also parallels the change in setting. A major contradiction is that Mrs. Das rarely interacted with the nature, choosing to stay in the car with Mr. Kapasi rather than explore with her husband and children. When one of the young boys, Bobby, gets surrounded and harmed by the monkeys, her motherly side is shown. We see that her maternal instincts arise, contradicting how she has been neglecting her children for the majority of the narrative.
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Post by Madi Zhuang on Mar 23, 2022 22:57:07 GMT -8
In the "Interpreter of Maladies'' the shift in setting within the story from the car to the Sun Temple and to watch the monkeys reveals the true nature of Mr. and Mrs. Das' relationship and their family relationship as well as the subtle development that Mrs. Das undergoes. At the beginning when they first enter the car, Mrs Das complains "Isn't this an air-conditioned car" to which Mr. Das tells her to stop complaining. This small conversation is very reflective of Mr. and Mrs. Das' time in the cab, as they seem to merely tolerate each other. Complaining about something that Mr. Das purchased, the tour displays Mrs. Das' disapproval of Mr. Das and even further shows their complex relationship. This disapproval from Mrs. Das seems to extend further than her own husband, as in the cab, she is very short and somewhat ignorant towards her children. In fact, she only seems to show some friendliness inside the cab when talking to Mr. Kapaski. Initially, this reveals that the family is not close and is likely very fractured. Once the setting changes to the Sun Temple, Mrs. Das seems to spend more time with Mr. Kapaski than her family as "She was lost behind her sunglasses, ignoring her husband’s requests that she pose for another picture, walking past her children as if they were strangers." Even at the sun temple, Mrs. Das appears to be separate from her family. This represents how the relationship between Mr and Mrs Kapaski is not well and continually fractured. However, at the final setting in the short story, Mrs Das runs to her family to console her son who is hurt. This represents how fractured the family and Mr and Mrs Das' relationship seems, they will ultimately come back to one another. This is reaffirmed as Mr. Kapaski's phone number and address float away, while the family is all together and taking care of one of their own. This also shows the growing of Mrs. Das as she realizes her family may not always be constant and is something she should appreciate and love. I agree that these settings are important to Mrs. Das' character development, reflected through her interactions and feelings about her husband and children. I think the message of the fractured family coming back together is fully emphasized by that fact that Bobby is not Mr. Das' child. Despite him not knowing about something so large that it could tear the family apart, for now, they are still a unit. |
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Post by Madi Zhuang on Mar 23, 2022 22:59:28 GMT -8
Changes in setting for “Interpreter of Maladies” symbolize the changes in the character’s mindsets of relationships, specifically Mrs. Das, and by interacting with these settings, we truly understand how strong Mrs. Das can be as a parent who provides for her kids. The first change in setting, from the tea stand to the car, reveals Mrs. Das’s current motives in her relationship with Mr. Das: she hates this relationship. She doesn’t reflect motherly love to her kids and gets into petty arguments with Mr. Das. In the car, Mrs. Das On the way to the temple, they decide to go get lunch, and it is further revealed that Mrs. Das has taken interest to Mr. Kapasi, yet we don’t know why. At the temple, Mrs. Das further hints on the concept that she’s uninterested in her family and more interested in Mr. Kapasi, abandoning her family as they explore the temple and wanting to spend time to talk with Mr. Kapasi. Further discussions with Mr. Kapasi at a later time in the car reveal that Mrs. Das is guilty of not being able to be a proper mother to her kids because of her quick and overwhelming marriage. After revealing this, Mrs. Das gets out of the car and tends to her son with a sense of motherly love. The settings here show a pattern: the car is a private area where Mrs. Das is able to reveal her problems and motives to Mr. Kapasi, while the settings in which Mrs. Das interacts with after leaving the car (eg: tea stall, lunch area, monkey area) manifest her motives into actions. The fact that Mrs. Das reveals to Mr. Kapasi that she isn’t mad but guilty shows her potential to be a great parent. Mrs. Das chose to stay in this family, but she shut herself out of it because she was afraid of becoming a worse parent because of it. I also wrote about how the shifts in setting represent the mindset and nature of Mrs. Das. Your observation about her shutting herself out of the family from fear rather than dislike of them is something I had not considered when I first read the story, but it is a critical analysis and well thought out. |
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Post by Kryslin Vu on Mar 23, 2022 23:07:44 GMT -8
The primary characters in "The Interpreter of Maladies" are of Indian heritage, and the novel is set in India. Despite the fact that the Das family and Mr. Kapasi share a cultural past, their perspectives on the world are vastly different. Mr. Kapasi was born and reared in India, whereas the rest of Das' family was born and nurtured in the United States. The resulting divide between the affluent and very Westerner Dad family and their Indian-American tour guide is highlighted by Lahiri to imply particular cultural conflicts between Indians and Native Americans, as well as the belief that identity extends beyond heritage in general. While cultural background surely influences a person's knowledge and responses to the environment, the story indicates that identity is mostly formed by one's surroundings and social status.
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Post by Trinity Hallberg on Mar 23, 2022 23:20:06 GMT -8
In “Interpreter of Maladies” the setting of the Sun Temple, the Hills at Udayagiri and Khandagiri and the car serve as a communication link or tool between Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi. The first example in the car, “She put a fistful in her mouth, sank into the seat a little, and looked away from Mr. Kapasi, out the window on her side of the can "We married when we were still in college” (25). Mrs. Das uses these places as an opportunity to communicate with Mr. Kapasi while Mr. Kapasi deeply enjoys these conversations that the two are having. It’s like the two are in their own world, one without Mr. Das and the children. Mrs. Das shares her story of herself and Mr. Das, a personal part of her life. The setting then flashes back when Mrs. Das is telling her story, “Eventually the friends stopped calling her, so that she was left at home all day with the baby, surrounded by toys that made her trip when she walked or wince when she sat, always cross and tired” (26). This detail gives background and insight into what Mrs. Das is feeling in this moment, the setting of her being stuck at home with nothing to do, but to take care of her children. She is feeling stuck in this place and although she is somewhere else now, she is still trapped mentally in the place of her home with her children, a marriage that she didn’t want to be in, that she was rushed into. She says here that she was, “After marrying so young she was overwhelmed by it all, having a child so quickly, and nursing, and warming up bottles of milk and testing their temperature against her wrist while Raj was at work, dressed in sweaters and corduroy pants, teaching his students about rocks and dinosaurs” (26). Mrs. Das is left unsatisfied with her life and no matter where she is or where she goes she cannot escape this ultimate lifestyle, a setting in a place where she is trapped and unsatisfied with. Despite this being the case, Mr.Das still enjoys where he is and is very interested in what's around him, oblivious to Mrs. Das's true feelings or that she had a child that was not his. Her confession to Mr. Kapasi made the driver feel depressed for instance, "Her confession depressed him, depressed him all the more when he thought of Mr. Das at the top of the path, Tina clinging to his shoulders, taking pictures of ancient monastic cells cut into the hills to show his students in America, unsuspecting and unaware that one of his sons was not his own" (27). The contrasting behavior of Mr. Das, someone who is happy showing his family this beautiful place, give Mr. Kapasi a feeling of sadness because Mr. Das and his family are in such a different place than Mrs. Das. A family that is happy versus a mother that is not and cannot be satisfied.
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Post by Trinity Hallberg on Mar 23, 2022 23:23:49 GMT -8
In the short story, “Interpreter of Maladies”, there are multiple settings that reflect how the characters, in particular Mrs. Das, feel and act. As the scenery and setting shift, so does the overall demeanor of Mrs. Das. At the beginning of the story, as they are leaving the city, Mrs. Das seems to be in an irritable, impatient mood. In Western culture, people in the city are stereotyped to be very serious, hardworking, and determined people. With this description, it can be concluded that they are no-nonsense people, which is how Mrs. Das is. As the setting transitions from the city to more nature-like surroundings, Mrs. Das seems to relax more. Nature is traditionally symbolic for calmness and relaxation, and she seems to fall under this category now. Although this shift in mood can be attributed to her conversation with the tour guide and driver, Mr. Kapasi, it also parallels the change in setting. A major contradiction is that Mrs. Das rarely interacted with the nature, choosing to stay in the car with Mr. Kapasi rather than explore with her husband and children. When one of the young boys, Bobby, gets surrounded and harmed by the monkeys, her motherly side is shown. We see that her maternal instincts arise, contradicting how she has been neglecting her children for the majority of the narrative. I agree that Mrs. Das doesn't seem to be at peace, even with the surroundings being somewhat peaceful. I believe that she doesn't want to accept the peace into her life as she is never where she really wants to be. What she ultimately wants is to be free of responsibility due to her being unsatisfied with her life overall. |
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Post by Trinity Hallberg on Mar 23, 2022 23:27:17 GMT -8
In the short story “Interpreter of Maladies”, we are first introduced to the Das family at a tea stall where Mr and Mrs. Das “bickered about who should take Tina to the toilet” (12). This interaction sets the tone for the passage and indicates the tension in the two’s relationship. Following this, the family and Mr. Kapasi head to the Sun Temple in Mr. Kapasi’s car where many important scenes take place, especially for Mrs. Das. The car that is used along the trip reveals both the lack of control in Mr and Mrs Das’s relationship but also the growing familiarity between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das. For Mrs. Das and her husband, they continue to get into unnecessary bickering with her complaining about not having an air-conditioned car and Mr. Das nagging her for wearing “those stupid shoes” (24). Being confined to a small, hot space while traveling from destination to destination influences Mr and Mrs. Das’s behavior as they become more irritated and uncomfortable with each other. This further demonstrates their failing marriage and inability to communicate with one another. However, for Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das, the car becomes a safe space for the two where they learn more about each other and become comfortable confiding in another. Mrs. Das even reveals her internal struggles of an unhappy marriage with Raj, her feelings of guilt towards her son, Bobby, and how she “had the urge to throw everything I own out the window” (27). The fact that she was able to project these thoughts to a mere tour guide shows how deeply affected she was through many years of turmoil. When the setting switches to the Sun Temple and “monastic dwellings”, they were supposed to represent places of worship, peace, and admiration for the Das family, but ironically it is far from that. The Das family fails to appreciate and immerse themselves into India's true beauty and rich culture. The lack of control and and growing familiarity with Mr. Kapasi is definitely something that can be observed in this story and interpreted as tension between the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kapasi. Their relationship shows signs of a failing marriage and unfortunate circumstances. Because of the place that Mrs. Das is in, we can see in this trip that there are problems, something that spending a lot of time with someone can reveal. |
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Post by Rebecca Au on Mar 23, 2022 23:53:34 GMT -8
In the short story, “Interpreter of Maladies”, there are multiple settings that reflect how the characters, in particular Mrs. Das, feel and act. As the scenery and setting shift, so does the overall demeanor of Mrs. Das. At the beginning of the story, as they are leaving the city, Mrs. Das seems to be in an irritable, impatient mood. In Western culture, people in the city are stereotyped to be very serious, hardworking, and determined people. With this description, it can be concluded that they are no-nonsense people, which is how Mrs. Das is. As the setting transitions from the city to more nature-like surroundings, Mrs. Das seems to relax more. Nature is traditionally symbolic for calmness and relaxation, and she seems to fall under this category now. Although this shift in mood can be attributed to her conversation with the tour guide and driver, Mr. Kapasi, it also parallels the change in setting. A major contradiction is that Mrs. Das rarely interacted with the nature, choosing to stay in the car with Mr. Kapasi rather than explore with her husband and children. When one of the young boys, Bobby, gets surrounded and harmed by the monkeys, her motherly side is shown. We see that her maternal instincts arise, contradicting how she has been neglecting her children for the majority of the narrative. I like your interpretation on the parallels between the setting and behaviors of Mrs. Das. I agree that Mrs. Das behavior changes depending on her location like for example, when she complained about no air-conditioning in the car, she was very irritable at that moment towards her husband and her children. |
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Post by Rebecca Au on Mar 24, 2022 0:12:56 GMT -8
The change in setting communicates a shift in the story as the characters in “Interpreter of Maladies” interact with their surrounding environment. For example, the short story starts off in a small restaurant, where Mr. Kapasi is starting the tour. The setting changes when the family enters the car, and goes sightseeing the monkeys, and the Sun temple. The focus of their conversations change as they talk about the views, and the story connects the surroundings with details about the characters. When the Das family visits the Sun Temple, Mr. Kapasi notices the status of women, and his thoughts drift to his own family, and his wife. He recalls that his marital relationship with his wife is strained, similar to that of Mr. and Mrs. Das, and how he has never seen his wife shirtless, and starts to notice Mrs. Das even more. Due to this shift in setting, the audience is able to learn about Mr. Kapasi’s relationship with his wife, and gain insight into the cultural aspects of the story, now that two marital relationships have been introduced. The Kapasi and Das couples both do not have a strong relationship, almost as if they are staying together out of a sense of duty. Both couples are unsatisfied with their lives: Mr. Kapasi unsatisfied with his work/job, and how his career as a interpreter has declined, and Mrs. Das is unsatisfied with her life and husband. We also see a contrast between Mr. Kapsi and Mrs. Das in their interaction with the Sun Temple: Mr. Kapsi admires and walks around the statues, while Mrs. Das walks around, eating her puffed rice. These details illustrate even more about the two characters, as Mr. Kapasi is still trying to make the most out of his life despite his shortcomings, and how Mrs. Das has completely given up on being happy. The setting brings out the element of their characters even more, without the need to explicitly state this in the text, illustrating the characters’ values. I can see how having found someone who also has marriage issues, Mr. Kapasi now views the temple in a different type of admiration despite visiting the temple countless times. I also think you should expand on the “cultural aspects” of the story like: how Indians vs Americans view marriage or Mr. Kapasi’s vs Mrs.Das’s reaction towards the statues and how it relates to their culture. |
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Post by Alysha Lee on Mar 24, 2022 20:52:44 GMT -8
The change of settings communicates a shift in the story as Mr. And Mrs. Das travel around India and face many different conflicts with different characters in the story. Mr. And Mrs. Das are in India with their children which is drastically different from their life back in America and ultimately contributes to more stress and tension pushing on their straining marriage. Due to the never ending bickering Mr. And Mrs. Das are entangled in, the couple are often split up despite being with their children in a foreign country. Usually families tend to stick to one another while traveling to ensure each other's safety and protection of being together however, for the Das family it seems that the only time that there is peace is when they are separated. This also reveals the values of Mr. And Mrs. Das because although they seem to value connecting with their culture as well as exposing their children to it, they completely abandon this motive due to all the bickering, disrespect to one another and constant separation showing that they value their pride and ego more. Mr. Das with the children and Mrs. Das with Mr. Kapasi. Being with Mr. Kapasi changes the setting drastically; there is finally time to focus on the sights and temples of India however, in addition to the extinguished mood, the relationship complex between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das create an unexpected setting of high arousal and curiosity. While being alone together, the two characters set a faster paced speed to the story and establish a sense of mild anxiety and excitement while being round one another which is mildly inappropriate for the circumstances however, are extremely effective at reeling in the reader to continue the story. The contradictions between the unhappily married couple are what create the altering settings of distress, tension, tranquility and eventually excitement.
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Post by Kiersten Kang on Mar 24, 2022 21:08:38 GMT -8
Jhumpa Lahiri's short story "Interpreter of Maladies" delves into the complex nature of familial and marital relationships. One way this is explored is through shifts in the settings. For instance, the change between the setting of Mr. Kapasi's tour vehicle to the setting of the roadside restaurant conveys a change in the events of the story, as well as the values of Mr. Kapasi. The tour vehicle is a casual setting as it is simply a means of transportation for the entertaining tours, whereas the restaurant becomes more personal; restaurants can reflect familial/romantic closeness because families and couples go out to restaurants to spend time and share meals together. The highlighting of familial values contrasts with Mr. Kapasi's change in thoughts about Mrs. Das. While in the tour vehicle, he only expressed moderate interest in Mrs Das, only describing her attention as "mildly intoxicating." However, when the setting changes to the restaurant, Mr. Kapasi's interest turns extreme. Upon giving the Das's his address, he begins to wildly fantasize about how he and Mrs. Das would write one another letters and "reveal the disappointment of their marriages." The same "magenta umbrella" from the restaurant is mentioned in this fantasy, signifying the effect of the setting on Mr. Kapasi. In this setting, his value of family, specifically his wife, has diminished, contrasting with the familial nature of the restaurant. Through this we learn that Mr. Kapasi's morals are more clouded than we initially knew. However, this development is contradicted by his reaction to Mrs. Das's confession of adultery later in the story. Despite fantasizing about being unfaithful together with Mrs. Das, Mr. Kapasi feels "depressed" and disappointed by her act of cheating. It reveals a complexity about Mr. Kapasi's character, showing that he judges other people's actions but is unable to find fault within those same actions committed by himself.
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Post by Kiersten Kang on Mar 24, 2022 21:13:59 GMT -8
In the short story “Interpreter of Maladies”, we are first introduced to the Das family at a tea stall where Mr and Mrs. Das “bickered about who should take Tina to the toilet” (12). This interaction sets the tone for the passage and indicates the tension in the two’s relationship. Following this, the family and Mr. Kapasi head to the Sun Temple in Mr. Kapasi’s car where many important scenes take place, especially for Mrs. Das. The car that is used along the trip reveals both the lack of control in Mr and Mrs Das’s relationship but also the growing familiarity between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das. For Mrs. Das and her husband, they continue to get into unnecessary bickering with her complaining about not having an air-conditioned car and Mr. Das nagging her for wearing “those stupid shoes” (24). Being confined to a small, hot space while traveling from destination to destination influences Mr and Mrs. Das’s behavior as they become more irritated and uncomfortable with each other. This further demonstrates their failing marriage and inability to communicate with one another. However, for Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das, the car becomes a safe space for the two where they learn more about each other and become comfortable confiding in another. Mrs. Das even reveals her internal struggles of an unhappy marriage with Raj, her feelings of guilt towards her son, Bobby, and how she “had the urge to throw everything I own out the window” (27). The fact that she was able to project these thoughts to a mere tour guide shows how deeply affected she was through many years of turmoil. When the setting switches to the Sun Temple and “monastic dwellings”, they were supposed to represent places of worship, peace, and admiration for the Das family, but ironically it is far from that. The Das family fails to appreciate and immerse themselves into India's true beauty and rich culture. I agree with this idea and I think this is a very good argument. I think that the car symbolizing a lack of control in Mr. and Mrs. Das's relationship is a good and well-developed idea. The irony of the setting and its effect on the characters, such as the values of the Sun Temple, are great and supported by evidence/commentary. |
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Post by Kiersten Kang on Mar 24, 2022 21:20:56 GMT -8
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. I think it was a great idea to use the setting of night and day as an example of shifts in the story. I agree with the argument of different perspectives and ideas about the characters being revealed as the bright and optimistic daylight begins to fade. Good use of evidence! |
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Post by Steven Yap on Mar 24, 2022 22:01:28 GMT -8
In the story "Interpreter of Maladies" Lahiri successfully shifts the emotion of the characters in the book utilizing setting in order to illustrates the disconnected and complicated relationship Mr. Das and Mrs. Das have. In the beginning of the book the Das family traveled to India from America and took a taxi for transportation where Mrs. Das starts complaining about not having a, "Air conditioned car.... Quit complaining Mr. Das said. It isn't so hot. I told you to get a car with air conditioning, Mrs. Das continued." From a car the author has already distinguished the type of relationship Mr. Das and Mrs. Das, creating this simple argument the reader recognizes the discomfort and uneasy tension signifying this unwanted family. Lahiri has addressed two perspectives about the car and this conflict has stictly defined the troubled relationship setting up the rest of the story for mistrust pertaining to Mrs. Das. Mrs. Das continued to argue with Mr. Das saying, "why do you do this, raj, just to save a few stupid rupees. What are you saving us, fifty cents? Their accents sounded just like the ones Mr. Kapasi heard on American television programs, though not like the ones on Dallas." Mr. Kapasi's perspective reveals the Americanized family and reminds the reader of how far from home the Das family is. The cultural difference of voice sets a fine line of change and transformation into the underlying of family recovery and reformation. In HTRLLAP there is a specific chapter where it talks about the clear distinction of the journey and "actual journey". In this story the author makes it apparent regarding the transforming setting to demonstrate the Das family's renewal and Mrs. Das change of heart representing the theme of truthfulness and openess to personal conflict.
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