Narration in “Interpreter of Maladies”

[Thomas Lee]

The primary takeaways from watching the college board video in narration is the narrator’s influence on the development and shaping of the narrative based upon the inclusion of exclusion of details. Additionally, the different perspectives on the narrator alters the story by shifting the amount of information the narrator holds. Finally, the revelation of characters through the narrator could portray a bias, motives or the understandings of a character and the lens that the narrator uses to portray can greatly impact the influence and impressions of these characters to the reader. Relating back to “Interpreter of Maladies” the narrator takes a third person objective view which allows the development of the characters through their actions and interactions with other characters. Therefore the information presented by the narrator although may be objective the inclusion of details such as the behavior of the children as disobedient or undisciplined in addition to the selfish nature of Mrs. Das creates a bias towards these characters. This bias is also accompanied by the motivations behind some characters including Mr. Das who the narrator portrays as being heavily invested in his travel guide, the motives of Mr. Kapasi are later revealed by the depictions of Mrs. Das once again by the narrator. The absence of Mrs. Dad’s story before this trip also creates a lack of understanding towards the character due to the narrator’s perspective of her actions as selfish where it is later shown that she, being married so early hardly had time for herself and is suffering from this: this aspect of her was not revealed until the end of the short story.

[garrettd]

Mar 23, 2022 7:18:58 GMT -8 Makayla Hernandez said:

After watching the college board video, I was able to take away a good amount of information about the narrator and how well they can persuade the story simply with just their choice of words. The video emphasized the narrator’s influence in what the readers will understand about the story and its characters, shaping how the story is being told. This roots from what information they choose to reveal to and/or hold back from the audience. This raises questions such as, “why didn’t the narrator tell them?” or “what are they hiding?” We also learn that first person point of view is very limiting in terms of perspective due to the fact that we as readers cannot have insight into the other characters’ thoughts as well. The story of “Interpreter of Maladies” would be different if we saw it from another point of view, such as the children, because of their very different interactions; for example, the children’s feelings of neglect were not showcased from the current perspective of the story, although, if we heard it from their side, we would most likely get more hints as to how much or how little Mr. and Mrs. Das’ actions affect them. The flirtation between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das might not have even been discovered if it was from a different perspective because no one else really seemed to notice it, such as when they were near each other, admiring the sculptures while Mrs. Das continued to walk past her own children as if they were strangers.

I really agree with looking to the children’s perspective to get a further understanding of the dynamic between Mr. and Mrs. Das but I would really like to see Mr. Das too. I feel like he is disregarded for much of the story so I would want to see how he perceives his life and his spouse, Mrs. Das.

[Eric Kim]

7.4D - Narration can have bias. The story may be alternatively interpreted/pathed because of
said bias. Point-of-view can affect how perspectives are expressed.
In the later parts of the story of "Interpreter of Maladies", Mrs. Das can be seen venting with Mr.
Kapasi about how boring and stale her life became after marrying Mr. Das. Mr Kapasi, who
originally piqued interest in her and vice versa, resonated with her struggles and relationship as
he, too, was considerably in a midlife crisis (thinking he can be like an international ambassador
but he's currently just a translator for a dentist), and his marital relationship didn't feel very
complete, either. However, he does account for the biases Mrs. Das had while explaining her
current situation as seen when he questions if "Is it pain you feel, or is it guilt?" which got her to
contemplate and eventually end her venting. This scenario could indicate that she finally
realized the perspectives of other people than just herself. That just then raises the thought of
how this story could have unfolded if Mr. Kapasi conversed with Mr. Das or the children. I think
the children would have seen the parts of both sides from Mr. and Mrs. Das, so if Mr. Kapasi
had talked to the children about the situations, there would probably be less bias from the
childrens' perspectives.

[Ryan Kuo]

The three main takeaways from the college board video is to consider how some of the information the narrator chooses to omit or include may affect our perception of the narration and the event, how our preexisting bias may affect our views of the characters as well as the situations, and what limitations are there from the narrator such as what kind of information are they not able to know and share. The narrative point of view influences our interpretation of the story by making us see things only from Mr. Kapasi’s point of view and his interpretation of what is happening which is why we though Mrs. Das was interested in him when she wasn’t. The narrator includes the outside in view of the Das family and its relationship while leaving out the inner workings of the relationship and how it became that way. Mr. Kapasi has a bias towards the Das family since the beginning of the story where is mentions that Mr. and Mrs. are more like older siblings than parents and this leads him to think that Mrs. Das is like him, that he doesn’t like his spouse and wants new experiences. If the story was told by Mrs. Kapasi however it would be very different as we would know that she is trying to find someone that she can confide in and receive pity from without having to worry about being judged by someone she knows. This however is not the case which is why Mr. Kapsi’s goal is to court Mrs. Das due to his misunderstanding.

[Lilith Zapata]

Three takeaways from the video include the idea that the narrator of a story shapes which details are shared, a first-person narrator has a limited perspective, and a third-person narrator may be able to convey more about multiple characters. In 'Interpreter of Maladies' by Jhumpa Lahiri, the principal narrator of this story is the driver, Mr. Kapasi. Through his perspective, the characters of Mr. and Mrs.Das are described as behaving "like an older brother and sister." Mr. Kapasi begins to view Mrs.Das in a sexual light, and this bias could indicate that Mrs. Das reciprocates these feelings. However, she looks to him for advice on her own malady, seemingly looking for a "remedy" to her illness of guilt. She is not outwardly interested in him in that manner although the sensual descriptions of her may allude to it. Mr. Kapasi feels sympathy for her, her "confession depressed him, depressed him all the more when he thought of Mr. Das at the top of the path." The perspective of Mr. Das would have been drastically different from that of Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das. He is unaware of the affair that Mrs. Das, and his aloofness would likely mean that he is also unaware that his wife does not love him or the children. A working man, husband,and father who may be too preoccupied to notice how his wife truly feels.

[Anuthmi Waas]

In the College Board Video about Narration, 7B video 1, some takeaways I was able to understand were that there is a lot that can be conveyed in a story just through word choice, that the narrator is limited by their perspective, and that biases are extended through the narration. The narrator’s biases may affect what information is revealed and it can distort the story, as narration will usually be limited as we do ot have all sides of the story, and rather only one perspective. An example of this in “The Interpreter of Maladies” is MR. Kapaski. In this story, the point of view is third person objective, with the narrator being Mr. Kapaski. This may affect how we see the story as Mr. Kapaski views Mrs. Das as someone who is interested in him: “Mrs. Das has taken an interest in him. But when Mrs. Das is confiding in Mr. Kapaski exclaims that he is like a father figure. Moreover, as Mr. Kapaski has the biases of his upbringing, he may be biased in how he views the family, as the Das family is representative of a Western family, not a SOuth Asian family. Mr. Kapaski sees the parents, Mr and Mrs Das, as more of siblings rather than parents as they are irresponsible. Mr Kapaski’s view of Mrs. Das and Mr Das’ parenting may be tainted as often in South Asian culture, families are incredibly overbearing onto children, versus Western cultures, where children are usually given much more freedom and independence.

[Anuthmi Waas]

Mar 23, 2022 7:18:58 GMT -8 Makayla Hernandez said:

After watching the college board video, I was able to take away a good amount of information about the narrator and how well they can persuade the story simply with just their choice of words. The video emphasized the narrator’s influence in what the readers will understand about the story and its characters, shaping how the story is being told. This roots from what information they choose to reveal to and/or hold back from the audience. This raises questions such as, “why didn’t the narrator tell them?” or “what are they hiding?” We also learn that first person point of view is very limiting in terms of perspective due to the fact that we as readers cannot have insight into the other characters’ thoughts as well. The story of “Interpreter of Maladies” would be different if we saw it from another point of view, such as the children, because of their very different interactions; for example, the children’s feelings of neglect were not showcased from the current perspective of the story, although, if we heard it from their side, we would most likely get more hints as to how much or how little Mr. and Mrs. Das’ actions affect them. The flirtation between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das might not have even been discovered if it was from a different perspective because no one else really seemed to notice it, such as when they were near each other, admiring the sculptures while Mrs. Das continued to walk past her own children as if they were strangers.

Makayla, I fully agree with your interpretation and how different the view could be if there was a different narration. If it were Mrs Das’ perspective, she may see it more as a friendship or even a father figure, as she mentioned she thought he was as old as her father. Moreover, I agree that familial neglect might be over represented as Western cultures and Asian cultures parent differently.

[Edward Gonzalez]

The three takeaways I had from the AP Daily video was that a first-person narrator can give a limited perspective upon the story, third-person narrators are able to elaborate further upon characters and situations, and biases from the narrator can be found through their interpretation of others. These concepts can result in a limitation of a narrator’s capabilities to retell or bear witness to a story, whether it may be from a first-hand account or someone who learned about it later on, not partaking in it; these narrative limitations affect the reader’s understanding of the story as well. This could possibly be seen and interpreted in the short story “Interpreter of Maladies” when reading through the narrator, Mr. Kapasi, and Mrs. Das interacting throughout the story. In one particular scene, Mr. Kapasi makes note of Mrs. Das used the word ‘romantic’ to describe his job as a medical interpreter, which he thought as ‘intoxicating’ to him. Though never explicitly stated in the story, readers would most likely assume that Mrs. Das has a romantic interest in Mr. Kapasi due to a lackluster relationship with her own husband and family, which is prevalent throughout the story as she often ignores them and argues with Mr. Das. The scene reveals Mr. Kapasi’s biased narration of the story’s events, where his assumption that Mrs. Das is being flirtatious and romantic with him starts to affect his judgment of what happens, such as Mrs. Das explains how one of her sons was born out of wedlock and when they shared addresses.

[robertau11]

Three takeaways I learnt from the College Board is that the point of view for narration changes the flexibility of the text and it's ability to convey feelings and emotions about how characters feel. What characters reveal and talk about can show and indicate their motives, bias, and beliefs about certain topics and issues. I also learnt how the narration shapes how the text is conveyed to the reader. Depending on how the narration is portrayed, it can share certain details through one method of narration better than others. In the short story, "Interpreter of the Maladies", it uses a third person perspective to narrate, to showcase the feelings of all characters, such as Mr and Mrs. Das, and more importantly, Mr. Kapasi. This point of view gives us insight on how each character is feeling at the moment, but for instance if it was a first person perspective from Mr. Kapasi, we wouldn't get the information on how Mrs. Das felt when explaining her troubles to him. However, the third person limits the amount of intimacy felt with one certain character, as third person gives an outsider's perspective, knowing from one singular perspective gives you a better idea of the person narrating, their interests and bias.

[Ashley Chang]

The three takeaways from the video are that the narrator controls what details are included in the story and how they are presented, first person narrators have a more limited perspective which means they present things in a way that they think they should be visible, that is, biased, and that a third-person view allows the narrator to be visible to everyone, but can't get too deep into people's experiences and thoughts. Narrative perspective affects the story by introducing a biased and a limited point of view because the narrator can only really present the story from their point of view, which means bias must manifest itself. When we look at the plot, we view it from a third person perspective, but with a focus on Mr. Kapasi. Therefore, the narrator cannot clearly tell the thoughts of Mr. Das, his children and Mrs. Das. Mr. Kapasi, dissatisfied with his marriage, looks at Mrs. Das and rejoices, showing his bias and motivation. Also, being a travel expert shows an understanding of what the family wants. If the story were told from Mrs. Das' eyes, Mr. Das would look much less attractive and Mr. Kapasi would look much more attractive. In addition, Mrs. Das' pain will be mentioned many times. In the short story, Mr. Kapasi mentioned that "'She didn't behave romantically towards her husband, but she used words to describe him'". This shows Mr. Kapasi's bias as he clearly focuses on the romantic part much more or less romantic when he presents it--presenting a biased point of view.

[Ashley Chang]

Mar 23, 2022 7:18:58 GMT -8 Makayla Hernandez said:

After watching the college board video, I was able to take away a good amount of information about the narrator and how well they can persuade the story simply with just their choice of words. The video emphasized the narrator’s influence in what the readers will understand about the story and its characters, shaping how the story is being told. This roots from what information they choose to reveal to and/or hold back from the audience. This raises questions such as, “why didn’t the narrator tell them?” or “what are they hiding?” We also learn that first person point of view is very limiting in terms of perspective due to the fact that we as readers cannot have insight into the other characters’ thoughts as well. The story of “Interpreter of Maladies” would be different if we saw it from another point of view, such as the children, because of their very different interactions; for example, the children’s feelings of neglect were not showcased from the current perspective of the story, although, if we heard it from their side, we would most likely get more hints as to how much or how little Mr. and Mrs. Das’ actions affect them. The flirtation between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das might not have even been discovered if it was from a different perspective because no one else really seemed to notice it, such as when they were near each other, admiring the sculptures while Mrs. Das continued to walk past her own children as if they were strangers.

I agree with your perspective that if told from a first person's point of view, that plot seen would be very different. The third person perspective is seen as being objective, but also seems to shift its focus to the interactions between Mrs Das and Mr Kapasi early in the story, hinting that a conflict may arise between the two.

[Akash Surendran]

Three takeaways from the video that I found were that first-person narrators have limited perspectives while third-person narrators may be able to convey more, what characters reveal can indicate their biases, motives, and understandings, and that readers should realize a character's limitations as the narrator.
The narrative point of view impacts the narrative because they are the ones who choose what to share from what they notice. There is no real way to fully understand what anyone but the narrator is thinking as the reader only sees the story from their perspective. For example, in "Interpreter of Maladies," the reader is able to gain a deep understanding of Mrs. Das's situation and her feelings because of how Mr. Kapasi lived his life. As someone who has lived unhappily married, he is able to understand what she is going through and share that with the reader. The reader's understanding of Mrs. Das relies on Mr. Kapasi's own understanding of her. Because he is able to pick up on this, he is drawn to think that she may be interested in him since he is interested in her and believes she and him are of similar minds.
However, if the story were told from the perspective of Mr. Das, almost none of the information on Mrs. Das would have been known. He is off enjoying his vacation, almost ignoring her with the occasional interaction, which is what she would amount to if the story was told from his perspective. Having the story being told from the one perspective will limit what the reader knows about the characters and may even cause the reader to miss out on important events that take place in the fictional world.

[Akash Surendran]

Mar 23, 2022 7:13:52 GMT -8 Abraham Z said:

Three Takeaways:
- Non-objective, first-person narrators greatly influence how a narrative is conveyed to the reader
- Such narrators contain biases, personal motivations, and understandings which the reader can then interpret as the unreliability of the narrator
- These narrators are also limited, lacking omniscience

IM's Narrator:
The narrative point of view in "Interpreter of Maladies" is not non-objective, nor first-person. Rather, the reader is exposed to an objective narrator, with no true limitations. However, in order to build tension, and by extension curiosity, the narrator is highly selective in their selection of details, as well as their sequence of revealing details.

Had the narrative been told from Mr. Kapasi's perspective, not much would change, especially considering that the story already consists of many private thoughts of the man. However, had it been through Mr. or Mrs. Das' perspectives, there would be a great deal of biases, motivations, and understandings that would change many aspects of the story. For instance, had it been from Mr. Das' perspective, the reader would not be exposed to Mrs. Das' anguish and her affair, only hints of it. Or perhaps Mr. Das does suspect Mrs. Das' dissatisfaction with the marriage, which would add a new layer to the character of Mr. Das, who would be enduring the marriage for the sake of something greater.

I agree that Mr. Kapasi, as the narrator, is highly selective with details, sharing when it is appropriate, and shifting the focus of the story when it is not appropriate.

[Celina Espanta]

Mar 23, 2022 7:18:58 GMT -8 Makayla Hernandez said:

After watching the college board video, I was able to take away a good amount of information about the narrator and how well they can persuade the story simply with just their choice of words. The video emphasized the narrator’s influence in what the readers will understand about the story and its characters, shaping how the story is being told. This roots from what information they choose to reveal to and/or hold back from the audience. This raises questions such as, “why didn’t the narrator tell them?” or “what are they hiding?” We also learn that first person point of view is very limiting in terms of perspective due to the fact that we as readers cannot have insight into the other characters’ thoughts as well. The story of “Interpreter of Maladies” would be different if we saw it from another point of view, such as the children, because of their very different interactions; for example, the children’s feelings of neglect were not showcased from the current perspective of the story, although, if we heard it from their side, we would most likely get more hints as to how much or how little Mr. and Mrs. Das’ actions affect them. The flirtation between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das might not have even been discovered if it was from a different perspective because no one else really seemed to notice it, such as when they were near each other, admiring the sculptures while Mrs. Das continued to walk past her own children as if they were strangers.

I agree on how different the story would be if it were written in a first person perspective since it would only be limited to a single character's perception of their environment.

[Elia Wong]

Three takeaways from the video are that the narrator of a story shapes which details are shared, narrators influence the reader’s understanding of characters and of a story, and that a 3rd person narrator can convey more about more than one character in the text. “Interpreter of Maladies” is told from a third person perspective, with a slight lean towards/focus on Mr. Kapasi’s point of view, as seen when the text states, “Mr. Kapasi found it strange that Mr. Das should refer to his wife by her first name when speaking to the little girl” (14). As a result, the story shares only details that can be observed, such as the interactions between the family members. The story is biased slightly because of Mr. Kapasi’s attraction to Mrs. Das, but the actions of the parents are viewed neutrally, portraying the events unfolding, as indicated by neutral words used to describe Mrs. Das’ obviously upset tone: “‘I told you to get a car with air-conditioning,’ Mrs. Das continued. ’Why do you do this, Raj, just to save a few stupid rupees. What are you saving us, fifty cents?’" (16). Motives are concerned with telling the story and the reader has a limited understanding of characters based solely on the lack of information into the characters’ unshared feelings and thoughts. Told by other characters, the story would probably give the reader a deeper understanding of one character and a very biased (which could be positive or negative) representation of other characters.