Loss of Communication in Jhumpa Lahiri’s “The Interpreter of Maladies” In the short story of Jhumpa Lahiri entitled, “The Interpreter of Maladies,” the theme of loss of communication is seen through various stages and instances. Communication is used as a tool to further connections between individuals. In the case that it is lost, there could be miscommunication and misunderstanding between those involved. In the story, the theme encompasses various aspects of the lives of both Mr. Kapasi, the interpreter of maladies, as well as the Das family, whom he is assigned to tour for the specific day. Communication can be seen as limited in India, where Mr. Kapasi notes that majority only speak their native language. As he has studied various languages
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In the case of Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi, although both parties want to reach out to one another, both have different motivation. Mr. Kapasi, on the one hand, is motivated primarily because of his realization and dissatisfaction with his own marriage. He misinterprets the attention of Mrs. Das as a romantic gesture instead of being taken as a sign for a friendship to bloom. On the other hand, Mrs. Das is motivated by her need to share and bond with someone who is willing to talk and listen to her. In this case, since there is already a misinterpretation of actions and motivations at the onset, this leads to miscommunication between these two individuals, as well as a misunderstanding and later on, a severing a between the ties that was formed, if at all, especially since there were differing levels of expectations. Another situation which encompasses this quality is Mrs. Das and her level of understanding and seeing of her marriage is much different than that of her husband. Mr. Das believes that they are a happy family and tends to portray and see this level of happiness and satisfaction only through the lens of his camera. The Das couple is unable to see eye to eye because of their lack of communication, therefore leading to a misinterpretation between the …show more content…
She is able to show how valuable a tool communication is in forging relationships with other people and effectively illustrates this in her short
In the case of Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi, although both parties want to reach out to one another, both have different motivation. Mr. Kapasi, on the one hand, is motivated primarily because of his realization and dissatisfaction with his own marriage. He misinterprets the attention of Mrs. Das as a romantic gesture instead of being taken as a sign for a friendship to bloom. On the other hand, Mrs. Das is motivated by her need to share and bond with someone who is willing to talk and listen to her. In this case, since there is already a misinterpretation of actions and motivations at the onset, this leads to miscommunication between these two individuals, as well as a misunderstanding and later on, a severing a between the ties that was formed, if at all, especially since there were differing levels of expectations. Another situation which encompasses this quality is Mrs. Das and her level of understanding and seeing of her marriage is much different than that of her husband. Mr. Das believes that they are a happy family and tends to portray and see this level of happiness and satisfaction only through the lens of his camera. The Das couple is unable to see eye to eye because of their lack of communication, therefore leading to a misinterpretation between the …show more content…
She is able to show how valuable a tool communication is in forging relationships with other people and effectively illustrates this in her short