Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing of “Interpreter of Maladies” seeks to illustrate both the difficulty of communication and the differences between cultures. In her short story, Lahiri uses her characters to illustrate these themes using motifs of language, interpretation, and understanding. In her story, Lahiri follows the travels of the Indian-American Das Family on their vacation to India where they meet the taxi driver Mr. Kapasi. As their vacation progresses, readers discover that there are various complications threatening the unity of the family, where most of these familial problems lie beyond the characters’ awareness. Likewise, a reader’s best approach to exploring the themes of communication and culture is for him or her to first examine Lahiri’s
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Kapasi is arguably the most important character in “Interpreter of Maladies.” As the titular character, he embodies the motifs of language, interpretation, and understanding. He is a linguist, for his ability to translate the illnesses of patients, an interpreter, for his ability to assess Mrs. Das’ character, and someone who understands the pain of living an unsatisfactory life. Therefore, his character is quite similar to Mrs. Das, but Lahiri takes no time to illustrate the dichotomy between the two. Chiefly, Mr. Kapasi is a passive and oppressed figure, while Mrs. Das is loud and unrestrained in her actions. As a social commentary, Lahiri’s contrasting of these characters undertones the inherent, irreconcilable differences between cultures. In the context of the story, Mr. Kapasi wishes to repair his marriage, but Mrs. Das is someone who has given up, someone who “loved neither her husband nor her children, who had already fallen out of love with life” (Lahiri 137). Perhaps the most important quote in the story comes from Mr. Kapasi, who asks, “Is it really pain you feel Mrs. Das, or is it guilt” (Lahiri 137)? This quote is so important because Mr. Kapasi’s dialogue with Mrs. Das not only harkens back to the theme of communication, but also forces Lahiri’s audience to interpret Mrs. Das’ actions alongside Mr. Kapasi. Additionally, Mr. Kapasi appears to be the wisest and most aware character in the story because he is initially caught in the fantasy of having a connection with Mrs. Das; however, this fantasy crumbles once he realizes her insincere nature. While Mr. Kapasi will continue to live a poor, loveless life with the possibility of mending his marriage, the Das Family will instead endure a certain
Kapasi is arguably the most important character in “Interpreter of Maladies.” As the titular character, he embodies the motifs of language, interpretation, and understanding. He is a linguist, for his ability to translate the illnesses of patients, an interpreter, for his ability to assess Mrs. Das’ character, and someone who understands the pain of living an unsatisfactory life. Therefore, his character is quite similar to Mrs. Das, but Lahiri takes no time to illustrate the dichotomy between the two. Chiefly, Mr. Kapasi is a passive and oppressed figure, while Mrs. Das is loud and unrestrained in her actions. As a social commentary, Lahiri’s contrasting of these characters undertones the inherent, irreconcilable differences between cultures. In the context of the story, Mr. Kapasi wishes to repair his marriage, but Mrs. Das is someone who has given up, someone who “loved neither her husband nor her children, who had already fallen out of love with life” (Lahiri 137). Perhaps the most important quote in the story comes from Mr. Kapasi, who asks, “Is it really pain you feel Mrs. Das, or is it guilt” (Lahiri 137)? This quote is so important because Mr. Kapasi’s dialogue with Mrs. Das not only harkens back to the theme of communication, but also forces Lahiri’s audience to interpret Mrs. Das’ actions alongside Mr. Kapasi. Additionally, Mr. Kapasi appears to be the wisest and most aware character in the story because he is initially caught in the fantasy of having a connection with Mrs. Das; however, this fantasy crumbles once he realizes her insincere nature. While Mr. Kapasi will continue to live a poor, loveless life with the possibility of mending his marriage, the Das Family will instead endure a certain