Third And Final Continent

The “Third and Final Continent” is a short story that follows an unnamed narrator travelling and growing accustom to America for a work position. The author, Jhumpa Lahiri, uses the eyes of the narrator to tell the story of his journey. When in America, the narrator attempts to leave his Bengali culture behind to become American. He sees his culture as an inconvenience. The narrator tells his story but does not go into any detail when discussing his personal life. He only talks about her more later on in the story. The reason the narrator’s marriage to Mala is secondary in the beginning of the story is because the narrator does not realize the importance Mala will have on his transition to America. Lahiri argues that these close relationships are the key to transitioning to America. In the beginning of the story, the narrator mentions his wedding and wife once. The narrator states, “I first flew to Calcutta, to attend my wedding”(Lahiri 90). Lahiri uses the word “attend” to make the narrator seem as if he was a guest at his own wedding. The narrator did not care …show more content…
One significant change they went through was when Mala first prepared his breakfast. She fixed him a tradition Bengali breakfast but he suggested he was fine with cereal. The next day, she prepared him cereal. This moment is a step forward in their relationship and their transition to America. They meet at common grounds. Lahiri uses Mala preparing the narrator’s food, her duty, as a mixture of American and Bengali culture. Mala makes him cereal for breakfast for and typical Bengali food for dinner. He is no longer eating only cereal. The narrator states, “I still was not used to coming home to an apartment that smelled of steamed rice”(Lahiri 99). Lahiri’s creates a metaphor with food. The compromise they create is the first step of their transition to America together, not just his transition but also