Theme Of A Temporary Matter

The fact that the text title is “A Temporary Matter’’ is curious at some levels. First of all, in spite of the fact that the main action of the story goes around some life-changing and shocking events such as the death of a child or the slow end of a once happy marriage, the narrative is mostly centered on the little things in life. Dinner plans, work, and a dissertation are elements that are used to reveal the pain of a monotonous relationship that is fading away. It can be seen through the small things and ways that they do everything how they have changed and thus what seems like a temporary matter is tremendously relevant to their relationship and lives. The title is also intriguing because it appears to be a summary of the story. The outage, …show more content…
Although this couple had gone through great pain, which is made evident in the first several paragraphs of the story, there is little internal dialogue of either character. Instead of addressing the pain, the narrator discusses the changes they have gone through by talking about small details such as Shoba’s habits and Shukumar’s feelings about his work. For instance, even though it is clear that the couple is not feeling the same way they used to, things have changed. This is only truly visible through the little observations the narrator makes. It states “He ran his tongue over the tops of his teeth; he’d forgotten to brush them that morning. It wasn’t the first time. He hadn’t left the house at all that day, or the day before." While this may seem like an average and everyday observation, it hides a much more in-depth feeling. He is growing depressed and does not care about himself the way he used to, and he is letting himself go. Be that as it may, Shoba is going through the same quest for purpose as …show more content…
They begin an introspection process confessing secrets that increase in intensity each night, creating a feeling of bonding. They go from what was lack of communication at the beginning, to a situation where they hurt each other with brutal truth and what we could call an excess of communication towards the end. Nonetheless, their quest for the meaning of the relationship and purpose of staying together comes to an end the day that the lights do not go out. Making Shukumar realize that their marriage is over and there is no purpose of staying together if the relationship is damaged to its very roots, as Shoba confessed she is moving