Interpreter of Lahiri

Of all of the short stories our class has read this week, “Interpreter of Maladies” was the only one that struck me with so many feelings and insights upon finishing it. I enjoyed reading this story greatly because the author Jhumpa Lahiri weaved into the story her opinions on many different topics such as diversity, immigration, and the difficulty of understanding one another.

Lahiri is a well-known adversary of immigration and the loss of culture. In “Interpreter of Maladies,” she satirizes the Das family for being a now-tourist family in their long-forgotten homeland. She puts their matching shiny visors and tee shirts on display for the reader so as to stereotype the typical tourist. On top of his ensemble, Mr. Das is also sporting a camera around his neck and burying his nose in an Indian guidebook. Lahiri even goes so far as to say that the camera is the “only complicated thing he wore.” (5) I also thought it was interesting—and gave more emphasis to Lahiri’s view of tourism—that the only other characters that the family encounters at their second site for the day happen to be two Japanese tourists snapping photos (125)—a very stereotypical image. The Das family really has no connection with their past or their culture. Therefore Mr. Das is shown taking pictures of an emaciated man instead of helping him, Mrs. Das is snapping her gum and responding only with “Neat” to everything she observes, and the children are more intrigued by the monkeys than by the temple.

Mr. Kapasi, the Das family’s tour guide, has extensive training in language interpretation and yet still cannot seem to understand the true motives or character of Mrs. Das. Because Mr. Kapasi is the narrator and the reader only hears what is in his mind, a sense of uncertainty emerges. How is the reader to know if Mr. Kapasi is understanding what Mrs. Das is saying in the same way that she means it? We cannot be sure if her calling his second profession “romantic” (61) is flirtation and affection or simply the curiosity to know if he is qualified to fix her emotional issues. On the flip side, Mrs. Das misunderstands Mr. Kapasi’s explanation of his job and seems to think that he will be able to fix her problems with adultery and disinterest. She confides in Mr. Kapasi, not because she wants to make him feel special, but instead because she wants some kind of validation. Throughout the story, it seems as if Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das’ relationship is based on misunderstanding after another. Lahiri seems to blame this conflict on their cultural differences. Perhaps, Kapasi and Das need their own interpreter.

One aspect of this short story that amused me was the fact that although the Das family seems to be devoid of all cultural awareness, there are some underlying facets of their life that make them resemble Mr. Kapasi and other natives more than they realize. For instance, Mr. and Mrs. Das were not arranged into a marriage like Mr. Kapasi and his wife were—as is tradition in most Indian cultures. However, the young Mr. and Mrs. Das “couldn’t stand the thought of being separated,” (141) got engaged in high school, and were married when they went to college. After being married, they almost immediately had three children and there began what would be their loveless marriage. Much like Mr. and Mrs. Das, Mr. Kapashi’s marriage fell apart before it really began. After the death of his son, his wife seemed no longer to care about anything, not even about his passion for interpreting. Mr. Kapashi even says that he has “never seen his own wife fully naked.” (99) Though the Das family is American to the core—shown by their choice of names for their kids: Ronny, Bobby, Tina—and Mr. Kapashi is enveloped by his culture as a tour guide, there are some qualities that never fail to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries.

Overall I don’t think Lahiri could have made any more-powerful statements about a number of universal truths. “Interpreter of Maladies” is not only entertaining and intriguing, it is also a piece of literature that compels its reader to think. [702]