Page 126 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

English - II

Notes blamed. A Real Durwan is an exploration of globalization and its ripple effect on personal economics
- and the jealousy and fear it can inspire.
Sexy chronicles an affair between aimless young Miranda and married Dev. Miranda is taken with
her exotic lover because he appears to be a mature and stable man. He is also the first person who
calls her sexy. As Dev’s behavior changes when his wife comes back to town, Miranda’s guilt is
exacerbated by her coworker’s report of her cousin’s suffering from a husband’s infidelity. Still,
Miranda seeks knowledge of Dev’s Bengali culture. After spending the day with the son of her
coworker’s cousin, however, Miranda is confronted with both the repercussions of an affair and the
reality of the situation. As the boy says, sexy is loving someone you don’t know.
Mrs. Sen’s is the home where Eliot spends his afternoons in the care of the title character. Mrs. Sen
has recently emigrated to America from Calcutta and is not fitting in very well. She misses everything
about her home and refuses to learn how to drive—the one activity her husband believes will broaden
her life in America. Eliot recognizes this sadness and loss because his own mother is dissatisfied with
her life. The birth of her niece and the death of her grandfather cause Mrs. Sen to break down. The
only solace she can find is in the fresh fish the market puts on hold for her. Taking Eliot to the market
one day, she gets into a car accident. Though unharmed, Eliot is removed from her home and becomes
a latchkey kid. Both Mrs. Sen and Eliot are trapped in lives they cannot understand and do not want.
This Blessed House is the home shared by newlyweds Sanjeev and Twinkle. Married after only four
months of courtship, their moving in process is marred by growing pains. Twinkle’s gleeful obsession
with the Christian iconography left behind by previous tenants irks Sanjeev. He thinks that she is
childish and content in a way that he can not comprehend. They argue about a statue of the Virgin
Mary and Twinkle tells Sanjeev she hates him. Though they make up before their housewarming
party, Sanjeev is left with lingering doubts of whether or not they love each other. However, her
discarded pair of high heels fills Sanjeev with anticipation. Twinkle finds a silver bust of Jesus that
Sanjeev knows will end up on his mantle, but he now feels resigned to the idiosyncrasies of his wife.
The Treatment of Bibi Haldar is told from the point of view of the women of Bibi’s village. Bibi is
gripped by a mysterious illness for which the only cure is believed to be marriage. Her cousin Haldar
and his wife determine her to be damaged goods and do not indulge her fantasy of marriage. When
Haldar’s wife becomes pregnant, Bibi is exiled for the safety of the baby. After the girl is born, the
treatment of Bibi worsens and the village women retaliate by withdrawing their business from Haldar’s
shop. Haldar and his wife vanish, leaving Bibi to be cared for only by the village. She suffers more
attacks and keeps to herself. Months later, worried for her safety, the women check in on her and find
her pregnant. Bibi keeps the secret of what happened to her and the women help teach her how to
raise a child. Bibi is cured.
In The Third and Final Continent, the narrator recounts the first six weeks of his life in America in
1969, balancing a new job, a new wife, and a new country. While awaiting his wife’s green card, the
narrator lives in the spare room of a 103-year-old woman (Mrs. Croft) who is struck by his kindness.
The narrator acclimates to his new life, cherishing Cambridge and his the new beginning. However,
he is nearly indifferent to the arrival of his wife, Mala. At first they are strangers. When the narrator
takes Mala to meet Mrs. Croft, a moment of intimacy and understanding between the two bridges
their divide. The narrator then speaks from the present and marvels at the journey his life has
encompassed.
8.1 Story Summaries and Analysis

A Temporary Matter
Told from the third-person perspective of the husband, this story deals with the disintegrating
relationship of an Indian couple, Shoba and Shukumar. Their stillborn child has created distance
between the two of them, and Shukumar observes as Shoba transforms from the attentive wife into
someone more aloof and self-absorbed. As in most of Lahiri’s stories, food plays a significant role in

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