Page 128 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

English - II

Notes she cannot cook authentic Indian food, he is still pleasantly surprised by the meal she serves him. His
attitude toward her food mirrors his attitude toward her. In “Sexy” food plays a much smaller part.
Miranda’s only significant encounter with Indian food in the story is when she visits an Indian grocery
looking for a movie. She comes across the Hot Mix that Laxmi is always eating, but the grocer tells
her it is too spicy for her. Miranda feels uncomfortable in the grocery store, and doesn’t buy the Hot
Mix for Laxmi because she feels like she needs to give an excuse for being in an Indian store in the
first place. This guilt or feeling of ostracism highlights the fact that she feels uncomfortable with Dev;
she knows so little about him and his background, and yet their relationship is so intimate that it
seems inappropriate for her not to understand more about India.
Interpreter of Maladies

Mr. and Mrs. Das, Indian Americans visiting the country of their heritage, hire middle-aged tour
guide Mr. Kapasi as their driver for the day as they tour. Mr. Kapasi notes the parents’ immaturity
Mr. and Mrs. Das look and act young to the point of childishness, go by their first names when
talking to their children, Ronny, Bobby, and Tina, and seem selfishly indifferent to the kids. On their
trip, when her husband and children get out of the car to sightsee, Mrs. Das sits in the car, eating
snacks she offers to no one else, wearing her sunglasses as a barrier, and painting her nails. When
Tina asks her to paint her nails as well, Mrs. Das just turns away and rebuffs her daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. Das ask the good-natured Mr. Kapasi about his job as a tour guide, and he tells them
about his weekday job as an interpreter in a doctor’s office. Mr. Kapasi’s wife resents her husband’s
job because he works at the doctor’s clinic that previously failed to cure their son of typhoid fever.
She belittles his job, and he, too, discounts the importance of his occupation as a waste of his linguistic
skills. However, Mrs. Das deems it “romantic” and a big responsibility, pointing out that the health
of the patients depends upon Mr. Kapasi’s correct interpretation of their maladies.
Mr. Kapasi begins to develop a romantic interest in Mrs. Das, and conducts a private conversation
with her during the trip. Mr. Kapasi imagines a future correspondence with Mrs. Das, picturing them
building a relationship to translate the transcontinental gap between them. However, Mrs. Das reveals
a secret: she tells Mr. Kapasi the story of an affair she once had, and that her son Bobby had been born
out of her adultery. She explains that she chose to tell Mr. Kapasi because of his profession; she hopes
he can interpret her feelings and make her feel better as he does for his patients, translating without
passing judgment. However, when Mr. Kapasi reveals his disappointment in her and points out her
guilt, Mrs. Das storms off.
As Mrs. Das walks away towards her family, she trails crumbs of puffed rice snacks, and monkeys
begin to trail her. The neglectful Das parents don’t notice as the monkeys, following Mrs. Das’s food
trail, surround their son, Bobby, isolating the son born of a different father. The monkeys begin to
attack Bobby, and Mr. Kapasi rushes in to save him. Mr. Kapasi returns Bobby to his parents, and
looks on as they clean up their son.
Analysis
The story centers upon interpretation and its power. The interpreter has power as a vehicle of
understanding. Mr. Kapasi’s work enables correct diagnosis and treatment by understanding the
pains and troubles of patients—effectively, he enables the saving of lives. Mrs. Das looks for this
understanding from him, seeking absolution for the secret of her adultery. In confessing to Mr. Kapasi,
she endows him with a sort of priestly power, expecting her confession to draw out forgiveness and
consolation. Interpretation also becomes a means of communication and connection, something for
which both Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das yearn. Both feel a disconnect from their spouses and their
families, unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives.
Mr. Kapasi interprets her marital situation in relation to his own, and she asks him to interpret her
secret marital violation as a connection exclusively between them. Lahiri also establishes a contrast in
this story between characters who care and those who don’t. Mr. Kapasi cares about this family he
has only just met; he ponders them and considers their situation.

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