Page 162 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

English - II

Notes Mrs. Das
In Interpreter of Maladies, Mrs. Das and her family accompany tour guide Mr. Kapasi to the Sun
Temple of Konark. She has fallen out of love with her husband and does not express affection toward
her three children. On a whim, she admits to Mr. Kapasi that an affair produced her middle child,
Bobby.
Mr. Das
Mrs. Das’s husband. Both he and his wife are Americans of Indian descent, removed somewhat from
the land of their ancestors. He is content with his life and children, blind to the unhappiness of his
wife.
Ronny
Mr. and Mrs. Das’s eldest child. He is precocious and sweet.
Bobby
The middle child of the Das’s. Unbeknownst to him and his father, his mother had an affair that
resulted in his birth. He is braver than his older brother and is clearly favored by Mrs. Das.
Tina
The youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Das. She strains for the attention of her mother.
Boori Ma
The main character of A Real Durwan, Boori Ma is an old woman who sweeps the stairs and lives on
the roof of a Calcutta apartment building. Her tales of the lost luxuries of her life before Partition
entertain the residents, though they suspect that the tales hold on a few elements of truth. Boori Ma
is accused of alerting robbers when a recently-installed basin is stolen from the stairwell. She is
dependent on the power of her memories (or delusions) and on the kindness of her neighbors. When
she loses the latter, she cannot maintain the former.
Mr. Dalal
A prosperous salesman of plumbing supplies. He lives with his dissatisfied wife in the building that
Boori Ma maintains. The purchasing of basins for the building causes a renovation boom among his
neighbors. He tries to appease his wife with lavish gifts and a vacation.
Mrs. Dalal
A kind woman who browbeats her husband in A Real Durwan. Despite her soft spot for Boori Ma,
she lets her dissatisfaction with her life be known. She is kind to Boori Ma, and offers to buy a new set
of bedding for the old woman. But while Mrs. Dalal is a major figure in Boori Ma’s life, the old
woman is just a footnote for Mrs. Dalal. She forgets about the new bedding after the arrival of the
basins. Presumably she would have prevented Boori Ma’s expulsion had she not been out of town.
Mr. Chatterjee

The eldest resident of the building that Boori Ma maintains. He is regarded as the wisest neighbor, so
his recommendation that they need a real durwan is heeded and Boori Ma is thrown out.
Miranda
The main character of Sexy. She begins an affair with a married Indian man after moving alone to
Boston. He is the first person who acts like a man in her life, the first person to call her sexy. The affair
is a taste of the adult love she craves. Though the affair comes to a natural end, Miranda is more
confident in her new city and in her skin.
Dev
The man with whom Miranda has an affair in Sexy. Dev is elegant, smooth, and masculine, though
condescending towards Miranda. When his wife returns from a trip to India, the affair dwindles to a

156 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY