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Unit 9: Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies: Discussion on all Important Spheres of the Text Questions

matter of convenience. It is clear by his actions that he does not think of Miranda as anything more Notes
than a mistress.
Laxmi
Miranda’s coworker at the public radio station. Laxmi is dismayed by her cousin’s marital troubles
and gossips about it to Miranda. She denigrates her cousin’s husband for having an affair, not knowing
that Miranda herself is sleeping with a married man.
Rohin
Rohin is Laxmi’s nephew who is dropped off into Miranda’s care for one afternoon. The boy is smart
and precocious, and he insists on getting his way. He has watched his mother’s sadness and anger
following his father’s departure, and his observations about love appear wise to Miranda. Possibly
he is unusually observant, or possibly she is just hearing what she needs to hear.
Mrs. Sen
One of two main characters in Mrs. Sen’s. She is a lonely woman who desperately misses Calcutta,
her home. Her husband took a job as a professor in a New England town. Life is very different for her
there. She refuses to learn to drive because it scares her, but the refusal also limits her experiences in
her new country. She becomes a babysitter for Eliot, who comes to her house after school. The two
share an unspoken loneliness.

Eliot
Eliot lives with his single mother in a beach house. As the weather grows colder, the town becomes
more desolate. His mother arranges for him to be watched by Mrs. Sen, who is just as lonely as Eliot.
Without knowing it, Eliot is wiser than his years. He is perceptive to the pain felt by both women in
his life.
Eliot’s Mother
In Mrs. Sen’s, Eliot’s mother is separated or divorced from her husband, trying to keep her life intact.
Her sadness is evident to Eliot, who knows she skips lunch and drinks too much wine and isolates
herself.
Mr. Sen
Mrs. Sen’s husband, a professor who moves from Calcutta to teach in New England. He urges his
wife to learn how to drive so she can have more independence. He is not oblivious to her pain but
neither does he coddle her.
Twinkle

In This Blessed House, Twinkle is the wife of Sanjeev. They are newly married after only a four-
month courtship. She is childlike and full of wonder, delighted by every leftover religious item she
finds in their new home. She is romantic and optimistic.
Sanjeev
In This Blessed House, Sanjeev is Twinkle’s husband. After many successful but lonely years, Sanjeev
has married a woman he barely knows. Moving in together is challenging as she is so different from
him. He is analytical and practical. The discovery of religious items fills him with a sort of dread and
he is left wondering whether or not he really loves Twinkle. By the end, the anticipation he feels for
her cements his love.
Bibi Haldar
The protagonist of The Treatment of Bibi Haldar. Bibi suffers from an epilepsy-like illness that causes
seizures. She is left in the meager care of her eldest cousin and his wife. Despite her desires, her
family does not help her look for a husband. When Haldar’s daughter becomes ill, they blame Bibi.
When they move away, it is up to the women to assume her care. Bibi withdraws from society until

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