Page 166 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

English - II

Notes • Lahiri’s endings are highly varied: they can often be abrupt, can be either positive or negative,
and are often tangential or ambiguous. ‘The Treatment of Bibi Haldar’, for example, ends with a
sense of the mystical because the main character has a baby without ever, to our knowledge,
having any association with the opposite sex even though she desires marriage above all things.
Equally magically, the pregnancy cures her of epilepsy. Lahiri’s endings do not necessarily round
off the story neatly. Instead, they encourage us to contemplate the ordinary lives of others and, by
doing so, provide us with a possible moment of insight or revelation about our own lives.
9.8 Key-Words

1. Dora : Lila’s American friend
2. Miranda : The main character of Sexi
3. Boori Ma : The main character of a Real Durwan

9.9 Review Questions

1. ‘Because “The Third and Final Continent” has a first-person narrator, we have a limited
understanding of other characters.’ Do you agree?
2. ‘The endings of Lahiri’s stories are often ambiguous, and their resolutions are left entirely to the
imagination of the reader.’ Do you agree?
3. ‘The loneliness suffered by Lahiri’s recent immigrants creates inhibitions that make cultural
assimilation difficult.’ Discuss.
4. ‘Lahiri shows that miscommunication and unexpressed feelings lead to misunderstanding and
cultural displacement.’ Discuss.
5. ‘The stories in Interpreter of Maladies demonstrate that although an immigrant’s mores are shaped
by the past, tolerance and compassion are universal values that must be learned.’ Discuss.
6. How does Lahiri show the values that are important in a relationship?
7. ‘Lahiri shows the vulnerability of people who struggle against a sense of being outsiders.’ Discuss.
8. At Konarak, the temple “had filled with rubble long ago”. ‘For Lahiri’s characters, the symbols
of once-important spiritual principles have disappeared, leaving them with diminished values.’
Do you agree?
9. A sense of community is evident in Lahiri’s stories. What maintains that sense and what disrupts it?
10. ‘Lahiri shows that our sense of identity does not relate to time or place but stems from the strength
we gain from our ability to adapt.’ Discuss.
11. Lahiri descriptions of the environment often evoke a character’s internal state. Choose some
examples and discuss.
12. Marriage is represented in many different ways in Interpreter of Maladies. What do you think is
Lahiri’s overall view of marriage.?
13. Why is the moon landing so important to Mrs. Croft? Why is it so important to the story?
Answers: Self-Assessment
1. (i)(e) (ii)(a) (iii)(b) (iv)(a) (v)(a)
9.10 Further Readings

1. “English for Competitive Exams” By Dr. R.P. Bhatnagar
2. “Unique Quintessence of General English” Edited By Dr. S. Sen and Others and
revised by Dr. G.S. Mansukhani.

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