Page 314 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

English - II Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University

Notes Unit 24: Jhumpa Lahiri’s “This Blessed House”:
Discussion on All Important Questions

CONTENTS
Objectives

Introduction
24.1 Material Culture in Lahiri’s “This Blessed House”
24.2 Ideologies of Consumption
24.3 Summary
24.4 Key-Words
24.5 Review Questions

24.6 Further Readings

Objectives

After reading this unit students will be able to:
• Analyse Jhumpa Lahiri’s “This Blessed House”.
• Discuss Characters of “This Blessed House”.

Introduction

Jhumpa Lahiri’s ”This Blessed House” was one of the most powerful stories. It exemplified the respect for
a religion that people have whether they actually believe in it or not. Sanjeev and Twinkle were Indian
Hindus who were certain that they weren’t Christians. Lahiri presents Twinkle, the female character, as
the dominate force in the relationship. Twinkle has all of the masculine traits in the story such as the bad
habit of smoking, laziness, a wild side, and is the decision maker of the relationship. Although Sanjeev
insists on getting rid of all the Christian paraphernalia, Twinkle simply replies to him with, “No, we’re
not Christian. We’re good little Hindus” as she kissed the head of the Christ figure.
The inclusion of music symbolism helped highlight the role reversal between Sanjeev and Twinkle.
The music is playing in “adagietto” at the point when Sanjeev first began to question his love for
Twinkle. He references Mahler and the 5th Symphony to relay to the reader that slow, funeral-like
music is being played. This music was supposed to symbolize “love and hapiness” and Sanjeev was
not happy at that moment. An example of the role reversal is evident when , “a few ashes had fallen
to the floor where she’d been standing. He bent down, pinched them between his fingers, and deposited
them in his cupped palm”
“This Blessed House” included a lot of themes including: love, sacrifice, respect, etc. Sanjeev’s love
and respect for Twinkle made it possible for him to sacrifice his personal beliefs and hold the Christ’s
head at the end of the story, “Sanjeev pressed the massive silver face to his ribs, careful not to let the
feather hat slip, and followed her [Twinkle]”

24.1 Material Culture in Lahiri’s “This Blessed House”

Material culture features prominently in Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut collection of short stories, Interpreter
of Maladies. Detailed descriptions of saris, curries, and temples appear throughout the text, and
Lahiri is careful to write the fabric and texture of her characters’ lives into her stories. Readers likely
appreciate the way these details exoticize her themes and plots. However, these details do more than

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