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

He doesn’t understand why she doesn’t unpack or clean or dust as she is home all day working Notes
on a dissertation. Three days later, he comes home to a delicious fish stew concocted out of thin
air and with the vinegar Sanjeev implored Twinkle to throw away. The bread basket is covered
with a cloth bearing Christ’s image. Twinkle calms him by saying that the house is blessed.
• Sanjeev marvels at her behavior. Nicknamed after a nursery rhyme, she has yet to lose her
childlike endearment. They had only known each other for four months. Their parents, old
friends, arranged a meeting at the birthday party of one of the daughters in their circle. Sanjeev,
in California on business, began an intense long-distance relationship with Twinkle after that
night. They married in India shortly thereafter and Twinkle moved to Connecticut – where she
knew no one. Sanjeev found the house before leaving for the wedding and determined that he
and his bride should live there forever.
• A week before the housewarming party, Twinkle and Sanjeev rake the lawn of the golden
leaves. Across the yard, Twinkle screams and Sanjeev runs over, thinking she has found a dead
animal or snake. Instead, she has found a bust of the Virgin Mary. She screams with delight and
insists on keeping it on the property. But Sanjeev is worried about what the neighbors will
think, as they are Hindu and not Christian. Twinkle doesn’t understand. Sanjeev, feeling as if
he is getting nowhere with this woman he barely knows and yet shares his life with, wonders
if they love one another. Sanjeev only knows for certain that love is not what he had in his old
life – full of takeout meals and classical CDs arriving by mail. Later, with Twinkle in the bath,
Sanjeev declares he is going to throw out the statue. She rises up and marches downstairs in a
towel. She tells Sanjeev she hates him, then collapses in his arms in tears. The statue ends up in
an alcove out of sight from the main road but still visible to all who visit their home.
• The night of the housewarming party, Twinkle avoids removing the objects from the mantle
and Sanjeev hopes his guests – mostly colleagues – will notice the bones of the house more.
When the guests arrive, Twinkle charms them easily. Sanjeev is asked if he is Christian, but it is
not as big of an issue as it appears. His friends are impressed by Twinkle, but he still feels a bit
lost. He steals a moment alone in the kitchen. Replenishing the champagne from the cellar, he
hears Twinkle explain the figurines and how each day is like a treasure hunt.
• Soon, she mobilizes the party to search the attic, much to Sanjeev’s dismay. While everyone is
in the attic, he fantasizes removing the ladder and truly having the house to himself. He thinks
of sweeping the figurines off of the mantle and into the trash in silence. Sanjeev finds Twinkle’s
discarded shoes and places them in the doorway of their master bedroom. For the first time
since they married, the shoes create a pang of anticipation in Sanjeev. He thinks of Twinkle
slipping her soles into the shoes, touching up her lipstick and rushing to hand out their guests’
coats at the end of the night. It reminds him of the anticipation he would feel before one of their
long talks when she was still living in California.
• Twinkle’s voice rings out. The party has found an enormous silver bust of Jesus in the attic. She
asks if they can put it on the mantle, just for the night. Sanjeev hates it, especially because she
loves it so much, and he knows it will never find a home in her study as she promises. He
knows she will have to explain to their guests to come, in their many years together. She rejoins
the party and he follows.

24.4 Key-Words
1. Almari : A wooden cabinet
2. Vermillion : A deep shade of red

24.5 Review Questions

1. What is the reader’s initial impression of Twinkle?
2. The relics “meant something to Twinkle” but nothing to Sanjeev. Explain their different views.

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