A Temporary Matter

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In the collection of short stories Interpreter of the Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, there is a constant theme of dysfunctional relationships and how they can cause a partner to isolate themselves. In “A Temporary Matter” and “This Blessed House” these themes appear. “A Temporary Matter” revolves around the broken marriage of Shukumar and Shoba. They no longer enjoy each other’s company and they try to separate themselves from one another. In “This Blessed House,” Lahiri focuses on Twinkle, Sanjeev, and their relationship. After moving into a new home, items they find around the house cause stress for the couple. In both stories, the husbands rather isolate themselves than be with their wives. In “A Temporary Matter”, Shukumar and his wife Shoba have their …show more content…

They prefer spending time alone more than with each other. When Shukumar is procrastinating, he thinks “of how he and Shoba had become experts at avoiding each other…spending as much time on separate floors as possible” (4). Neither of them enjoy being around the other person anymore. Shukumar secludes himself because he has come to resent his wife’s company. They have “become experts at avoiding each other” (4). Even though Shukumar is fully aware of his deteriorating marriage, he makes no attempt to mend it. Over time he slowly becomes lazier and does less work. In a healthy relationship, the couple values and appreciates one another. They have drifted so far apart that, by the end of the story, Shoba shares that she wants to separate. They can never get back the feelings they once had for each other, due to how separated they already are. “This Blessed House”, follows the same ideas of isolation in marriages. This story is about a husband and wife who move into a new home that has Christian decorations left from the previous owners. The wife, Twinkle, wants to keep some of the various items they find, but the husband, Sanjeev, does not want to keep any of it. This difference of opinion

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