Interpreter Of Maladies

In Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri tells the struggles of a seemingly happy, well-off, Indian-American housewife. Through this character, Lahiri demonstrates the idea that everyone burdens issues of their own; regardless of how it may appear. How we choose to deal with our issues differs from person to person. The story’s title, Interpreter of Maladies, reflects the main character’s choice to seek an individual who is able to resolve her difficulties for her. The events in Interpreter of Maladies take place during an American family’s trip to their native home of India. Lahiri leads us to sense there is a strange aspect to this family when the mother, Mrs. Das is introduced. When the family first arrives in India and boards their tour guide’s

Two of the main characters, Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi, entirely romanticize one another. Upon hearing of Mr. Kapasi’s line of work, Mrs. Das takes a sudden interest in Mr. Kapasi as a man, and not simply a forgettable tour guide: “Mr. Kapasi shrugged. ‘It’s a job like any other.’ ‘But so romantic,’ Mrs. Das said dreamily,” (Lahiri 17). Because she has this idea of his job being much more appealing than it actually is, she expects him to provide her with solutions to her personal and marital issues. She ignores indications that he cannot meet her expectations such as the way he grows uncomfortable when she reveals her personal secrets to him. Mr. Kapasi romanticizes the lonely housewife Mrs. Das has become. He sees her loneliness as an opportunity for him to pursue a relationship with her that would last even after her return to America: “she would write to him… and he would respond eloquently” (Lahiri 20). He admires many superficial details about her such as her bare legs and her fashion choices, but he overlooks her selfishness and her dismissive attitude towards her family. Romanticism led the two main characters to interact under false impressions of one