Interpreter Of Maladies, By Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies Analysis Pressure from society influences everyone but human synergy keeps people connected and able to accomplish unexpected situations that life throws at us. In the book Interpreter of Maladies written by Jhumpa Lahiri, Lahiri illustrates the seriousness for human affection and the necessity of belonging in a community to demonstrate the characters gains and losses while being surrounded by harsh cultural expectations.

In Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story The Treatment of Bibi Haldar, Lahiri depicts how the loss of community and human interaction affects Bibi Haldar life and emotions throughout the story. Bibi Haldar harassed and humiliated for her epilepsy. Haldar’s wife tells her that no one would want to marry her,

Sen’s, the character Mrs. Sen’s suffers from the separation of her culture and the isolation of a community. In the beginning of the story, Mrs. Sen’s experiences conflict between her and her husband because of her lack of interest in driving, “Why don’t you drive today? Mr. Sen asked when he appeared, rapping on the hood of the car with his knuckles. They always spoke to each other in English when Eliot was present. Not today. Another day. How do you expect to pass the test if you refuse to drive on a road with other cars? Eliot is here today. He is here every day. It’s for your own good. Eliot, tell Mrs. Sen it’s for her own good. She refused” (126). Mrs. Sen’s is stepping out of her comfort zone by driving alone. In India, she would not need to learn how to drive. This is something very different between Western and Eastern culture. Individualism has contrasts in India than western culture. In the short story, Mrs. Sen's tells Eliot that in India all anyone would have to do to get someone’s attention is shout and that in America, screaming would just bring complaints, “At home that is all you have to do. Not everybody has a telephone . But just raise your voice a bit, or express grief or joy of any kind, and the whole neighborhood and half of another has come to share the news, to help with arrangements” (116). Mrs. Sen’s feels as if she’s alone without her husband and feels anxiety being in a new culture and environment. But, Eliot also spends most of his time alone as his mother works and his father isn’t around his family anymore. Both Mrs. Sen and Eliot suffer from isolation from the rest of society but seem to find comfort in eachothers