Mr Pirzada Came To Dine Characters

519 Words2 Pages

In a time of war and hardship, a little girl in New England is forced to learn the hardships of life. This little girl is Lilia, and she is the main character in the short story “When Mr.Pirzada Came to Dine” written by Jhumpa Lahiri. She learns more about the world with the help of Mr. Pirzada, a middle eastern man from Pakistan. Mr. Pirzada is sent to the US by his university in Dacca to study the flora and the foliage of New England. During his stay, Mr. Pirzada would dine with Lilia and her family, and when war breaks out in India and Pakistan, both of their lives will change forever. In their frequent interaction Mr. Pirzada indirectly taught Lilia the harsh reality of the world, and how hardship can bring anyone together.

In Mr.Pirzada’s short stay in New England, he taught Lilia the good, the bad, and the ugly about the …show more content…

When war breaks out in Mr. Pirzada’s homeland, Lilia recalls “the three of them operating as a single person, sharing a single meal, sharing a single meal, sharing a single silence, a single fear.”(Lahiri 41). This is a prime example of how humans innately need to be together in times of sorrow. These three operated as one because not only did it it bring comfort to them, but it also gave them a sense of security in this time of great pain. This time of great pain did not last very long, and when Mr. Pirzada returned to his home in Dacca, he sent a letter to Lilia after celebrating Eid. After reading this letter, Lilia began to realize, “I knew what it meant to miss someone so many miles and hours away, just as he missed his wife and daughters for so many months.”(Lahiri 42). mr. Pirzada not only taught Lilia about the world and its harsh realities, but he also gave her key insight to humans, and their nature. Without Mr. Pirzada, Lilia might have never witnessed all the things she did and learn all that she

Open Document