When Mr Pirzada Came To Dine Symbolism

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In the short story When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine, by Jhumpa Lahiri, the narrator, Lilia, is accompanied by a Pakistani man named Mr. Pirzada, who is invited over by her parents, at dinnertime for many days. Lilia’s family is Indian, but instead of letting their different backgrounds cause conflict as their countries did, the family and Mr. Pirzada create and cultivate a friendly relationship. Like this wonderful connection with Lilia’s family, Mr. Pirzada also has other ties that are just as important to him. Throughout the story, the Lahiri uses symbolism to illustrate the bonds he has with people. First of all, Lahiri uses symbolism as she notes that Mr. Pirzada keeps a fine posture as if he was carrying two suitcases of equal weight on either hand. …show more content…

Pirzada does not allow his culture, which is different from that of Lilia’s family, to keep him from having an enjoyable time and “laughing… into the night” with Lilia’s parents. Further into story, Lahiri also describes Mr. Pirzada’s action of bringing confections for Lilia every time he visits. Beyond showing his friendliness, this action symbolizes the fact that he misses his daughters. Mr. Pirzada has left his daughters in Dacca and has “not heard a word of them in over six months” at that time. He gives treats to Lilia because he wants to replicate the same kindness he gives to his daughters to gain the same feeling he has when he is with them. Doing so shows that he bears affection for his daughters and is trying to fill the empty hole that is made by their absence. During the Mr. Pirzada’s visits, he and the family would use the television to stay up to date with the conflict in Pakistan. Lahiri uses the television Mr. Pirzada and Lilia’s family uses to represent Mr. Pirzada’s

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