Interpreter Of Maladies Essay

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Assimilation to American Culture

Why are people often left feeling lonely or isolated in relationships? Why are foreigners pressured to assimilate to American culture? These questions contain themes that are displayed in a short story, Mrs. Sen’s, of the novel, Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri. In the story of Mrs. Sen’s a couple from Calcutta, India, moved to America so the husband, Mr. Sen, could work as a college professor. Meanwhile, Mrs. Sen stays at her house and cares for an eleven-year-old boy named Elliot. Mrs. Sen’s and Elliot’s lonely tone accentuate the theme of feeling isolated in relationships, and the theme assimilation to American culture is emphasized by Mrs. Sen’s nostalgic tone. The pressure to assimilate to American culture is one of the major themes in Mrs. Sen’s. The blade, the fish, and her trouble with driving cars are all symbols associated with this theme. The curved blade that Mrs. Sen uses to chop vegetables represents a connection back to her old life in India. Her attachment to the blade is dangerous in a sense that she will never fully adjust to her new, American life. The fish that Mrs. Sen buy at the market also display the relation to her Indian culture. The fish represent the comfort of her home in India. Mrs. Sen complains of the fish never tasting as good as they did in India, which embodies the failure of America to live up to her former life in India. Driving is the norm in America, but Mrs. Sen understands that people walk everywhere they need to go …show more content…
Sen’s was how there can be a feeling of isolation in relationships. In the book Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri’s tone dictates how the characters view relationships; more often than not, the relationships are desolate. Lahiri emphasizes the feeling of emptiness or loneliness in this story. Mrs. Sen feels lonely when she is at home with or without Mr. Sen; she would feel fullness in her relationships if she were back with her family. Mrs.
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