The essay discusses the relationships depicted in Jhumpa Lahiri's short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. Specifically, it argues that the relationships are awkward and unexpected due to the characters' struggles with anti-social behavior, self-denial, and lack of confidence in their new culture. This causes their relationships to start strongly but end suddenly and fragilely. The essay analyzes some of the short stories in depth, such as the relationship between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das, and between Shuba and Shukumar, to show how the characters' isolation and anti-social tendencies prevent them from having meaningful relationships.

1. Essay by MukhtarHussainNazari
nazarimukhtar@yahoo.com.au
March3,2013
The relationship between many of Lahiri’s characters is both awkward and unexpected.
Discuss
Engaging, but certainly gloomily, her characters are depicted amidst misery and despair. A
closer observation of her pieces can prove this and what can be imagined as related to it
too. Intentionally or not, the destructive and widely unrecognized phenomena of anti-
sociality, self-denial and lack of confidence in a new culture, has enrooted the peace, joy
and richness from their lives. Not only are they not included in the society and its affairs,
Lahiri reminds us that their existences have almost been forgotten and their personalities
have ceased to get nurtured. Yet, together, they are connected and related as we proceed
to gain the knowledge of Lahiri’s invented characters, in her piece, Interpreter of Maladies.
These relationships, similar to those of a normal world, start and reach a peak, but what
makes them different and so menacingly noticeable, is their sudden and unexpected
commencement and their absolutely fragile nature. This obviously has an ultimate, a severe
fall, but this reminds us of the awkwardness and unexpectedness of the relationships that
Lahiri’s characters hold on to.
Surrounding them with hidden strength and extremely lucrativeness, they have fallen into
the trap of anti-sociality. Unaware of their fate, their attempts to cling to their randomly
created relationships fails before they could draw an imaginative picture of themselves
living in harmony. Such unexpectedness in their relationships draws the attentions of the
reader of the story Interpreter of Maladies to the inside of what Mr.Kapasi and Mrs Das
attempt to achieve. ‘The job was the sign of his failings’ and so was his attempt to trace Mrs
Das to Boston. Mr Kapasi approaches Mrs Das although he witnessed that ‘she did not
behave in a romantic way towards her husband’ but even this does not change Mr Kapasi’s
decision in receiving an affair with Mrs Das. The element of anti-sociality, even a small circle
of their family and close friends, exposes their relationships to follow a fatalistic
independence and dangerous creativity. The creativity of their own relationships, which did
not succeed to be properly achieved, removes the doubts of a reader looking at Mrs Das and
Mr Kapasi as sadly isolated and anti-socialized that they fail in the worst way. Their fragile
ties vanish and they start to lose even the smallest bits of confidence and faith in their own
existences. Although short, the couple life of Shuba and Shukumar also adds to the issue of
isolation and anti-sociality. One could see their relationship as normal, but the abnormality
of it becomes known once they start to revenge each other and becomes enemies in the
same house. ‘Our baby was a boy’, has proven it way beyond any doubt. Lahiri remains keen
to highlight and demonstrate this weak point in relationships which lead to sometimes
unwelcomed events such as those of the separations of Shuba from Sukumar and Mrs Das
from Mr Kapasi.
Society once looked at in depth and from behind the scenes, looks different. What is seen in
the face of the people, does not necessarily represent their own inside world. People, rarely
known to those around them the characters in Interpreter of Maladies are in the trap of

2. Essay by MukhtarHussainNazari
nazarimukhtar@yahoo.com.au
March3,2013
another fearful and harmful nature. Despite their struggles to survive, it is sadly not
happening and they continue to submerge in destructive self-denial behaviours. This is
shown to bring together Mrs Miranda and Lilia in the story of Sexy and Mrs Sen and Eliot in
Mrs Sen’s. They have been prevented from making contacts and building reasonable
relationships in the community and the main masterminds behind this unappealing work is
they themselves. Sen’s remoteness from contact with people of her age and Miranda’s
inability to do so, are all the downsides of the seemingly everlasting issue of self-denial.
The ugliness behind the involuntarily inflicted ailments in social life is not the same for all.
Humans tend to survive but some remain to lose and pay the unfair price, which is
sometimes higher than anywhere close to imagination. These people are seen in the
Interpreter of Maladies closely and in depth. The suffer and continue to do so as the
ailments of anti-sociality, self-denial and lack of confidence has persistently stayed with
them and has far grown up such that they seem difficult to disappear. Indeed, the viewing
of a reasonable person would agree that the awkwardness and unexpectedness of their
relationships, make them stand out each in a unique way.
Total: 750 words