Analysis Of `` Sexy By Jhumpa Lahiri ``

Analysis Of `` Sexy By Jhumpa Lahiri ``
Fifty Shades of Sexy Rite of passage is defined as a ritual event that marks a person's transition from
one status to another. In the story Sexy by Jhumpa Lahiri, the main protagonist is Miranda who is in
search of a home. Miranda lives in a big city where her ethnicity is the majority, but she finds solace
in an Indian race. Miranda will soon learn love doesn't constitute acceptance, or self–worth. The
word sexy is the catalyst of the story and without the expression of the definition, Miranda would
still be the other woman. This would indirectly make Miranda move from dependent to independent
making herself the girl in a big city the can navigate her life with a good conscience.
Sexy represents a world where sex and love do not correlate. "He propped her feet on top of his
shoulders and pressed her knees to her chest and said he couldn't get enough of her" (Lahiri 85).The
intimate setting suggest that sex may be the root of all evil. The whole story revolves around the
idea of sex as a nature of need and not want. Dev throughout the entire story gives the reader a sense
of discomfort because he needs Miranda but he doesn't want her. He already has someone who he
wants, his wife. Miranda wants to be loved so bad that the slightest attention from the opposite sex
can alter someone's actions. Miranda's whole world revolves around the thought of her and Dev's
next sexcapade. Within days of being together Miranda is dependent on Dev and his culture
becomes her culture. "A
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Responsibility In 'The Namesake' By Jhumpa Lahiri
Karan Gandhi
Ms. Chuntz
English 11 Honors
4 December 2017
The NameSake Expository Essay
In the Namesake written by Jhumpa Lahiri, America is often referred to as the land of opportunity
despite how foreign immigrants are still being treated as second class citizens such as an outcast.
Throughout the novel The Namesake the parents of Gogol, Ashoke Ganguli and Ashima Ganguli
brought their family to America to find their opportunity despite their strong beliefs in their Bengali
culture. Going against their Bengali belief, Ashok and Ashima settled in america with their baby boy
Gogol and their baby girl Sonia. Throughout the novel The Namesake Gogol has been struggling to
find himself and make peace. Gradually throughout the story Gogol begins to wonder why his
parents made the decision to come to america, Despite their strong Bengali beliefs to stay in india.
Gogol's crisis to finding himself slowly deteriorates when he finds himself come to peace with who
he is. The author, Jhumpa Lahiri shows Gogol improving and developing as a mature character
intellectually, socially, and emotionally despite all the hardships that Gogol had faced.
The author Jhumpa Lahiri shows how much Gogol has developed and matured throughout the
course of the novel. From the the beginning of The Namesake to the end, Gogol is shown
developing intellectually. Gogol intellectually improves himself by allowing himself to be more
acquainted with his name and identity which gogol prefers to be referred to as. In the third chapter
of The Namesake, Gogol takes on one of his first challenges when Gogol is introduced to his first
year school. Gogol is perturbed when he finds out that Ashok and Ashima were allowing the other
children to call Gogol by his "good name," Nikhil instead of Original name Gogol. Although, Gogol
had never had someone refer to him by anything other than Gogol throughout his entire life, Gogol
is perplexed as to why he is being referred to by two names. The Principal of the school refers to
him as "Nikhil" in a conversation, Gogol chooses not to respond. As Gogol is in the office with
Mrs.Lapidus Ashok says "Go on Gogol". In doing so Ashoke bagans to worry that by doing so
Mrs.lapidus would began to catch on, however,

Interpreter Of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri
Humans have been adapting to their surroundings since the beginning of time, and most of the time
this adaptation is done willingly, and is the key to survival. In Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of
short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, different fictional characters are used to bring the reader into the
Indian culture, and show how each individual's stories affect the others. Through these stories, she
presents the reader with the idea that change is what you make of it, and changing while not always
a choice is important to the way each person lives their lives. Through characters like Mrs.Sen, and
Mr. Pirzada, Lahiri conveys the struggles of adapting to a new environment, and how those struggles
are met be each individual. Each one, while never crossing paths all share one thing in common, and
that is that they all need to change to adapt to the new area that they are in. While, adapting to the
area is important, Lahiri's stories can also be interpreted to remind the reader that the character or
person must want to change, and not be forced to change. Our first encounter with Mrs.Sen is a little
misleading; this is where the reader learns that she is the wife of a Professor and is about to assume
the job of babysitter, to a little boy named Elliot. Naturally, the reader would assume that she herself
is not a "child," but after a few lines, the reader learns she is only about thirty and has newly been
married. Despite having moved to the states a while ago, Mrs. Sen

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Essay
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Jhumpa Lahiri in The Namesake illustrates the assimilation of
Gogol as a second generation American immigrant, where Gogol faces the assimilation of becoming
an American. Throughout the novel, Gogol has been struggling with his name. From kindergarten to
college, Gogol has questioned the reason why he was called Nikhil when he was a child, to the
reason why he was called Gogol when he was in college. Having a Russian name, Gogol often
encounters questions from people around him, asking the reason of his name. Gogol was not given
an Indian name from his Indian family or an American name from the fact that he was born in
America, to emphasize that how hard an individual try to assimilate into a different ... Show more
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As Gogol grows, he begins to hate his name as Gogol, and requests to change his name to Nikhil.
""What is the reason you want to change your name, Mr. Ganguli?" the judge asks. "I hate the
name Gogol," he says. "I always hated it."" (p.101–102) as Gogol brings up this topic to discuss
during dinner befor he changes his name in the summer, Gogol claims that because he is an Indian
with a Russian name in America, nobody is taking him seriously, thrust requesting to change his
name into Nikhil, even if it makes a huge hassle to change his legal documents. With out the
question of his rare name and confusion of the choice, Gogol accepts himself more easier and
believes that he has become more Americanized. Gogol sees himself more Americanized as people
do while he attends parties and other group activities in his social circle. As he moved into college,
he has changed every document that contains his name into containing the name Nikhil. As he starts
to meet new people, he tried to hide his old name and uses Nikhil: ""is Gogol your first name or
your last?" Brandon wants to know . "actually, that's my middle name," Gogol says by way of
explanation, sitting with them in the common room to their suite. "Nikhil is my first name. It got left
out for some reason." (p.103) As Brandon received a letter notifying that his roommate's name is
Gogol, but instead found Nilhil. Brandon questions the reason, but Nikhil hides the truth by claming

Dora, By Jhumpa Lahiri Essay
At the beginning of the passage, "When Mr. Pirzada came to dine," Lilia says, "I didn't mean they
were missing. I meant he misses them. They live in a different country, and he hasn't seen them in a
while, that's all." Even though she has had multiple chances to talk to Dora and her parents about the
war in Pakistan and the impacts it had on Mr.Pirzada, she doesn't bring up the issue or try to inform
them about it. This is because Lilia didn't try to history of her motherland until she met Mr. Pirzada,
thus she knows Dora won't be interested or can relate to the issue as Dora is an American. Jhumpa
Lahiri critiques both modern contemporary Americans and immigrants for their ignorant, privileged
life by getting the readers to view the world through the eyes of first generation Indian–American,
Lilia.
Halloween is one of the most celebrated and the most marketed holidays in America; therefore,
Americans buys costumes, decorations, and confectioneries which one can't afford in war zone
countries. In Halloween, children and teenagers get dressed up in their costumes and go from "house
to house, walking along pathways and pressing doorbells." When the door opens, children and
teenagers would scream "trick–or–treat" and they receive candies, chocolates, and other
confectioneries from their neighbours. This tradition has increasingly become more popular and
sensational as more people decorated their house by stringing "rubber bats in windows," and
"turning off lights for effect."

Jhumpa Lahiri The Interpreter Of Maladies
Anyone who has ever felt alone, separated from the people around them, or like an outcast in any
way will know how hard it can be to find your place in the world, especially if you have just moved
to a new place. Jhumpa lahiri explores the struggle of fitting in as an immigrant from India to
America in her short story compilation, The Interpreter of Maladies. Many of her characters
experience the same struggles of dealing with cultural differences, differences of perspective, and
unwillingness to fit in, in their new home. Some characters struggled mainly with the aspects of
daily life that they were not used to or did not understand, while others had to live with the constant
burden of missing and worrying for those they had left behind. While each person's story is
different, there are many key factors that link them all together.
In the short story "Mrs. Sen's", Mrs. Sen is very unwilling to acculturate. She does not want to learn
to drive, she still follows her time consuming cooking rituals, and she continuously goes out of her
way to find fresh fish to cook for dinner. At one point she says, "'No more,' she said, her head resting
against the steering wheel.' I hate it, i hate driving. I won't go on'" (Lahiri 131). She still feels very
connected to India and doesn't want to leave that behind by becoming American. She misses a lot of
aspects of life there and often feels very nostalgic. One day while they are having dinner, Mrs. Sen
say, '"It is very frustrating, to

Themes In 'The Namesake' By Jhumpa Lahiri
I The Namesake introduces people who leave behind their families and the familiar heat of India to
build a new life in America– a cold and a bleak land of strangers. Jhumpa Lahiri weaves a story
spanning three decades of geographically and culturally displaced Bengali family, comprising the
parents Ashoke and Ashima first generation immigrants who had migrated to the U.S.A. from
Calcutta in search of greener pastures and their children Gogol and Sonia the second generation
immigrants. Personal identity is what makes one the person he/she is. It is the way one sees himself
and the network of values and convictions that structure his/her life. At the beginning of The
Namesake the issue of name as a matter of identity is presented. As Ashima's water breaks she calls
out to Ashoke, but does not use his name. "It's not the type of thing Bengali wives do. Like a kiss or
a caress in a Hindi movie, a husband's name is something intimate and therefore unspoken, cleverly
patched over" ( Lahiri 2003: 2). Bengali nomenclature grants every single person two names, a pet
name daknam and a good name bhalonam. Friends and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In The Namesake it occurs mainly due to the language and pronunciation of Orientals. Before
Gogol's birth Patty asks Ashima "Hoping for a boy or a girl?" she replied "as long as there are ten
finger and ten toe," but at Patty's ironical smile she realized her mistake to say "fingers" and "toes".
In Bengali a finger can also mean fingers, a toe toes. This mistake "pains her almost as much her last
contraction" (Lahiri 2003: 7). Gogol realized this discrimination at the American departmental store
when his parents are not properly attended and the cashier's smirk at his parents' accent. The
salesman prefers to direct his conversation to Gogol as if Ashima and Ashoke were incompetent or

A Temporary Matter By Jhumpa Lahiri
Interpreter of Maladies Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri, is a collection of short stories
about the common struggles that all people face. One theme that continues throughout all of the
stories is communication and its different facets. The first story "A Temporary Matter" is about a
married couple who grew apart as a result of losing a child. Communication plays an important part
in their story. The first appearance of this occurs on the first page – Shoba and Shukumar receive a
letter telling them that the power will be out for an hour that night. This time of darkness is
especially awkward for the couple, because they will have to dine together. Ever since they lost their
baby, the two have grown further and further apart, leading to them not even talking to one another
except for rare occasions. When they eat in the dark, however, Shoba remembers the times in India
when there was no power and her grandmother made everyone talk. Shoba proposes the same idea,
and it turns into a confessional. Every night that they receive a note saying the power is going to be
out, Shoba and Shukumar exchange secrets that they had never told the other person. Shukumar
interprets this game as a sign of healing between them. On the night that the power comes back on,
however, they exchange one last ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When Mrs. Das asks for Mr. Kapasi's address, he daydreams about being able to write to her about
his life and his job because he cannot talk about these things to his wife. Neither Mr. Kapasi nor
Mrs. Das are able to talk to their spouses, so they try to find solace through the other, though in
different ways. They both desire and need to talk about their problems, but their own problems
ironically get in the way of a possible beneficial relationship. When the story ends with the slip of
paper containing Mr. Kapasi's address flying away, it represents this barrier and the definitive end to
their

The short story, "Interpreter of Maladies," written by Jhumpa Lahiri, is about an Indian tour guide
who has an epiphany once he realizes that one of his clients finds his side job, an interpreter for the
doctor, romantic. Mrs. Das, the one who appears to show interest in the tour guide's occupation,
struggles throughout her married life to remain loyal and loving to her husband. This characteristic
of Mrs. Das' is highlighted through the author's use of tone, which is defined as the way the author
feels about a certain character. As well, the use of tone, seen specifically in the diction, syntax, and
detail of this story, helps to identify and support various themes. Lahiri's use of a condescending
tone towards Mrs. Das bolsters the theme that unfaithfulness causes someone to become alienated
from their family. Lahiri uses diction to display a condescending tone towards Mrs. Das, which
demonstrates Mrs. Das lack of connection with her family. This is seen when Lahiri is describing
Mrs. Das affair with her husband's friend, and Lahiri states, "She made no protest when the friend
touched the small of her back... He made love to her swiftly, in silence, and with expertise she had
never known" (Lahiri 130). This quote showcases the condescending tone towards Mrs. Das with
the use of diction. Using words and phrases such as "made no protest," and "expertise," Lahiri
shows how Mrs. Das is not opposed to the affair, but rather welcoming of it, and excited by it. The
word "expertise"

Much of the conflict in Lahiri's short stories stems from feelings she experienced early in her life.
Her experience as an outsider and her resentment of her family's Indian heritage provided the
inspiration for much of her writing. She uses the conflict inside marriage to explore feelings of
personal identity and alienation in her short stories. Her characters face many personal difficulties in
their marriages. "Marriage is the unifying theme for the collection, and is the key element in most
stories" (Bess 167). Lahiri unravels the tension within each of these marriages, and provides insights
into struggles that arise from the union of two characters whose worlds are often so different. "The
signs he recognized from his own marriage were there– the bickering, the indifference, ... Show
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"She was lost behind her sunglasses, ignoring her husband's requests that she pose for another
picture, walking past her children as if they were strangers" (Lahiri 58). Throughout the story,
loneliness and emotional separation are present in the characters' strained marriage. When the
couple is unable to identify their problems, their neighbor Mr. Kapasi serves as both a tour guide
and an interpreter of maladies. Mrs. Das confides to Mr. Kapasi, and discloses the pain she
experienced because of the birth of her second son. She confesses to Mr. Kapasi that tedium and
isolation made her have an affair with her husband's friend, and this affair had produced this second
child. "He decided to begin with the most obvious question, to get to the heart of the matter, and so
he asked, 'Is it really pain you feel, Mrs. Das, or is it guilt'" (Lahiri 66). She indicates that her Indian
perception reminds her of the virtue of marriage, and constantly preoccupies her mind. Whereas, her
American identity urges her to take the affair lightly, but the effects are too far– reaching to

A Temporary Matter By Jhumpa Lahiri
The Power of Perspective Unable to understand or solve their problems, people often require an
outside figure or perspective to help them view their circumstance objectively and decide what
actions they must take to attempt to solve their problems. In Jhumpa Lahiri's collection of short
stories, Interpreter of Maladies, she describes how people cope with some of life's difficulties caused
by broken connections. In one of the stories "A Temporary Matter," Lahiri's characters deal with a
loss in communication, which leads to a weakened relationship. In her next story "Mr. Pirzada Came
to Dine," a man's separation from home brings him to a young girl's house, where they learn from
each other how to bridge gaps in their lives – gaps that isolate ... Show more content on
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Pirzada Came to Dine," Mr. Pirzada's stay at a girl named Lilia's house prompts Lilia to take an
unprecedented interest in her Indian culture and helps Mr. Pirzada reconnect with his home. At first,
when Mr. Pirzada arrives, Lilia is asked if she is "aware of the current situation? Aware of East
Pakistan's fight for sovereignty?" by her father, to which she nods "unaware of the situation." In
response, her father asks angrily "What exactly do they teach you at school?"(26). In this
conversation, Lilia is admonished for her naiveté towards issues concerning her parent's mother
country and for her lack of worldly exposure at school. As time passes, and Mr. Pirzada's visits
become routine, Lilia begins paying attention to the evening news that he and Lilia's parents watch.
At one point, her mother points out, "See, children your age, what they do to survive"(31), which
makes the situation directly relevant to Lilia and forces her to reflect on how fortunate she is
compared to those like her in Bangladesh. Suddenly curious to learn more, Lilia finds herself at the
library checking out a book titled "Pakistan: A Land and its People"(42). Mr. Pirzada's presence acts
to bring Lilia closer to her Indian culture by getting her to take an interest in the partition of India
and Pakistan and by giving her a more relevant context to view the situation. In addition, when Mr.
Pirzada leaves for his home in Dacca, Lilia realizes for the first time "what it [means] to miss
someone who [is] so many miles and hours away, just as [Mr. Pirzada] had missed his wife and
daughters for so many months"(42). Mr. Pirzada's departure helps Lilia understand how he must
have felt being separated from his family, as Lilia misses him now. On the contrary, Lilia helps Mr.
Pirzada fill the void left by his departure from home. When he arrives at her house each night, "he
graze[s] [Lilia's] throat with his short fingers...and [gives] her a small plastic egg filled with
cinnamon hearts," and

Jhumpa Lahiri Struggles
Being in a situation where one has no choice but to change their entire lifestyle around is never a
desired experience. This normally occurs as the aftermath of immigrating into a new country that
one may not have too many familiarities with. In the award winning novel, The Namesake, Jhumpa
Lahiri has successfully captured and portrayed the reality of the struggles and difficulties one would
face through immigration. This was done so through the use of emotions and challenges that the
character,
Ashima Ganguli had to overcome. In literal speech, she had felt as if she had lost everything she was
accustom to, from the comfort of her welcoming home, right up to her personal goals and high
achievement expectations. Anything and everything involved in between this was simply the vast
variety of emotions that she'd dealt with. If she had stayed in India, none of these struggles would
have arose.
First off, no matter who the person may be, change IS always a difficult thing to ... Show more
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In fact, she was, but this was only back in India. She'd dreamed of being a singer. But as she entered
America, she knew that those dreams were nothing more then just plain hopeless . The main reason
as to why she has left India in the first place was to continue her family generations with Ashoke
and become a typical Indian mother adapting to the life as an American. Although, as time passed,
she had no regrets of the decisions she'd made during the time of when she lived in America. But as
soon as the death of her husband occurred, she took into consideration all the things she could've
accomplished in life if she were still in India. Because of old age, she couldn't pursue much but what
she did do was carrying on through that dream of becoming a singer back in her home land. If she
had stayed in India, she would've had so much more to show for the time of her

Jhumpa Lahiri Barriers
Communication Barriers in Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies The parents of Nilanjana
Sudheshna Lahiri, a Bengali couple who immigrated to the United Kingdom from India, welcomed
their daughter into the world on July 11, 1967, in London. While Lahiri was attending university her
nickname, 'Jhumpa', became commonly used by her professors, and she decided to keep this name
for future publications. Jhumpa Lahiri first attended Barnard College in New York, where she
particularly focussed on English literature. Additionally, Lahiri joined Boston University, where she
earned an astonishing three literary master's degrees, as well as a doctorate in Renaissance studies. It
was in 1999 that Jhumpa Lahiri published her debut, Interpreter of Maladies, ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
One could say, it is an incredible accomplishment how Jhumpa Lahiri manages to weave together
her nine stories, in her debut Interpreter of Maladies. Most of the stories share intimate details about
the experiences of first and second generation Indian immigrants in the United States, even though
the characters vary greatly, they have corresponding troubles in their lives; "Lahiri constructs a
conversation among her pieces" (Brada–Williams 453). In her discussion of Jhumpa Lahiri, the
author Susan Shuchen noted that; "the nine stories have in common certain themes and motifs, such
as exile, displacement, loneliness, difficult relationships, and problems about communication" (127).
The characters in Interpreter of Maladies all speak the same language, however, there are remaining
gaps in their communication with one and another. In her interview with Vibhuti Patel, the author
Jhumpa Lahiri stated herself that; "the characters are semi real – most are composites – but the
situations are invented", furthermore, she acknowledges that "as a storyteller, I'm aware that there
are limitations in communication" (Newsweek). Nevertheless, the characters in the stories suffer

The Book ' The Namesake ' By Jhumpa Lahiri
The Struggle of Find a Cultural Identity
Many people of different ethnicity have passed over many obstacles and difficult experiences where
growing up in a new country has been like a great wall where you cannot exceed to the other side by
much effort can put. Growing up in the United States may differ between types of culture and
education given by parents. Over the years many people like me with double identity can struggle to
be two person at the time where you communicate and experience new cultures in other family or
persons. At home, you are the other person where you communicate with your first native language;
you interact with family regularly with manners, traditions and culture. It 's really difficult to have
two identities and do not know who you really are, in the book "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
author, demonstrates the theme of how hard it is to find an identity in America. The protagonist of
the book Gogol, during his childhood went through many difficult stages related to his identity and
find himself like another characters that passed the same way.
Additionally, immigrants have been always tried to live with their same beliefs, traditions, manners,
and food. This may be due to the fact that most immigrants think that they could be betraying the
roots of ethnicity. According to Bagchi, Amitabha and Chatterji, Dejajyoti researches Bengalis
immigration began during the 1950s where the Immigration Act of 1965 opened the doors to many
professionals to

Mr and Mrs. Das are both very important in the story of the "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa
Lahiri, because they represent the negative aspects of American culture. First Mrs. Das is very self–
centred and only cares about herself. For instance she does not share her food, she also does is
irritated by her children and openly shows them how much she doesn't love them. "Leave me alone,"
Mrs. Das said, blowing on her nail and turning her body slightly. "You're making me mess up." pg
788. While Mr Das in contrast is very much similar to their children due to his inability to parent his
children when they disrespect him. He also is always looking at his camera and won't take charge of
the family, for instance when the monkeys attack Booby and all Mr. Das does is take a picture
making the situation worse. "In his nervousness he accidentally pressed the shutter on his camera;
the whirring noise of the advancing film excited the monkeys, and the one with the stick began to
beat Bobby more intently. "What are we supposed to do? What if they start attacking?" page 800.
The best example of Mr and Mrs. Das relationship is that Mrs Das' perspective due to her self
centered viewpoint she thinks that all the pain from the failing marriage is on her, even though both
Mr. Das and their children feel it. And that self centredness is one of the many causes of their failing
marriage, which leads to the birth of Bobby who was not Mr. Das' child. Overall their relationship is
extremely

The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri
As sentient beings, having a unique identity tied to oneself is a vital part of what becomes our entire
life. No matter what one goes through, having their identity and knowing who they are is so very
important to keep them going. However, identity is not always an easy thing to discover, and it is
forever changing and growing. The search for one's identity is not a painless journey, but it is often
worth it in the end. As is the case for Gogol Ganguli, one of the main protagonists in the novel The
Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Throughout the novel, Gogol is in search for his identity and for
meaning behind his name. Names were a large struggle for Gogol, who spent about half of the novel
under the name Nikhil. He even ended up developing a bit of a split personality and identity at a
young age for both of his names. He traded in Gogol for Nikhil once he was of age, and lived his
life as Nikhil according to that created identity. Gogol also struggles with his feelings for his
Bengali heritage and culture, as he is American–born to immigrant parents, he can never experience
his culture fully. He is very much an American and wants to fit in with the people around him; due
to this, he did not take much interest in his culture nor did he identify with it. He distances himself
from his culture and his family when in search for his identity. Gogol accepting his heritage ends up
being a sort of key to unlocking his identity, as he ends the book in acceptance of himself, his name,

Jhumpa Lahiri Connection
A connection is not always easy. All the human connections are based on different communication
skills. The four texts I have selected all explore the idea of communication is the human connection
are A Temporary Matter, Interpreter of Maladies, Third and Final Continents and Sexy from Jhumpa
Lahiri's short stories collection: "Interpreter of Maladies". They all have characters who can't or
struggling to connect with others due to their lack of communication.
Lahiri is showing us the difficulty of two people in a marriage dealing with grief and a lack of
communication. In the short story A Temporary Matter, as Shukumar finally tells Shoba the gender
of the stillborn child was male. We see this already fragile relationship between these couples ...
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This is shown through the line "Miranda felt Rohin's words under her skin, the same way she'd felt
Dev's. But instead of going hot she felt numb. It reminded her of the way she'd felt at the Indian
grocery, the moment she knew, without even looking at a picture, that Madhuri Dixit, whom Dev's
wife resembled was beautiful." Lahiri had effectively used this quote to show the reader that
although Dev was the first man that Miranda fell in love to, he in fact, never loves her and at this
point, her sexiness has become meaningless to him at this moment. Lahiri had effectively used the
powerful symbolism of the Mapparium that shows their connections that happened across 2 different
cultures are connected by the bridge. But the Dev's Quote "You're sexy" said toward her is purposely
used by Lahiri, showing that in Dev's perception, their lack of communication as it's only at the
physical level where Dev was only perceiving her as a sexual object. Lahiri's symbolism is extended
as Miranda is buying the "Hot mix" with the grocer mention it's "too spicy for her" which is ironic
as Miranda has an urge to connect and fall in love and be in part of Dev's life, but Dev was only
attracted to her physically and never intended to love her. Communication creating the human
connection is portrayed in "The third and final continent" where both the narrator and Miranda were
unable to connect with each other due to their lack of communication and connection about each
other. Contrastingly, such tormented relationship that seems to be fragile, was soon ended by the
pair started to learn about each other and slowly connected through their communication. This is
very illustrative of the real world where the communication has created the strongest bond of love
that is often unbreakable. But as a person's love fantasy has popped like a bubble due to

Jhumpa Lahiri Quotes
Jhumpa Lahiri Jhumpa Lahiri was born in England in 1967, when she was three years old they
moved to Rhode Island. There is an Indian tradition where the parents give their child a pet name, so
that's when they named her Jhumpa. She had a difficult time growing up because her Indian parents
lived in England most of their lives and then when Jhumpa turned three they moved to America. She
started writing at a young age, like fiction short stories mostly in grade school. Part of the reason she
started writing was because it was a way to cope with being what she was known as an outsider
(Belanger,Craig). Jhumpa Lahiri expresses the challenges of having a multicultural family through
these works The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth,and The Lowland. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Unaccustomed Earth is a collection of eight short stories, each story takes you to many places like
Cambridge and Seattle to Thailand and India. The eight stories are longer, more emotionally
complex than any of the stories she had ever written. You enter the lives of brothers and sisters,
fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, and friends and lovers. The first story is called
"Unaccustomed Earth" a mother, father and their son live in Seattle, the mother's father comes to
visit after his trip to Europe. Ruma, the mother is afraid he'll want to stay with them. But he doesn't
because he's dating a widow he met while traveling. Ruma's father gives her a postcard, but she can't
read, and Ruma ends up finding out he's dating someone even though she couldn't read the card. The
quote I chose for the text Unaccustomed Earth is "And yet she could not forgive herself. Even as an
adult, she wished only that she could go back and change things: the ungainly things she'd worn, the
insecurity she'd felt, all the innocent mistakes she made"(Unaccustomed Earth). I think this quote's
meaning is that Ruma wishes she could go back to when she was younger, and learn more, like how
to read. The important thing to think about in this text is that you should take the opportunity to
learn and become educated because some people might not have that

In life, people face certain obstacles that come their way. Some run away in fear, and others face
them head on, The people that face these obstacles are the ones that get more out of life and
therefore are ready for what other obstacles might come their way . The Namesake, is a book about
how life can be difficult in a new country for immigrants trying to raise a son with mixed cultures.
Gogol, the son of these immigrant parents grows up wanting to assimilate himself in this new
cultural but ultimately seeking to leave his original culture behind. In the book, Gogol's mother,
Ashima, has to endure some of the more difficult situations throughout the book. The emotion that is
revealed about her is what really helps the audience be able to ... Show more content on
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Having family around and helping out with household chores. After spending plenty of time in the
United States she begins to have a hard time adjusting to this new way of life and lets her
frustrations be known. One instance where the book shows Ashima's struggle to this new
environment is after Gogol is born and she feels lonely due to Ashoke rarely being home and having
to raise Gogol on her own. According to Dr. C. Isaac Jebastine and M. Subarna Ashima is on her
own during her maternity days and becomes afraid and of raising a child where it seems so
burdensome and worrisome. (Jebastine) She grows impatient and is quoted saying: "I'm saying I
don't want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's not right, I want to go back" (pg 58). Not only is
she dissatisfied with being in the situation she's in, but she also seems to know the solution to her
problem. She feels like moving back to Calcutta, where she is familiar and much more comfortable.
She endures through this situation by having Gogol and Sonia, her daughter, with her throughout the
time they are there. This move to a new country ultimately helps her become more independent, not
having to rely on her family as much as she once had to in Calcutta. Another situation where Ashima
has a hard time going through is when her children move away. For many parents this can be very
sad and difficult, but in Ashima's case, it 's even harder to go

The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri Essay
Is it Gogol or Nikhil? Making changes for the sole purpose to improve is most commonly known as
reinvention. Reinventing can happen in numerous different ways. Gogol in The Namesake by
Jhumpa Lahiri, experiences a demoralizing childhood with finding success in reinventing himself by
changing his name. By giving himself a new sense of self–confidence Lahiri demonstrates that
reinventing oneself can be immensely simple. Gogol who has a demoralizing childhood, finds
success in reinventing himself by changing his name, largely because his name was the most
demoralizing aspect of his life. Gogol Ganguli is a distraught child who is faced with being a
cultural outsider because of his foreign lineage. Growing up he realizes the vast differences between
himself and a normal American child, one of those being his ... Show more content on
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Nikhil was in complete control of his name change. In fact, his mother was not too pleased with his
decision, "'I don't know, Gogol,' his mother said, shaking her head. ' I really don't know'" (Lahiri
100). Nikhil then goes on to explain that this is what he really wants and his father gives him his
blessing because, "In America anything is possible. Do as you wish." (Lahiri 100). Preceding with
no hesitation, Nikhil goes to the court, fills out the necessary documents and is then seen by the
judge: 'What is the reason you wish to change your name, Mr. Ganguli?' the judge asks. The
question catches him off–guard ... he takes a deep breath and tells the people in the courtroom what
he has never dared to admit to his parents. 'I hate the name Gogol,' he says 'I have always hated it.'
(Lahiri 101–102) When he explains how much he hated his name the reader infers that not only was
it his decision to change his name but he demanded it to be changed. The only one in control of
Gogol's reinvention was himself due to his lack of tolerance for his former

A Temporary Matter Jhumpa Lahiri
In Lahiri's "a temporary matter" the author presents a couple's failing marriage after the early death
of a baby. Along with this, in Lahiri's "interpreter of maladies" the author describes a family that is
disconnected from each other as they take a trip to India. Overall, the author, Jhumpa Lahiri,
presents the necessity of communication in relationships, through the presentation of two failing
marriages.
First off, Lahiri shows that lack of communication in a relationship leads to doubtfulness and a lack
of trust in, "a Temporary Matter." This is shown when Shukumar wonders what Shoba would tell
him when the two start talking to each other he wonders,"The worst possibilities had already run
through his head. That she had an affair"(16). ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Kapasi describes his job and Mrs. Das begins to say it is," So romantic, Mrs. Das said dreamily"
(50). This shows that as Mr. Das is constantly taking pictures and not showing any attention to his
wife, Mrs. Das begins to find interest in Mr, Kapasi. She finds interest in this other person because
mr das never communicates with his wife or children, leading Mrs. Das to find this relationship
quote boring. In a relationship the most important thing is communication and without it a
relationship can never last. Another example is shown when even after the tour Mrs. Das seems to
have a budding affair as she still writes to Mr. Kapasi and says," She would reveal the
disappointment of her marriage"(55). This shows that even after the tour Mr. Das is not able to
recognize the boredom Mrs. Das has of the marriage due to no communication. This back and forth
between Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi shows great communication over distance which leads to an even
stronger relationship than what exists between Mr. and Mrs. Das. Overall, this shows that without
full communication between two partners, a relationship becomes filled with affairs and boredom in
their

In "Interpreter of Maladies", Jhumpa Lahiri uses both art and language as symbols of the difficulty
of belonging when stuck between two or more cultures. Born in London from Indian parents, then
raised in the United States, Lahiri puts in this story her own feeling or removal into the characters:
The Das, visiting a country that has become more foreign than homely; and Mr. Kapasi, who
struggles to claim his identity through language and translation. Bilbro argues that a lot of Lahiri
scholarhip overlooks the "importance of dealing with one's tradition in working towards a
postnational identity" (382). Indeed, this process of initiation is particularly present in "Interpreter of
Maladies", where the Das' act of taking a tour shows a certain will to engage with this tradition and
heritage. If an active engagement with tradition allows us to "participate both in the continued
formation of our identity and in the formation of the tradition that is being handed down", the power
of this act is however tarnished by the family's lack of active and interested engagement with the
local art and culture. Their original interest is a step towards integration, but it is not enough to make
them an integral part of Indian tradition and its transmission.
The Das are indeed so removed from Indian culture that they can only see it through an occidental
lens, different to each of them. As a professor, Mr. Das engages with the world around him through
books. Throughout the story, he is

Analysis Of Sexy By Jhumpa Lahiri
"Sexy" is a short story written by Jhumpa Lahiri with the intentions to show the reader how the
decisions of one–person can influence others. It starts off with Miranda and Laxmi in their
workplace talking about Laxmi's cousins husband having an affair. Miranda ends up hiding the fact
that she is also involved with a married man. Dev, whom she is having an affair with calls her sexy
and she is seduced by this. Laxmi's cousin and son come to town and Miranda ends up watching the
young boy. The young boy named Rohin ends up snooping around Miranda's house and finds the
clothing she bought thinking it would make her more like a mistress. He asks her to try on the dress
and proceeds to call her sexy. By the end of the story Miranda has learned the difference in love and
lust and how the affair she is having is nothing but lust. This teaches her that she can live without
the affair and that it is better for her to be single than to possible affect other people lives by her own
wrong doing. Dev calls Miranda sexy when they are standing in the Mapparium. She is seduced by
him saying this and think he really means it. Dev does not recall saying she was sexy and she gets
the impression that that moment was unimportant to him. She goes and buys what she would
assumes a mistress would wear to try and impress him so he would think she was sexy. He ends up
coming to her house once a week on Sundays to see her, he tells his wife he is going for a run. Dev
shows up to Miranda's house in

Bakane, Mbome Franca English 202–025 Dr. Lorna Wiedmann October 9th, 2014 Interpreters of
Maladies (Question 19) Interpreters of maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri looks at the way communication
is thwarted in an indian American family that looks so beautiful on the outside but is bad on the
inside. Lahiri uses key passages, and symbolic elements to show how communication was a big
challenge in this story. However, Mr. Kapasi's final disappointment comes after he realizes how
self–absorbed Mrs. Das is. After listening to her confession that her younger son Bobby had been
fathered by an unnamed "Punjabi friend," Kapasi realizes that this confession is not the shared
intimacy he had been hoping for, but that Mrs. Das had told him the story more or less to purge
herself of it. When he fails to offer either absolution or a cure and instead quite reasonably asks, "'is
it really pain you feel, Mrs. Das, or is it guilt?'" (66), her withering glare "crushed him; he knew at
that moment that he was not even important enough to be properly insulted" (Lewis. Par 4). Mrs.
Das gets angry ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The children do not listen to their parents, nor do they listen to Mr. Kapasi about the monkeys that
led to the beating of Bobby. When Mr. Kapasi was growing up as a young man he was able to speak
in different languages but he lost all of those skills and is left with just English. He even fears that
his kids can speak English better than him (Par. 77). Mr. Kapasi, who is the interpreter of illnesses
(maladies) as Mrs. Das names him (Par. 70), has lost his ability to communicate with his wife,
forcing him to drink his tea that his wife would serve in silence at night (Par.111) subsequently,
leading to an unhappy marriage. In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Das do not communicate, not because of
a language barrier but because Mrs. Das hides behind her sunglasses most of the time and Mr. Das
only concentrates on his

Summary Of Sexy By Jhumpa Lahiri
In her short story "Sexy", Jhumpa Lahiri characterizes the meaning of the word sexy. The main
character, Miranda, becomes involved in an affair with a married man named Dev and becomes
infatuated with the relationship. Although Dev calls Miranda sexy, she does not realize the meaning
of the word or her relationship's state until her co–worker's nephew calls her sexy as well. After
Miranda listens to her co–worker's nephew, her perspectives begin to develop and change because of
his influence. Throughout the story, Miranda is flattered by and obsessed with Dev's words until
Rohin speaks to her similarly. During the early stages of their affair, Miranda and Dev travel to
Mapparium on a date (1654). At the Mapparium, Dev waited until the tourists were gone and told
Miranda that "even though they were thirty feet apart...they'd be able to hear each other whisper"
(1655). While Miranda says hello, Dev states, "You're sexy" (1655). Because of his desire to have an
affair with Miranda, Dev attempts to pursue her with elaborate dates and seductive words. Although
Dev attempting to appeal to Miranda with these words, he is also attempting to express his desire for
her. Soon, Miranda learns that Dev's wife is coming home and prepares to buy "things she thought a
mistress should have" (1655). Because of her infatuation with Dev, Miranda fantasizes about going
on fancy dates with him in her new cocktail dress (1656). Although Miranda expects to be pampered
by Dev

The Interpreter Of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri
Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist
movement against the British rule in India Mahatma Gandhi once declared, "A nation's culture
resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people." Culture refers to the characteristics of a group of
people, including their cuisine, social habits, religion, music, and art. It seems as if culture
influences the way humans learn and live. These practices are important to people because it shapes
your own personality, as well as how we behave and think. In the many short stories inside The
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Lahiri effectively describes the difficulties that
immigrants have adapting to American culture. The characters of the ... Show more content on
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Also, when Mr. Pirzada comes to eat dinner at night he brings candies with him to give to Lilia.
Lilia uses the candies Mr. Pirzada gives her, as faith that his family is okay. Lahiri then states,
"Eventually, I took a square of white chocolate out of the box, and unwrapped it, and then I did
something I had never done before. I put the chocolate in my mouth, letting it soften until the last
possible moment, and then as I chewed it slowly, I prayed that Mr. Pirzada's family was safe and
sound." (pg4) This comes at a time when Lilia had never prayed before. This moment marks the
beginning of Lilia's nightly routine of eating one of Mr. Pirzada's candies and praying for his family.
Lilia believes that, by eating the candy in this manner, she is helping his family and has faith that his
family will be all right. Being around Mr. Pirzada for the past few weeks has changed Lilia in a
spiritual way. Without his being there, she would never have gotten in touch with her beliefs. That
same night, Lilia doesn't brush her teeth because she is afraid that she'd "somehow rinse the prayer
out as well." (Lahiri pg 4) Lilia cares so much about Mr. Pirzada and his family that she violates her
parents rule requiring her to always brushing her teeth at night . Mr.Pirzada being

The choices one makes dictates the life they lead. In her novel The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
reflects on the world of the Ganguli family. One particular character, Gogol Ganguli becomes the
main focus as Lahiri takes us through his assimilation process, and how he tries to achieve the goal
of being socially accepted. Lahiri illustrates the development of Gogol's quest for his true cultural
identity through his personal struggles: his name, his romantic relationships, and his father's
untimely death. Gogol Ganguli began his childhood with his "pet name," a name called his family
and close relatives, and then suddenly for the greater good of his culture is forced to adapt a new
name, his "good name," Nikhil Ganguli. In the novel The Namesake, Lahiri explains Ashoke's and
Ashima's perspective on why Gogol should embrace his good name rather than his pet name in the
real world, "his parents tell him that they each have two names, too, as do all their Bengali friends in
America, and all their relatives in Calcutta. It's a part of growing up... part of being Bengali" (57).
Both Ashoke and Ashima went against the tradition in the beginning by naming their son legally by
his "pet name" which is Gogol. He grows up with this identity then suddenly when he starts school
he is expected to make a shift to his "good name" Nikhil. This where the start of his cultural conflict
begins, at the fragile age of five he is forced to become someone he is not comfortable being, which
this can

Whether it's living or interacting in a new environment surrounded by unfamiliar and distinct
people, one may feel culturally out of place. That is exactly the theme Jhumpa Lahiri describes in
each of her stories, "Interpreter of Maladies," "Mrs. Sen's," and "The Third and Final Continent." In
"Interpreter of Maladies", we get a clear picture that the Das family, who are Indian–American, are
the ones displaced here. We can see this throughout the behaviors that the Das family expresses in
their trip around India, while Mr. Kapasi, an old Indian man, guides them through their journey,
taking them to see India's historical landmarks. In "Mrs. Sen's," the one culturally displaced is Mrs.
Sen after being forced to leave India to go to America because of her husband's job. Mrs. Sen has
not gotten used to the American culture and misses her native land very much. Lastly, In "The Third
and Final Continent," the narrator, a young Indian man, handles his displacement very well. Starting
with an arranged marriage in which he barely even knows the woman that he is getting married to,
he leaves shortly after to establish a living in the U.S. where he finds the culture to be very distinct.
Overall, Lahiri expresses the theme of how the characters in each story cope with their cultural
displacement facing many obstacles and challenges.
As the story "Interpreter of Maladies" opens up, right from the back one can identify that the Das
family are culturally displaced and are handling their

Theme Of Diaspora In Jhumpa Lahiri
DIASPORIC SENSIBILITY IN JHUMPA LAHIRI'S INTERPRETER OF MALADIES
INTRODUCTION
"It may be that writers in my position, exiles, or emigrants, are haunted by some sense of loss, some
urge to reclaim, to look back, even at the risk of being mutilated into pillars of salt. But if we do
look back, we must do in the knowledge – which give rise to profound uncertainties – that our
physical alienation from India almost inevitably means that we will not be capable of reclaiming
precisely the thing that was lost, that we will, in short, create fictions, not actual cities or villages,
but invisible ones, imaginary homelands, India of the mind." Anonymous In this paper, the main
motive is to portray the Diaspora in the novel of Jhumpa Lahiri Interpreter of Maladies, who is a
well known for her writings of diasporic sensibility. There are many other writers other than Jhumpa
Lahiri such as Amitav Ghosh, Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie, V.S.Naipaul who have concentrated on
Indian diaspora. Nilanjana Sudheshna Lahiri was born on July 11, 1967, in London, England, to
mother Tapati and father Amar, a Bengali couple who immigrated to the ... Show more content on
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The book contains the stories of first and second generation Indian immigrants, as well as a few
stories involving ideas of otherness among communities in India. The stories revolve around the
difficulties of relationships, communication and a loss of identity for those in diaspora. No matter
where the story takes place, the characters struggle with the same feelings of exile and the struggle
between the two worlds by which they are torn. The stories deal with the always shifting lines
between gender, sexuality, and social status within a diaspora. Whether the character be a homeless
woman from India or an Indian male student in the United States, all the characters display the
effects of displacement in a

Analysis Of The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri
The Namesake is a fictional novel written by Jhumpa Lahiri. Lahiri's purpose of the book was to
demonstrate a family's hardships moving to a new country, and then their children's lives as
Americanized Bengalis. The audience, in my opinion, was written particularly for an established
Americanized American. These Americans are intended to realize little details that newcomers to
America worry about, and the life differences that the average American wouldn't think twice about.
She wrote regarding certain factors, specifically the strong Bengali culture, versus the ordinary
American culture, and the day to day worries of an immigrant new to America. The author focused
on themes regarding family and hardship, but she also incorporates a large ... Show more content on
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The social and culture shock that Lahiri expressed for newcomers in America, was one of the major
reasons I was so hooked to this book. Specifically a quote that touched me was, "as she placed the
item on the counter, her heart pounding for fear that she would not be understood" (Lahiri 160). This
quote resembles Ashima as a new individual in America, with the fear of her accent being too strong
to be understood. As an American, you don't think from this point of view of others. Especially in
the fast food industry, if I can't understand someone with a strong accent I feel embarrassed myself
due to the fact that I do not know what they want to order; therefore, I stand questioning them for
about five minutes trying to comprehend what they are trying to say all together. Being given the
point of view involving this fear from the character, and maybe even Lahiri's fears at one point in
her life, makes me admire the bravery of not only the fictional character, but the individuals that
probably face this fear everyday. Another quote that sticks out to myself states, "every pet name is
paired with a good name, a bhalonam, for identification in the outside world" (Lahiri 26). Coming
from an opinion of an individual who has only lived in basically one town in California their

Interpreter of Maladies is a short story written in 1999 by Jhumpa Lahiri. She writes about an Indian
couple who live in America and take a vacation to India. While on vacation Mrs. Das realizes that
she does love her husband and her family after speaking to the cab driver. She realizes this when she
sees her son get attacked by a group of monkeys at the end of the story. The tone of this story is
complex and negative and the setting of the story is taking place in India while the Das family are
on vacation. "Lahiri crisscrosses the continents, taking us from the beautiful city of Boston after a
snowstorm, to a sun temple in the middle of India and back to staid university towns in other parts
of America. Her settings, her weather and her sharp repartee are as familiar as the aroma of Indian
food." (ProQuest1) When introducing the characters, the narrator focuses more on the negative
aspects of each character in the story. Mr. Das is obsessed with his new camera, Mrs. Das is bored
with her family and the tour they are on and their kids are irritating. Mr. Kapasi is introduced as a
man who has failed at things, lost his son, not a great job, and has an unhappy marriage. Interpreter
of Maladies is written in a third persons' view. Lahiri uses several writing techniques that
complements her unique and influential writing style like Irony, Similes, and Imagery.
Communication is a very important skill to have when in a relationship. In the story Interpreter of
Maladies there is

A World Order By Jhumpa Lahiri
Nair attempts to interpret and relocate the characters from their succinct semantic images on paper
and re–cast them as believable entities embodying social, economic and psychological baggage in
an essentially postmodern world order. In Lahiri's novel, a world order presents itself where people
like Ashoke and Ashima are subconsciously put on the fringes of the mainstream American society,
in part by their attitude and approach to the new, almost alien societal and cultural experiences and
circumstances and in part by the reaction to their reaction by the world around them. And this is
essentially a conflicting world order where there is an intent to adapt to this bewildering newness
around while there is equally strong a yearning for the familiar and much cherished roots. The two
characters (Ashima more visibly so) are torn, as it were, between the two worlds, and struggling to
conform to either! Into this palpable melee comes the son. The second–generation of Indian
immigrants and a first–born American citizen of Bengali origin who is bestowed with a name
borrowed from a Russian writer of repute, Gogol Ganguly endeavours to be efficaciously functional
in a space that might be essentially regarded as an interstice or gap between the American 'public'
sphere as Nikhil, truncated or anglicised to the convenient 'Nick', and the Indian 'home' sphere as
Gogol, while trying to make peace or strike a middle path with his baffling name and social,
national, cultural and ethnic

The Interpreter Of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri
In the Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, the Das family has more power over Mr. Kapasi
because they are foreigners of higher standing than the native Mr. Kapasi. It is noted early in the
story that the Das family was not like the typical family, "The first thing Mr. Kapasi had noticed
when he saw Mr. And Mrs. Das, standing with their children under the portico of the hotel, was that
they were very young, perhaps not even thirty," Lahiri wrote. The Das family is extremely young
and seems to not function properly. At the beginning of the story, Mr. and Mrs. Das argue about who
should take their daughter to the bathroom. Between the two parents, a mutual responsibility over
the child should have existed. This shows that the Das family ... Show more content on
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The Arab could kill Daru, however Daru strategically prevents this from happening by treating the
Arab with kindness and respect. Daru's kindness is shown by his choice to treat the Arab like a man
instead of a prisoner. Daru eats his meals with the Arab, sleeps in the same room as the Arab, and
packs the Arab a snack for the remainder of his journey. Daru could have starved the Arab or made
him sleep in the shed, but he chooses to treat the Arab with kindness. Daru steps from his place of
power by being kind to the Arab out of fear of being killed by him, rather than genuine hospitality.
While walking to the jailhouse Daru points out two paths the Arab could take; one of the paths goes
to the jailhouse and the other goes to a village of nomads. Daru hands over his power to the Arab by
allowing him to choose his own destiny. Daru leaves the hill and the Arab, and occasionally looks
back to see if the Arab choose a path. Eventually, the Arab does not try to rise in power and follows
his instructions and goes to the jailhouse as

Jhumpa Lahiri The Namesake Sparknotes
Jhumpa Lahiri's novel 'The Namesake' is a novel that explores the concepts of cultural identity, of
rootlessness, of tradition and familial expectation as well as the way that names subtly and not so
subtly alter our perceptions of ourselves but it's very much to its credit that it never succumbs to the
clichés those themes so often Encounters of Lahiri as a developing offspring of worker folks in
America are decently communicated through the character of Gogol in The Name purpose. As a kid
she is the second era of Indian Diaspora who additionally has confronted the journey for personality,
which will have no answers. Her guardians have attempted to bring her up as indicated by Bengali
culture on one hand and then again she has watched diverse ... Show more content on
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As area change personality can likewise change. Estrangement is a piece of the experience of the
Indian Diaspora and regardless of the fact that individuals are at home in any piece of the world it
doesn't imply that they won't get to be casualties of the feeling of distance. The quandary of name
can't be illuminated by the name on record. The personality of the person, which is continually
influenced by society, is something one needs to find through a methodology of reflections and
arrangements.
Fundamental CONTENT
The statement Diaspora‟ has been taken from the Greek, signifying "to scatter." Bill Ashcroft,
Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffin characterize „Diaspora‟ as "the willful or persuasive development
of people groups from their countries into new districts." (Ashcroft 68).
Robert Cohen depicts diasporas as the groups of people groups living respectively in one nation who
"recognize that the old nation – a country regularly covered somewhere down in dialect, religion,
custom or legends –dependably has some case on the devotion and emotions"(Cohen

Themes Of Diaspora By Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri, an expatriate Indian, although generation expatriate and yet her first novel The
Namesake is about a Bengali family Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli and their family. The novel
portrays realistically experiences of this family, which is sometimes distressed with a feeling of
cultural alienation, rootlessness and dislocation experienced by every expatriate at some stage or
other. Even though she belonged to the second generation still she understood the concept of
diaspora by choice and therefore replicated the "sandwich culture", a concept in her novel. The
concept of Diaspora has to be specifically understood as a single educated man who leaves his
native country for economic gain also resulting brain drain.
The novel portrays the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The reference of the 'fractures of memory' can aptly be mentioned in this context. Ashima's anxiety
over giving birth and rearing up the child in the alien land is poignantly revealed: "... it was
happening so far from home, unmonitored and unobserved by those she loved, had made it more
miraculous still" (p.6)
Similarly Ashima's recollection of the lullaby from the Bengali songs, remembrance of 'dida I'm
coming' for 'good bye' are intimately associated with the Bengali social conventions which is hardly
evadable for the first generation immigrants like Ashima. Her recollection of the past and
imagination of the present Calcuttan family life are encapsulated within the tapestry of the isolated
life in the USA.
In comparison to Ashima's nostalgia, Gogol's apathetic attitude to Indian culture is critically
examined in the novel. The lack of tie with the Indian family makes Gogol seldom recognize the
photos of the family members of Ashima. Ashima endeavours to transmit in Gogol the convention of
the Bengal by introducing him with the Bengali rhyme, names of Gods and Goddesses and prevalent
Bengali tradition of calling every child by two names. Generally immigrants attempt to linguistically
bind themselves with their original homeland. The American English seems less important to
Ashima than the Bengali language in which she is accustomed with the Calcuttan

Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" examines an immigrant bengali family that has moved from India
to America, and tries to hold their bengali culture while trying to accept American lifestyles. Ashima
and Gogol each struggle with their cultural identity throughout Lahiri's novel. The pressure of
western society and the crisis of losing one's culture and identity is demonstrated through the
characterization and Gogol and Ashima's relationships while living in America. Ashima is Gogol's
mother, who moved to America for her husband Ashoke after they were arranged for marriage.
Ashima misses her family and life back in Calcutta, she has trouble setting in to the American
lifestyles. "On more than one occasion [Ashoke] has come home from the university to find her
morose, in bed, rereading her parents' letters." Ashima feels lonely and homesick. Ashima tries to
keep Bengali tradition by always wearing a sari and a bindi in her forehead, and always cooking an
Indian dinner. "For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy
– a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts. It is an ongoing
responsibility, a parenthesis in what had once been ordinary life, only to discover that that previous
life has vanished, replaced by something more complicated and demanding." (49) In America,
Ashima is surrounded by people she does not know, and she does not quite feel that she fits in.
There are new customs and a new way of doing

Symbolism In The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri
In "The Namesake", Jhumpa Lahiri illustrates several factors contributing to an individual's life such
as the struggle faced by settling immigrant families and their growing second–generation children.
Lahiri develops the fundamental idea that the absence of strong roots heavily affects an individual's
identity. This is clearly depicted through Gogol and the conflict he faces with his identity, the central
theme and its deeper meaning and the symbolism and the irony used throughout the book. Firstly,
the main protagonist, Gogol, is heavily affected by not having strong roots. We are introduced to his
struggle with identity almost immediately after we are introduced to him. Gogol is described as a
normal Bengali Indo–American individual; born in 1968 with thick brown–black hair and pale
golden skin. At a height of almost 6 feet, he can be described with a slender body and with a face
that is "lean, intelligent, suddenly handsome" and more prominent bones. Ashima also claims that
she can see much resemblance in Gogol to her family and he shares many of his parents' features as
well. Aside from his physical features, Gogol can be described as an obedient, creative, curious,
intelligent and sensitive individual. His creativity plays a humungous hand in his drawing skills, and
later in his choice of career as an architect. It is well understood that Gogol meets the expectation of
receiving good grades and can be described as a good student as well. As a child and, even through
his teenage years. Gogol is seen as obedient and because he always believed in doing everything his
parents wanted, he missed out on making a lot of fundamental choices that contribute to his identity.
Accepting the advice of your parents is not wrong, but along the way, one should not get lost, which
is what Gogol at some point does. He does, however, become an architect and goes to another
university that the one that his father teaches at because he wants to do something for himself which
is not necessarily in agreement with what his parents want for him. Throughout the book, Gogol
struggles with his identity. As an example, at Gogol's rice ceremony he is pressured by his family
and family friends to choose either some soil, a pen or a

Analysis Of `` Sexy By Jhumpa Lahiri ``

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Analysis Of `` Sexy By Jhumpa Lahiri ``