Weblog 8

How does Jhumpa Lahiri use the minor action and subtle details to express the unmet needs of the characters?

Jhumpa Lahiri uses little bits of the story to express the unmet needs of the characters a lot in her story, Interpreter of Maladies. One of the many examples is how Tina is treated and how Tina treats her doll. Tina, a girl who constantly seeks her mother’s approval, is constantly met with disappointment. Her mother, Mrs. Das, does not treat Tina like a daughter, instead, according to hints given by Jhumpa Lahiri, Mrs. Das treats her daughter as if she is a nuisance thus neglects her. An example is shown on page 62, “…pulled out a bottle of nail polish, which she proceeded to stroke… ‘Mommy, do mine too.’ ‘Leave me alone,’ Mrs. Das said, blowing on her nail and turning her body slightly.” This neglectful attitude impacts Tina heavily. It leads to Tina, treating her doll the way she feels like how she is being treated by her mother. This need of love from her mother is unmet, thus the minor action of treating the doll poorly occurs. Another example of a minor action or detail that display unmet needs of characters is when Mr. and Mrs. Das have the minor fights during the tour. An example of one of these fights is when the two bicker about the car, which had no air conditioning. Mrs. Das complained to her husband about how the car is hot because it lacked air conditioning, yet Mr. Das said it wasn’t that bad, while he himself put his own window down. This shows Mr. Das’s hypocrisy and his neglectful attitude towards his wife, which may express his unmet need of having a caring wife. On Mrs. Das’s side, the quarrels between her and her husband express her need for a proper caring husband, which she also wants to care about. It represents the failed marriage, which was premature, considering they ‘were in high school when he proposed.’ (Lahiri, 75) This desire of a good or better spouse may have lead to her leading Mr. Kapasi on. In many occasions, she gave hints, which showed that she was interested in Mr. Kapasi. Some examples would be the use of the word ‘romantic’ on page 64, the sharing of food such as gum on page 64. This may have been an effect of Mrs. Das’s unmet needs of a happy relationship.