In observance of Valentine's Day, I thought we'd kick off the discussion of Jhumpa Lahiri's compilation of short stories, "Interpreter of Maladies," with a question about love.
Valentine's Day typically symbolizes a celebration of love, however the idea seems to take on different shapes for the characters in Lahiri's stories. The issues that arise in the relationships she shows us in her narratives are far from effortless, and are in many ways fraught. Consider the passage below from the story, "This Blessed House."
"In truth, Sanjeev did not know what love was, only what he thought it was not. It was not, he had decided, returning to an empty carpeted condominium each night, and using only the top fork in his cutlery drawer, and turning away politely at those weekend dinner parties when the other men eventually put their arms around the waists of their wives and girlfriends, leaning over every now and again to kiss their shoulders or necks... Now he had [a wife], a pretty one, from a suitably high caste, who would soon have a master's degree. What was there not to love?" [pg. 147-148]
We all seem to have our own ideas as to what love is, or isn't for that matter. Do you relate to any of the relationships illustrated in Lahiri's stories? How would you define love? What in your life (friends, family, the media, etc.) do you feel has helped shape your definition?
Follow the link below to view a painting by one of Europe's leading Neoclassical painters, Angelica Kauffmann. The painting illustrates a scene from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, "Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus." Does this scene relate to any of the stories in Lahiri's book?
Valentine's Day typically symbolizes a celebration of love, however the idea seems to take on different shapes for the characters in Lahiri's stories. The issues that arise in the relationships she shows us in her narratives are far from effortless, and are in many ways fraught. Consider the passage below from the story, "This Blessed House."
"In truth, Sanjeev did not know what love was, only what he thought it was not. It was not, he had decided, returning to an empty carpeted condominium each night, and using only the top fork in his cutlery drawer, and turning away politely at those weekend dinner parties when the other men eventually put their arms around the waists of their wives and girlfriends, leaning over every now and again to kiss their shoulders or necks... Now he had [a wife], a pretty one, from a suitably high caste, who would soon have a master's degree. What was there not to love?" [pg. 147-148]
We all seem to have our own ideas as to what love is, or isn't for that matter. Do you relate to any of the relationships illustrated in Lahiri's stories? How would you define love? What in your life (friends, family, the media, etc.) do you feel has helped shape your definition?
Follow the link below to view a painting by one of Europe's leading Neoclassical painters, Angelica Kauffmann. The painting illustrates a scene from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, "Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus." Does this scene relate to any of the stories in Lahiri's book?
https://www.mfah.org/art/detail/938?r...