Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories can be considered as a piece of diasporic writing. This short story collection includes the stories about the lives of immigrant Indians who struggle to adjust between the Indian traditions that they left behind and the entirely different western world that they have to encounter every day. Being born as the daughter of Bengali parents in London; homeland for the author is only an imaginary place. Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories is her first published short story collection and had won Pulitzer Prize for fiction in the year 2000.
The stories " A Temporary Matter", " When Mr.Pirzada Came To Dine", " Mrs. Sen's", "The Blessed House", "Sexy" and " The Third And Final Continent" deal with the sense of alienation that an emigrant Indian feels in a foreign country.
In " A Temporary Matter" a young couple exchange confessions after a long silence to cope with the failure in their marriage. " When Mr.Pirzada Came To Dine," narrates the cultural unanimity between an Indian family and Pakistani young man in a foreign country. "The Blessed House" is the story that shows the adjustment of young emigrant Indians to a new culture and beliefs.
Mrs. Sen's" explores the life of an emigrant Indian life through the European point of view. " The Third And Final Continent" shows the hegemonic control still exercised by the European people over the third world people. "Sexy" is the story that shows the falling marital relationship among young emigrant Indians. The story shows the extra marital relationship between an Indian and a western woman as well as her feelings to valuable relationships.
The title story " Interpreter of maladies" stands exceptional among all other stories. The story powerfully narrates the fascination of the third world people to the European life. The protagonist Mr.kapasi is an interpreter and " English is the only non-Indian language he spoke fluently..." (P.52). The story shows how the everyday language of a common Indian becomes a western language. " Interpreter of maladies" is an open confession of immigrant Indians, who have to shut their dilemmas and nostalgic feelings at a foreign culture.
Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories falls under the category of post-colonial Indian English fiction. The stories deal with the nostalgia for homeland that emerges chaotic and even harsh at some times. The narrative is simple and poetic. The use of symbols and images has been merged with the theme of the stories. The stories will grasp the whole attention of the reader till the end and will leave thoughtful impressions in their minds. This short story collection will be a valuable addition to your library and you can go back to explore the contemporary Indian culture.
Reference
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories. New Delhi, Harper Collins Publishers Pvt ltd, 1999.
