Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies", by David Harvey

How many problems in society could be eliminated if, instead of focusing on the faults of others, humans spent more time evaluating themselves? It is no secret that people are quick to judge others, despite there being no person in this world with a perfect life and absolutely no problems of their own. Whenever visiting different cultures, it is easy to see the generalization, stereotypes and the judgements that come from comparison, whether it be the different sense of fashion or just the variation of skin colour. It seems as though the judgement is always there, as if it is second nature. Some would argue that this "judgement" comes because of clashing of cultures, some will say it is a natural human tendency to misconceive anything that is unfamiliar or drastically different to what one is used to.  In Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story, “Interpreter of Maladies”, many people may say that one of the main issues is communication, or lack thereof. However, upon taking a closer look, it could be said that the underlying problem of this story is the way in which society perceives one another in the form of judgement in order to elevate themselves above others. 

 Right from the start of the story, we see this judgement from Mr. Kapasi when he first sees the Das family and notices that ‘they were very young’ and ‘looked Indian but dressed as foreigners did’ (Lahiri 335). In this story, Lahiri shows the subtlety and speed at which judgment happens; this explores the idea that perhaps judging others is a way to distract from personal problems and to satisfy the need to be better than others. For example, we see this from both Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das as we see their characters develop and form, yet another, dysfunctional relationship. This story is constantly comparing the life of Mr. Kapasi to the lives of the Das family making the reader form a judgement as to who seems to have the better life.    

This story holds lots of symbolism, some of which eludes to the fact that there is judgement and uncertainty between not only different cultures, but even sometimes between families. The fact that this story starts off as being about culture and problems that stem from it, but soon begins to focus on problems between family members, suggests that the purpose of the story was never really about culture at all. For example, Mr. Kapasi asks the parents if they left India when they were children, but is quickly corrected by Mr. Das when he says that they were both "Born and raised" in America (Lahiri 337).  

 Perhaps some of what the author was trying to suggest is that there can never be true unity between different cultures, when society has yet to figure out how to create total unity between individuals who seem to be close to one another, as in the case of Mr. and Mrs. Das. When referring to Lahiri's purpose in writing this story, one article even makes to bold statement that "Her message in the short story "Interpreter of Maladies" is that you can be a foreigner in a new land or even within one's family" (Ștefanovici 1). Humans often make the claim that there is a divide because of race and culture but forget to admit that there can be massive divides between individuals who are seemingly close to one another, such as husband and wife.  

In an article called "Lahiri's Interpreter of Malidies," by Simon Lewis that was published in volume 59 of The Explicator, the author claims that "The question of misunderstanding is supposed to go even deeper than race and culture, representing something fundamental to the human condition" (Lewis 1). Based on the evidence listed in the paragraph above, and the quote from Simon Lewis, is seems that the author's message is one about the perception of others. It is not just about the judgments between race or between varying cultures. It is not just about judgements between families. It is also not a message of perception between individual members in a family. There is a deeper underlying message that has to do with how all units of society, such as individuals, families, communities, countries, races, and cultures view one another.  

Another way in which Lahiri introduces this judgement into the story is by giving the two families the most contrasting backgrounds as possible, and yet still sharing some common ground, such as using India as a similarity. Lahiri does this by giving the Das family an Indian background which gives Mr. Kapasi the impression that they are returning home, with which he tries to form a connection (Lahiriri 335, 336-37). It is soon revealed that Mr. Kapasi seems to take the 'moral high ground' because he was "accustomed to foreign tourists" due to him being an interpreter and speaking English (Lahiri 335). Mr. Kapasi was also "forty-six years old, with receding hair that had gone completely silver" which gives him another platform to judge this "very young" couple as he has the experience that the Das family haven't quite had yet (Lahiri 335). This judgement because of background goes both ways, we can see this when Mr. Das questions Mr. Kapasi's timing of the trip by arguing that "the Sun Temple is only eighteen miles north of Puri just after Mr. Kapasi informs them that the trip will take "two and a half hours" (Lahiri 336). 

 Mr. Das begins to feel qualified to question Mr Kapasi due to the fact the tour book is in English, his first language. Mr. Das feels that he understands it better than a simple tour guide with English as his second language. We later learn that Mr. Kapasi is more than qualified to speak English, being as he is an interpreter, but Mr. Das's judgement was too quick to take the time understand Mr. Kapasi's credentials. The latter elements about the countries of the Das family and Mr. Kapasi are prime examples of how Lahiri uses culture to create a conflict, but there is more to the story upon closer examination.  

Because the narration is through the voice of Mr. Kapasi, we get to hear his thoughts most prominently. The judgement of Mr. Kapasi from the Das's is written through Mr. Kapasi's eyes, because of this, one could argue that there is no judgement from the Das family and it is all in Mr. Kapasi's head. Whether or not he is being self-conscious because his knowledge of interpretation and the country is being questioned, or whether it be the self-confidence of getting the attention and trust of Mrs. Das, this could affect the rationality of his thoughts and turn Mr. Kapasi into an unreliable narrator. However, his unreliability is an important aspect of this story because it gives the reader an insight into how quickly a judgement can be made and as well as the reasoning behind the judgement. This is a pure example that shows that thought process of the human mind and how something so simple and miniscule, such as self-confidence or self-consciousness, can fuel the fire and add to the flame of misconception through high emotions. 

Another way that we can observe the idea of natural judgement is through the structure of the plot and how the emotions and attitudes change as the story develops. The reader can sense the change in emotions as the story goes on, at first Mr. Kapasi is trying to be a welcoming host and makes a reference, albeit an old one, to an American TV show "Dallas" so that he can forge a connection with the family but ends up with a "picture of the Das family he would preserve forever in his mind" of his address as it "fluttered away" and nobody noticed it but him (Lahiri 339,353). This gives the reader the opportunity to judge what Mr. Kapasi was thinking at the end, was it that he felt sorry for the family or was he focused on himself and how the family didn't really care about him as they let the paper with his address float away. 

The plot structure and character development seem to overlap one another due to the evolution of feelings and attitudes throughout the short story. Firstly, the reader is forced to make a judgement on the main characters, mainly Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi, as we discover more about their individual pasts and their thought processes. Secondly, Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das views of each other change as they get to know each other better, especially Mr. Kapasi as he seems to go on a roller coaster of emotions towards Mrs. Das as the story goes on. One example of judging between these two characters is when Mrs. Das describes Mr. Kapasi's other job as "romantic", this is ironic as he is an interpreter but misinterprets what exactly she meant by romantic.   

Mr. Kapasi then goes on to question not only his own marriage but also the marriage of the Das's and how Mrs. Das treats her husband and hopes that maybe they can forge some kind of connection over their failing marriages because of the fact that they are "a bad match" for their spouses (Lahiri 342). These marriages however, are nothing alike as the Mr. and Mrs. Das married for love whereas Mr. Kapasi had an arranged marriage. This misconception is a form of judgement on Mr. Kapasi's behalf, although some could argue that he was right to think this. This goes to show that there are many forms of judgement and many reasons for it, this one being a selfish desire to be wanted or to find a connection to a beautiful lady.   

The development of Mrs. Das and the connection she has with Mr. Kapasi is key to the title of this short story. She has a Malady that has caused her to be "in pain [for] eight years" for which she has been searching for somebody to share this burden with and thinks she has found it in Mr. Kapasi with him being an interpreter (Lahiri 351). This is an example of misguided judgement because Mr. Kapasi is only an interpreter of language for those with maladies rather than somebody who fixes them. There are others who agree with this observation. For example, L.D. Densingh says "She finds Mr. Kapasi the right interpreter for her malady and speaks out". Hence the link between the character development and the title "Interpreter of Maladies".  

It could be argued that the main writing technique that Lahiri uses in this short story in order to portray the ease of judging people is through the use of imagery. Lahiri starts the story off by enticing the reader to make a judgement on the mood that the story will follow by introducing it as "a dry, bright Saturday" in "mid-July" (Lahiri 335). Most people would argue that this is the most favourable time of year where happy memories are made as families gather together. This is however, a false sense of security that Lahiri has tricked the reader into before diving in to the complex relationships in this story. This use of imagery continues whenever Mr. Kapasi looks at, or thinks about, Mrs. Das a fantasized way. For instance, when Mrs Das simply move her sunglasses onto the top of her head, Mr. Kapasi described the action as lifting "her pinkish brown sunglasses and [arranging] them on top of her head like a tiara". This gives the reader an insight into Mr. Kapasi's mind and how he perceives Mrs. Das as a princess like figure who he seems to be enchanted by. His determination to be liked by Mrs. Das is shown in the way he wrote his address on Mrs. Das's "hastily ripped", "scrap of paper", writing "in clear, careful letters" as the "paper curled" (Lahiri 343). This piece of imagery perfectly sums up the relationship that Mr. Kapasi and Mrs Das share, the way that he is so careful and wants things to be just perfect but Mrs Das seems to give no regard to who Mr. Kapasi actually is but just shows him a mere courtesy.  

From an unreliable narrator, to a mood that provides a false sense of security, the very heart of this story lies judgement and misconceived notions from many different parties. In fact, much of this story has to do with what happens when a snap judgement is made, that later grows into an even larger misconception. Starting from Mr. Kapasi judging the couple because of their skin colour (Lahiri 337), and ending with the emphasis on a broken family when it is revealed that there are marital problems between Mr. And Mrs. Das (Lahiri 339), the story takes shape in a way which is similar to a funnel, starting at the top with the broad idea of conflicting cultures, that spirals down into the idea that there is judgement at the very core unit of society; families and individuals.  

Works Cited 

Densingh, L. D. Easter Raj. "Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies: An Exploration of the Diasporic Realities." Language in India, vol. 12, no. 5, May 2012, pp. 60-68.   http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cms&AN=77367098&site=eds-live. 

Lahiri, Jhumpa. “Interpreter of Maladies.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, 11th ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2014, pp. 335–353. 

Lewis, Simon. "Lahiri's INTERPRETER of MALADIES." Explicator, vol. 59, no. 4, Summer2001, p. 219. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=5275136&site=eds-live. 

Rao V., Jaya Lakshmi. "Jhumpa Lahiri: A Perceptive Interpreter of Maladies." Poetcrit, vol. 19, no. 1, Jan. 2006, pp. 19-25. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prf&AN=20771457&site=eds-live. 

ȘTEFANOVICI, Smaranda. "Jhumpa Lahiri and Psychological Dislocation in "Interpreter of Maladies." Studia Universitatis Petru Maior - Philologia, vol. 18, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 103-109. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cms&AN=110029906&site=eds-liv