Film Comparisons Essay Example

Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri, highlights the miscommunication between characters and the contrast between the intentions of one’s actions versus how others interpret them. In “A Temporary Matter,” “Sexy,” and “Interpreter of Maladies,” the main character misinterprets another character's words or actions for something they wish to hear, instead of understanding what their actions truly imply, tearing the relationship apart. Throughout these short stories, Lahiri demonstrates the effects language can have on characters and how miscommunication can lead to the ending of relationships.

In “A Temporary Matter,” Shoba and Shukumar experience a power outage amid their relationship falling apart after experiencing the loss of an infant. They avoid each other at all costs; however, once the power goes out, they are suddenly able to communicate in the dark. The couple begins to ask each other questions and start to talk more, and when the power comes back on, Shoba tells Shukumar she “need[s] some time alone” and is moving out (Lahiri 20). Although Shoba has made up her mind about ending things with Shukumar, Shukumar is greatly unprepared when Shoba tells him she is leaving. During the power outage, he thinks that Shoba is trying to heal their relationship, not end it. Their miscommunication leads to Shukumar’s disappointment because Shoba is unable to tell him upfront how she feels and instead leads him on, making him think she is talking to him as a way of mending their relationship.

“Sexy” is similar to “A Temporary Matter” because Shukumar, like Miranda, misinterprets Dev’s actions and words towards her. Miranda is seeing Dev while he is married, and realizes that Dev does not care about her. Dev takes her to a mapparium, where he calls Miranda sexy, which has a significant meaning to her, but not to him. She interprets this as him loving her and desperately wanting to be with her, but later he does not have a recollection of saying it. This demonstrates Miranda’s limited experience and naive approach to relationships because she has not experienced how her partner should treat her in a relationship, compelling her to misunderstand Dev’s words for something more. She is unaware that her actions are causing others harm, until Rohin, her friend’s nephew, tells her his definition of the word sexy: “loving someone you do [not] know” (Lahiri 105). Miranda questions what the effects of her being with Dev are on other people, which makes her reconsider being with him and ultimately decide that “it was [not] fair to her, or [Dev’s] wife, that they both deserved better, [and] there was no point in dragging it on (Lahiri 107). This realization proved to her that Dev does not love her, making her put an end to their relationship.

Comparable to the way Miranda and Shukumar misunderstand the words of their partners, Mr. Kapasi in “Interpreter of Maladies” misinterprets Mrs. Das’s intentions. Mr. Kapasi is the Das’s tour guide, and he becomes infatuated with Mrs. Das, paying attention to her bare legs and “the strawberry between her breasts” (Lahiri 53). Mr. Kapasi highlights their similarities and how they both feel unfit in their families and miserable in life. He pictures their life together and Mrs. Das leaving her husband for him, which are undeniably unrealistic expectations. Towards the end of the day, Mrs. Das is alone with Mr. Kapasi and decides to confess a lifelong secret of hers. She tells him that her son Bobby is not her own, and she had cheated on her husband. Mr. Kapasi is extremely unprepared to hear this and does not know how to respond. Mrs. Das seems to want him to offer her some closure and justify her mistake, but he does not. Her confession makes him aware of her flaws, which he had yet to notice about her. His perfect perception of her is gone, and he suddenly feels less attracted to her. He acknowledges that he does not know anything about her, only the faultless parts he allows himself to see, much like Miranda’s view of Dev.

Each of these stories represents how characters misinterpret words for what they want to hear, instead of what the person means. Miranda and Mr. Kapasi only pay attention to Dev and Mrs. Das’s perfections before realizing their lives and personalities are composed of many flaws they did not recognize at the start. In “A Temporary Matter,” Shukumar does not realize the meaning of Shoba wanting to know all of his confessional stories about their relationship until she decides that it is the right choice to end their relationship. Overall, Interpreter of Maladies highlights how misperception among characters’ expressions can affect their relationships for the worse, resulting in the realization of the faults within their relationships.