Isolation in Interpreter Of Maladies Essay

Interpreter of Maladies

The feeling of being isolated can be an overwhelmingly strong emotion. As some point in everyones life, they experience loneliness. In Mrs. Sens, Interpreter of Maladies, and A Temporary Matter the characters each are faced with a sense of isolation.

In Mrs. Sens, Mr. and Mrs. Sen move to America from India. Mrs. Sen becomes a permanent babysitter for Eliot and they become very close. Eliot sees Mrs. Sen slowly falling apart. She would talk about her family and always anxiously awaiting letters from them. It was obvious she longed to be with them. Eliot understood that when Mrs. Sen said home, she meant India. This shows exactly how she felt about her new life. Mrs. Sen also talked about how different her culture was in India than America. For example she would eat firs twice a day back home. Because this upset Mrs. Sen She looked for her husband for support, but he was busy working late at the college where he taught math. As a result, they started to drift apart. This added to her feeling of exile.

In Interpreter of Maladies, Mr. Kapasi was a tour guide in India, and an interpreter at a doctors office. Although he was in constant contact with people he felt withdrawn. He did not have a strong relationship with his wife, and felt as though they had nothing in common. Since his first son died of illness, he had always felt something was missing. On one of his tours he met Mrs. Das. She was young and attractive. She appeared very distant from her family. When she found out Mr. Kapasis occupation she became very interested in him. Mrs. Kapasi imagined a scenario where him and Mrs. Das become very close and are a major part of each others lives. He sees this as the actual future until Mrs. Das tells him a secret. Through their conversation he gradually watches this dream fade. At one point Mrs. Das almost says something to him but decides not to. He knew at that moment he was not even important enough to be properly insulted. Mr. Kapasi felt more secluded then ever at this moment.

In A Temporary Matter, Shoba and Shukumar is a couple who experienced the loss of a newly born baby. Shoba is secerly depressed. Their relationship feels forced due to their culture and the fact that they had been together for a while. Neither enjoys each others company any longer. Shoba resents that Shukumar was not there when they lost the baby because he left on a business trip that she was not to fond of him attending. He learned not to mind the silences. This shows how distant the two were becoming. When Shoba tells him that she found an apartment Shukumer hit rock bottom. He was aware of the detachment between them yet he felt more isolated than ever.

The feeling of solitude in each of these three stories is apparent. They all experience it in different ways, and are effected differently by it, but they all are unhappy and do not know exactly what to go about doing next.