Interpreter of Maladies Week 1 Response - "A Real Durwan" and "The Blessed House"
By Lila Kalick
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the things we owe one another, in relationship, in friendship, with strangers we see on the street or ones that exist abstractly in notions of community and global wellbeing. The commitments we keep with each other and with humanity always seem to be shifting. In a world of push-of-a-button convenience that provides quick replacements for everything from fluorescent eco-friendly lightbulbs to bedfellows, what are the rules for leaving things behind?
The two stories we read this week in Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, "A Real Durwan" and "The Blessed House," hint at this question from different angles. "A Real Durwan" chronicles the tale of an impoverished woman that is kicked out of her community. The story ends with her walking away dishonored and alone. This story considers ideas of displacement and who the people who are leave behind in our society really are. It chronicles how our social contracts can seemingly shift so suddenly it makes heads spin.
"The Blessed House" tells the story of a young couple that moves into a new home, only to find endless religious iconography scattered throughout their lives there. A new husband and wife must navigate what to do with all of it. And, while Twinkle (the wife in the story) wants to hang on to all the items that were left, Sanjeev (her husband) cannot understand why. There are different notions of how to handle things left behind present in the way Lahiri writes these characters. By presenting their conflicting attitudes she shows their underlying motivations and greater truths and builds their characters.
In "A Real Durwan," the reader follows the story of Boori Ma, a "sweeper of the stairwell," at an increasingly well-to-do apartment building. At first, the inhabitants of this building are accommodating to Boori Ma. In return, she cares for the building and acts as a "durwan," a security guard. There is a real sense of community amongst the neighbors in the story. A very clear ecosystem is demonstrated and Boori Ma is an important part of it.
Then, by no fault of her own, after a robbery happens to occur during her absence, Boori Ma is thrown out of the building. The ending of the story is chaotic. Boori Ma walks away and the neighbors don't think twice about where she will go or what effect their actions take on her. We as readers assume that they search for a "a real durwan" and we don't know what happens to Boori Ma. We don't know if she will return or not. The neighbors who previously seemed to be upstanding, sympathetic and caring toward Boori Ma demonstrate a complete transformation in their actions toward her when they throw her out.
From a craft perspective, this story does a really good job of illustrating character through action. Whereas "The Blessed House" focuses in on more of an internal dialogue and builds character through demonstrating Sanjeev's opinions, complaints, fears and sadnesses in reaction to his wife Twinkle's actions, "A Real Durwan" doesn't give us a privileged look into the characters' thoughts. Lahiri is able to build convincing characters through their actions. Boori Ma is characterized by the true or not true stories she tells about the riches she lost and by how the residents of the building seem to react to her.
Some examples of the way the people around her react are evident in the way the children in the building tease her with their questions about her former life: "'Why demand specifics? [she responds] Believe me, don't believe me. My life is composed of such griefs you cannot even dream them.'" Also, when Boori Ma shows her bedding to Mrs. Dalal, Mrs. Dalal responds by saying she will buy Boori Ma new bedding. "'I am hearing no arguments,' Mrs. Dalal said. 'You need a new bed. Quilts, a pillow. A blanket when winter comes'" (Lahiri, 75).
At the beginning of the story, Lahiri characterizes Boori Ma in a kind of playful, almost mocking tone. Then, there is a dramatic shift for all the characters. After the Dalals put in a sink, all of the sudden the neighbors become jealous and turn competitive. Lahiri builds a more sympathetic version of Boori Ma's character as she is slowly displaced to the roof of the building by construction, and then eventually kicked out. The neighbors, who previously seemed so nice, don't consider their responsibility to Boori Ma at all. Their privilege in the story allows them to kick her out with no consequence. Boori Ma, who previously was the most unreliable narrator in the story, becomes the true or real perspective. It's an incredible shift to observe.
In contrast, in "The Blessed House," Twinkle's character takes a completely different approach in the question of how to treat things left behind. When she and Sanjeev move into their house she starts finding all kinds of Christian artifacts/iconography/ephemera. She ends up feeling a deep commitment to not throwing these things away, despite the fact that she and her husband are Hindu. She keeps reminding her husband that these items are in some way sacred. Lahiri presents an interesting question here for her characters: What obligation do we have to those who came before? How should they care for the things left behind?
Lahiri is expert in the way she inspires her audience to consider their position within the world. She does this by shifting perspectives and presenting important questions of privilege, respect, and community. She focuses her lens in tightly on these small, seemingly everyday interactions and draws huge meaning from them. I'm interested to see how others interpreted her work and what questions came up.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the things we owe one another, in relationship, in friendship, with strangers we see on the street or ones that exist abstractly in notions of community and global wellbeing. The commitments we keep with each other and with humanity always seem to be shifting. In a world of push-of-a-button convenience that provides quick replacements for everything from fluorescent eco-friendly lightbulbs to bedfellows, what are the rules for leaving things behind?
The two stories we read this week in Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, "A Real Durwan" and "The Blessed House," hint at this question from different angles. "A Real Durwan" chronicles the tale of an impoverished woman that is kicked out of her community. The story ends with her walking away dishonored and alone. This story considers ideas of displacement and who the people who are leave behind in our society really are. It chronicles how our social contracts can seemingly shift so suddenly it makes heads spin.
"The Blessed House" tells the story of a young couple that moves into a new home, only to find endless religious iconography scattered throughout their lives there. A new husband and wife must navigate what to do with all of it. And, while Twinkle (the wife in the story) wants to hang on to all the items that were left, Sanjeev (her husband) cannot understand why. There are different notions of how to handle things left behind present in the way Lahiri writes these characters. By presenting their conflicting attitudes she shows their underlying motivations and greater truths and builds their characters.
In "A Real Durwan," the reader follows the story of Boori Ma, a "sweeper of the stairwell," at an increasingly well-to-do apartment building. At first, the inhabitants of this building are accommodating to Boori Ma. In return, she cares for the building and acts as a "durwan," a security guard. There is a real sense of community amongst the neighbors in the story. A very clear ecosystem is demonstrated and Boori Ma is an important part of it.
Then, by no fault of her own, after a robbery happens to occur during her absence, Boori Ma is thrown out of the building. The ending of the story is chaotic. Boori Ma walks away and the neighbors don't think twice about where she will go or what effect their actions take on her. We as readers assume that they search for a "a real durwan" and we don't know what happens to Boori Ma. We don't know if she will return or not. The neighbors who previously seemed to be upstanding, sympathetic and caring toward Boori Ma demonstrate a complete transformation in their actions toward her when they throw her out.
From a craft perspective, this story does a really good job of illustrating character through action. Whereas "The Blessed House" focuses in on more of an internal dialogue and builds character through demonstrating Sanjeev's opinions, complaints, fears and sadnesses in reaction to his wife Twinkle's actions, "A Real Durwan" doesn't give us a privileged look into the characters' thoughts. Lahiri is able to build convincing characters through their actions. Boori Ma is characterized by the true or not true stories she tells about the riches she lost and by how the residents of the building seem to react to her.
Some examples of the way the people around her react are evident in the way the children in the building tease her with their questions about her former life: "'Why demand specifics? [she responds] Believe me, don't believe me. My life is composed of such griefs you cannot even dream them.'" Also, when Boori Ma shows her bedding to Mrs. Dalal, Mrs. Dalal responds by saying she will buy Boori Ma new bedding. "'I am hearing no arguments,' Mrs. Dalal said. 'You need a new bed. Quilts, a pillow. A blanket when winter comes'" (Lahiri, 75).
At the beginning of the story, Lahiri characterizes Boori Ma in a kind of playful, almost mocking tone. Then, there is a dramatic shift for all the characters. After the Dalals put in a sink, all of the sudden the neighbors become jealous and turn competitive. Lahiri builds a more sympathetic version of Boori Ma's character as she is slowly displaced to the roof of the building by construction, and then eventually kicked out. The neighbors, who previously seemed so nice, don't consider their responsibility to Boori Ma at all. Their privilege in the story allows them to kick her out with no consequence. Boori Ma, who previously was the most unreliable narrator in the story, becomes the true or real perspective. It's an incredible shift to observe.
In contrast, in "The Blessed House," Twinkle's character takes a completely different approach in the question of how to treat things left behind. When she and Sanjeev move into their house she starts finding all kinds of Christian artifacts/iconography/ephemera. She ends up feeling a deep commitment to not throwing these things away, despite the fact that she and her husband are Hindu. She keeps reminding her husband that these items are in some way sacred. Lahiri presents an interesting question here for her characters: What obligation do we have to those who came before? How should they care for the things left behind?
Lahiri is expert in the way she inspires her audience to consider their position within the world. She does this by shifting perspectives and presenting important questions of privilege, respect, and community. She focuses her lens in tightly on these small, seemingly everyday interactions and draws huge meaning from them. I'm interested to see how others interpreted her work and what questions came up.
I hadn't thought about these stories in terms of what is (or isn't) left behind. I like what you say about how the residents' behavior towards Boori Ma changes so quickly and how easy it is for them to throw her out at the end. Thinking about it now, it reminds me of how difficult it was for Boori Ma herself to let go of her past. Compared to how the residents are eager for change, Boori Ma is unable to leave things behind, even if the truth of those things is difficult to discern.
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