Theme

Theme Theme A Temporary Matter The main theme of the story A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri is “ the little things in life” that also attribute to the subsequent occurrences in the story. Each event in the story accompanies a theme and also leads to another fundamental happening in the story. Imperatively, all the themes operate around the main theme of the little things in life. The instances of the story contribute to the temporary matter, which is the title of the story. The main issues addressed include immigrant experience, marriage and love, communication, parent child relationships, religion and tradition, partition and nature1.
The immigrant experience is marked by the narrator of the last section who notes that life is smooth, though challenging. According to Lila’s parents, the movement to America presents them an opportunity for wealth which they would have not obtained in India. Nonetheless, Mrs. Sen flat-out refuses to assimilate due to her incapability to live without Indian life.
In this scenario, marriage is an opportunity for happiness but also secrets and mysteries. Twinkle and Sanjeev have no arrangement in their marriage even though they are born in America. Despite of being together in marriage, each individual maintains self feelings. Sanjeev is uncertain of love for his wife because of the disconnection. The toll of the child’s death moves Shukumar and Shoba’s marriage radically2. The two are no longer the same people as they met due to death and their attitudes are altered by the death. Hence, each romantic instance poses as a unique aspect in its own way.
The author highlights the essence of communication. The author highlights the effect of secrecy in marriage and entails numerous feelings that can attribute to break up. For 3instance, Shukumar and Shoba got deprived of their own grief and halted communication with each other. The two have gained mistrust and can hardly believe that their union is still valid. The blackout enables Shukumar and Shoba to communicate the secrets, which they have never shared to each other. There is evident highlight of parent and child relations.
The children’s relations change with their parents as they grow due to understanding they develop. There is an automatic truth between Eliot and the mother. Eliot is certain of his mother’s distress and his powerlessness over the situation. In contrast, the narrator nurses his mother when she becomes ill. Lilia, Eliot, and Rohin all recognize the grownups grief and offer high-level surveillance on the form of love and failure4.
The environment and nature reveal the intrinsic commotion of the characters. The rubble-filled Sun at the top of a dry river shows the devastation of marriage in Das’ family and the disappointment accompanying Mr. Kapasi. Eliot is not capable of expressing his distress, which is reflected by grey waves outside his window. The thawing of snow only results after Shukumar and Shoba reunite in their marriage. Therefore, all this situations attribute to temporary matters in life.
Bibliography
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000