22 Contemporary Literature, 1970 to Present
becomes tied to ritual. The article by Williams would be most useful; Mitra’s
should be consulted for “Mrs. Sen’s.”- Students might trace instances of defamiliarization in Lahiri’s writing.
Defamiliarization is the process by which an author elicits new recogni-
tion of something familiar and typically taken for granted. For instance, Mr.
Pirzada’s impatience with Americans constantly thanking him suggests how
meaningless expressions may become when overused. One of the most power-
ful examples of defamiliarization comes in “Sexy,” when Rohin, whose father
has abandoned his family for a woman he met on a plane, tells Miranda that
“sexy” means “loving someone you don’t know.” What does Lahiri accomplish
through the strategy of defamiliarization? How might this relate to her prefer-
ence for a “plain” style, as noted above? - Most Americans find the idea of an “arranged marriage” offensive, believing
marriage should be based on companionate love rather than economics, fam-
ily ties, or parents’ views of a good match. Yet, the practice continues in some
other parts of the world with some success, while the United States experi-
ences a 50 percent divorce rate. In these stories some marriages are arranged,
others come about through individuals meeting on their own, and a few are
somewhere between these two possibilities, with parents making introductions
but nothing more formal. What outcomes does Lahiri depict for these mar-
riages? What evidence is there that she considers arranged marriages a viable
option or an intrusive mistake? Beyond this cultural difference issue, students
will find good material in these stories for analyzing what Lahiri dramatizes
as necessary for healthy relationships.
RESOURCES
Primary Works
Isaac Chotiner, “Jhumpa Lahiri,” Atlantic, 18 March 2008 http://www.theatlan-
tic.com/doc/200802u/jhumpa-lahiri [accessed 24 November 2009].
Interview in which Lahiri discusses her interest in the position of immigrants
and their children, her own reading interests, and her views on criticism and
reviewers.
Liane Hansen, “Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘Interpreter of Maladies,’” NPR: Weekend All
Things Considered, 22 August 1999 <www.npr.org/templates/story/story.
php?storyId=1057437> [accessed 24 November 2009].
Interview in which Lahiri discusses her family and particularly “Mrs. Sen’s” and
“The Third and Final Continent.”
Steve Inskeep, “Jhumpa Lahiri’s Struggle to Feel American,” NPR: Morning
Edition, 25 November 2008 http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/tran-
script.php?storyId=97418330 [accessed 24 November 2009].
Interview in which Lahiri discusses her parents’ inability to feel “American”
despite raising a family in the United States and coming to think of it as their
home; the ways she felt “different” growing up, both internally and externally; and
her own “halfway feeling” about identifying as American.