Jumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize and gained literary fame for his series of short stories. In one of her short stories, The Translator of Diseases, there are several symbols. The main symbols are: a strawberry necklace around Mrs. Das; the neck, which lay between her breasts, the bare intimate statutes in the temple, which she recognized, and the paper with the address of Mr. Kapasi, who broke free of her pocket book and the wind.
The story Interpreters of Diseases focuses on the Indian-American couple, Mr. and Mrs. Das, who are on vacation in India with their three children. They are chauffeured by an Indian taxi driver, who immediately showed affection for Mrs. Das. His imagination was focused on comparing Mrs. Das with his wife in a sensual manner.
A necklace with strawberries around the neck of Mrs. Das, who lay between her breasts, serves as a symbol of her sensuality. At that moment, Mr. Kapasi’s wrathful intervention began for Ms. Das. He found her irresistible. The strawberry lying between her breasts on a tight-fitting shirt in a shirt style reminded Mr. Kapasi of the maturity of her breasts as a symbol of her femininity. He was looking at her through the rearview mirror. This allowed him to dream of an irresistible relationship with Mrs. Das, whom he had never had with his wife.
The bare statues of the Temple of the Sun were symbols of ignorance of Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Dass. Mr. Kapasi watched her reaction to the naked statutes and their positions of love. He was pleased that she stopped every three or four steps and stared at the carved lovers and topless women. He also looked at topless figures when his mind wandered around Mrs. Dass with intensity, while he repeatedly looked with love to her profile. This led to his dreaming of her. He saw her in a more sexually attractive way than his wife.
Gland scrap with the name and address of Mr. Kapasi, who was in the book of Mrs. Das, meant a connection between them. He even dreamed of future contact with her. However, when she told him her secret infidelity regarding the birth of her son Bobby, she changed their relationship from positive to negative. He was not satisfied with his reaction, left and went to look for his husband and children. When they entered the taxi again, the paper with the address came out of Mrs. Dass' wallet and in the wind. The only person who noticed the paper when he blew away was Mr. Kapasi. This was a symbol of the loss of Mr Kapasi. The event meant the termination of their relationship.
This short story from Jhumpa is genuine, original and enjoyable to read. I like this story because it is closely related to reality. He touched upon events that may occur daily between people in different conditions. The characters in the story enriched the text and expanded its interpretation. This is a great story that should be read by people interested in understanding various cultural myths and symbols.
© Joseph S. Spence, Sr. All rights reserved
