Some Notes on Lahiri

     I thoroughly enjoyed the stories by Jhumpa Lahiri we read in class, mostly because of their realism and relatability, not to mention the well-constructed plots.  I thought that what she wrote flowed naturally, and built well to the end.  To me, what the stories were, was a series of portraits of real life, and what people encountered.  (For whatever reason I thought "A Real Durwan" and "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar" were more fantastical.)  In my opinion, she portrayed life as it is, and explored events and concepts which many people face, among them death, love, infidelity, ostracization, homesickness, tradition, and immigration/moving.

     One thing worthy of note in the stories is that often, the adults are involved in the academic world, and this is the reason they left their homeland.  This middle-class, academic household is probably the most similar to the average Uni student's situation than anything we read in this semester.  Beside that, the stories are relatable because of the strength in their characters, and the similarity between them and actual life.  It is easy to find empathy with the characters, and many of us will face similar situations.  Who has not felt homesick like Mrs. Sen, albeit to a lesser degree?  I liked the stories because of this, their relatability.

     However, it is easy for a portrayal of real life to become boring, but I did not find that with Lahiri. I think this was because of the subtle choice of wording, and also the well-structured plots.  There is much that is easy to miss, such as Mr. Kapasi's disapproval/judgment in the titular story which we discussed in class.  Then, the way the stories were built was traditional but effective: a few hints and some foreshadowing, leading to a climax and quick denouement.  Most of the stories follow this, and many have "happy" endings, like "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" and "The Third and Final Continent."  This also helped make the stories more enjoyable.

   In conclusion, I liked Lahiri's stories because of the accurate portrayal of the human experience.  I appreciated the way she was able to make the ordinary extraordinary, (similar to Nicholson Baker in The Mezzanine, for those who took 20th Century Novel) and her portrayal of human life.  I am very impressed with her ability for this.  This made me appreciate the last story, "The Third and Final Continent" even more, and especially its philosophy on the extraordinary ordinariness of people's lives, and I especially liked the closing line-- "As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination"--a very healthy approach on life.  In short, I liked Lahiri's work because it was accurate to life.