The Authors: Gio Saputra, Dwike Nasya Selvia, Tamara Monica, Jodi Cahya
Analyzing a literary work is not limited only to the text itself. Literature always has a connection with social life, because it often contains issues that are happening or have happened in the real world. This can also be seen in the short story Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999). The story basically tells about a vacation trip of an Indian American diaspora family who are visiting India. However, behind their journey to the Sun Temple with a tour guide named Mr. Kapasi, there are much more complex issues, such as immigration, diaspora, cultural hybridity, changes in identity, gender issues, and feelings of alienation.
The story focuses on the Das family, Mr. and Mrs. Das and their three children, who were born and raised in the United States. Their parents migrated to America in the past and, after retirement, decided to return to Asansol, India. However, for Mr. and Mrs. Das themselves, India is no longer home. India is only a place they visit as tourists. This can be seen in the way they react to things that are actually common in India, such as the many monkeys on the streets or even the different position of the car steering wheel. From these examples, we can see that diaspora is not only about moving from one place to another, but it also creates a new identity that is different from the original one.
The Das family shows an identity that feels incomplete. Based on their names, they are Indian, but in their lifestyle and attitude they are very American. This can be seen from the way they dress. Mr. Das wears a T shirt, shorts, a cap, and sneakers. Mrs. Das wears a plaid skirt above the knee, wooden high heels, a tight blouse, and large sunglasses. Their appearance is quite different when compared to traditional Indian clothing. In addition, the way Mr. Das greets Mr. Kapasi with an American style handshake, instead of a traditional Indian greeting, also becomes an important detail in the issue of diaspora. In the story, Mr. Kapasi even says that their accent sounds like the Americans on television, which makes the cultural distance even clearer. On the other hand, cultural hybridity in this story is not balanced. The Das family does have a hybrid identity, but it is more American than Indian. This can be seen from the way they dress and speak, which is strongly American. When they face Indian culture, they seem confused, such as being surprised to see many monkeys on the road or questioning the different direction of the car steering wheel. This condition shows that even though they use Indian names, their cultural connection to India is not very strong.
Besides that, the issue of identity change is also visible in this story. At first, Mr. Kapasi sees the Das family as a modern young family who may be harmonious and happy. However, this view slowly changes when he notices that Mr. and Mrs. Das do not seem to care much about each other and appear individualistic. They even look more like brother and sister than parents. Mrs. Das is busy painting her nails instead of paying attention to her children, while Mr. Das is more focused on his camera and travel guidebook. Because of this, the image of an ideal family that once appeared in Mr. Kapasi’s mind falls apart. He begins to realize that the Das family also has problems, and they may not be very different from his own married life.
There is also a part where Mrs. Das admits her burden and guilt. This is clearly seen when she says, “For eight years I haven’t been able to express this to anybody, not to friends, certainly not to Raj”. This statement can be read as a representation of the silenced voice of diaspora women. She admits that for eight years she was unable to tell anyone about her secret, not even her own husband. This shows how limited her space to speak. As a woman who married in young age and immediately took on the roles of wife and mother, she lived under family and cultural expectations. It is also mentioned that their parents often joked about their marriage. These jokes can also be understood as a form of social pressure. Because of this, Mrs. Das’s silence for eight years becomes a representation of how women in diaspora contexts can carry emotional burdens without having the space to truly be heard.
On the other hand, Mr. Kapasi’s position as an interpreter becomes a very interesting symbol. His main job is to translate patients’ complaints from one language into another so that the doctor can understand their illness. When Mrs. Das calls his job romantic, he feels appreciated, something he has never even felt from his own wife. From that moment, he begins to imagine a deeper emotional connection. However, in the end, he is only used as a place to “translate” Mrs. Das’s guilt. If we read it symbolically, Mrs. Das can be seen as a patient who feels sick emotionally, her family as the doctor, and Mr. Kapasi as the mediator who is asked to give a diagnosis or response. But when he asks whether what she feels is truly a sickness or just guilt, the distance between them becomes clear. In a second, the closeness he once imagined falls apart, and he realizes that he is only a place for her to release her feelings, not someone who is truly cared about.
Based on this discussion, it can be concluded that this short story shows how immigration creates diaspora, which then forms an identity that feels divided. Cultural mixing does not always run smoothly, and identity is not always stable. Both Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi are trapped in loneliness and disappointment that they find difficult to express honestly. Therefore, this story is not only about a family vacation, but also about how diaspora, cultural hybridity, and identity change can shape a life that looks ordinary on the outside, but hides deep scar inside.
Reference
Lahiri, J. (1999). Interpreter of Maladies. https://iblit2013.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/lahiri-interpreter-of-maladies-full-text.pdf
