Interpreter of the Maldives, Term Paper Example

Literary experiences of the minority in a multi-cultured nation are full of challenges and heart-wrenching ordeals. Notably, such ordeals are learning experiences and motivating factors to lead a better life. Lahiri’s work, the interpreter of the Maldives, is a reflection of the author’s identity, language, and culture. Further, Lahiri’s literary works reflect her life having Bengali’s parents and later relocating to the United Kingdom and later the United States, thus facing many challenges and motivating factors. Notably, the Americans’ way of life takes a toll on her, such as the dimensions of religion, one’s identity, and names and leisure ways appeared different from what she had in mind. This paper aims to analyze the literary experiences of ‘The Interpreter of the Maldives’ while focusing on the book’s relevant themes that embody the literal experiences faced by the characters.

The book focuses on earning a living in a new environment. In the book, Mr. Kapasi, who is the main character, the job is a translator. The translation job in a multi-lingual setup entails many challenges. The significant challenges include direct translation, accent, and exact words encompassing a different meaning in another language. Notably, Mr. Kapasi’s job involved translation in a medical clinic whose role included translating patient’s words to the doctor. Further, in most medical fields, the word between the doctor and the patient is privileged. However, the lack or little communication between the doctor and the patients necessitated the services of a translator. Additionally, though the job description of translation involves enhancing communication, a few patients who are ailing from medical conditions that are stigmatized may feel an intrusion. Mr. Kapasi has no guilt in performing his duties due to language connection and has to fend for himself.  Kapasi takes another job as a guide which enables him to meet the Das family. The line of duty that makes him earn a living assists him in exploring different cultures.

In the book the Interpreter of the Maldives, there is a cultural connection which Mr. Kapasi encounters in the performance of his duties. Mr. Kapasi is shocked to see the Das family dressed like foreigners, whereas they were of Indian descent. The dressing code by the Das family manifests the American way of life as used to live in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Notably, Mr. Kapasi realizes that the Das’s children are disinterested in the whole tour as they are either annoying or chewing gum. In India, Mr. Kapasi had never experienced children so disinterested in their parents’ affairs as Mr. Das’s children. In the story, the author focuses on the reason for Mr. Das’s visits to the country. The purpose of Mr. Das visiting the country is the sense of culture, identity, and belonging that pushes them to visit their parents in Assansol. Notably, Mr. Kapasi is impressed by the family’s actions to connect with their lineage, culture, and heritage. Further, the Das is impressed by the temples which they visit on their way home, although Mr. Kapasi had other ulterior motives behind the temple visits. Expressly, the visit of the adjacent hills referred to as Khandagiri and Udayagiri resonate with the traditions of the Indians and even other western nations. The cultural connection establishment in the story makes Mr. Kapasi visit different places with cultural and religious significance to both of them.

The story highlights the challenges in communication during the stint between Mr. Kapasi and the Das family. Mr. Kapasi realizes the importance of communication due to working in an environment to enable the efficiency of communication between the doctor and his patients, hence the interpreter of the ‘maladies’ by Mrs. Das. Mr. Kapasi realizes that Mr. Das and his wife cannot communicate efficiently due to the latter hiding behind the sunglasses and thus brings tension to their relationship. Further, the author laments how the lack of communication between Das and her children makes them look ungovernable and frustrates their tour guide when he tries to explain to them about monkeys. Notably, Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi develop feelings for each other; however, the lack of clear communication between them as the fear of their affair being discovered frustrates their efforts of having a romantic relationship. In the story, due to lack of adequate or improper communication, the Das family has hostility towards each other where they have little concern to what is happening towards them bar the children who have been playing games and show one another attention.  Additionally, the lack of communication between parents puts their relationship at a hard place as Mr. Das takes his tea at night silently without conversations. For all forms of relationships to work or bear fruits, there ought to be a clear communication line that shows one’s intention and motive. Without clear communication, all intentions remain thoughts and motives.

The story Interpreter of the Maldives aims to bring the challenges faced by immigrants or visitors in a place with a different culture. Mr. Kapasi notes the dressing disparity in the Das family, including the children. Mr. Kapasi admits that the Das family looked like Indians, yet they dressed like foreigners. The dressing code is a factor that segregates them from the rest. Probably, the Das family, who are immigrants for a short period, look different from the rest of the people hence attracting attention. Immigrants face a myriad of issues ranging from lack of knowledge about a particular area, hence the need for a tour guide, who interprets the language and meaning of a few words that the Das family is unaware of. Due to the challenge of coping with different weather and climate, it leads to them arguing whether to hire a car fitted with an air conditioner but that only leads to arguments. Probably, though Das and Mrs. Das had their fair share of troubles, the argument about an air-conditioned vehicle may be different as people react differently to the weather and climate. The challenges by the immigrants lead to a strained relationship between Das and his wife and Mr. Kapasi, who thinks lowly of the Das family, especially the children.

In the story, there is a myriad of expectations from all the characters. Probably due to their naivety. In the book, Mrs. Das has very high expectations of Mr. Kapasi. Due to the challenges Mrs. Das was having with his husband, she expected that Mr. Kapasi would help, be calm, and be a source of wisdom from him. However, it ends in sorrow as Mr. Kapasi is only armed with information on the geography and several languages. Significantly, Mrs. Das realizes that the guide cannot offer all that she wanted. Similarly, Mr. Kapasi expects the Das family to be a source of inspiration and consolation after his daughter’s death. Sadly, Mr. Kapasi is disappointed to learn that the Das family has many challenges that seem to shadow him. The expectations by all characters are selfish and laced with narcissistic tendencies that seek individual benefits rather than mutual. Sadly, the difference between the Americans (the Das family) and Indians (Mr. Kapasi) is the difference in problem-solving, leading to a different outcome in their expectations. The expectations highlighted in the book often lead to disappointments, and everyone ought to personally deal with their challenges.

The story represents classism and the challenges they pose to tourists or immigrants. The classes are represented by two people the Das family and Mr. Kapasi. Mr. Kapasi has two jobs to enable him to fend for his family. Although the writer does not highlight Das and his wife’s job, they are pretty above Kapasi’s class. Further, the Das family comes from America, a country referred to as the first world, whereas Mr. Kapasi hails from a third world nation. Notably, the author highlights that Mr. Kapasi’s daughter died from a preventable disease. The author aimed to show had there been adequate health care, probably Mr. Kapasi’s daughter would have pulled through. Consequently, the lack of adequate health care is associated with emerging countries, and the Das family may fail to relate with the story as, in America, the health care system worked for all the citizens. Further, the Das family expects to meet an urban setup as they hail from such locality while in America. Differently, they head to a rural area where Bengali is the primary language of communication, unlike their home town where the language of communication is English. Tourists and immigrants may expect that the conditions of their nation are similar to those of the receiving nation until they experience the challenges firsthand.

In the story, there is the guilt and abdication of responsibility from all the characters. The author highlights the guilt of Mrs. Das, which immensely affects her and places her marriage in jeopardy due to her secret affairs. Mrs. Das believes she has negated her responsibilities as a wife and mother, while Mr. Das believes she could have been a better father who disciplines his children and creates more time for the family. Further, Mr. Kapasi believes that the Das has many signs of immaturity due to a lack of responsibility towards disciplining their children. The author compares the couple’s lack of responsibility to toxic tendencies. Notably, Mr. Das is accused by his wife of having little time for her during the pregnancy and birth of Ronny. Sadly, Mrs. Das opens up to Mr. Kapasi that the role of household chores and responsibilities solely rests on her. Consequently, Mr. Kapasi is placed in a situation contrasting to the lives of the Indian society and people. The lack of responsibility by the couple leads to children growing up in a conflicting environment that even children are not aware of their responsibilities as parents. As a result of the abdication of responsibility and guilt, the family becomes an epitome of failure and a dysfunctional family setup.

A lot of tourists, locals, and immigrants, while in a new cultural setup, yearn for knowledge and information from the trip. In the story, the main reason for hiring a guide is to get information from the tour guide. Sadly, Mr. Kapasi does not live up to expectations. The story, “interpreter of the Maldives,” narrated in the third person, shows how the characters rely on each other for knowledge. The knowledge that Mr. Kapasi possesses ways him down when he remembers that his daughter died from a preventable disease. The knowledge is acquired from his stint of work as a doctor’s interpreter.  Clearly, from the story, knowledge can be a source of pain or happiness. For the Das family, the knowledge they acquire is informative and not painful, though the author notes the lack of satisfaction, whereas for Mr. Kapasi is a source of pain as it evokes memories of the death of his daughter.

In the book ‘The Interpreter of the Maldives” the author paints a sense of belonging. The author creates the story on the background of the Das family that travels to India when the opportunity arises to visit their parents. As a result of the visits the family identifies more with the culture and way of identity because of the earlier lives apart from the children who feel that they are natives of the United States. The sense of belonging is partial, as they are unaware of the surrounding of their native country hence hiring the services of Mr. Kapasi. The tourists and migrants try to fit in the society, but they will have memories of their roots. The Das family settlement in the United States gives them little or no comfort due to being incomplete as their sense of belonging is not fulfilled due to not identifying with their native country. Most immigrants and tourists have no sense of belonging in a new country hence fulfill such desires through visiting.

The story “The Interpreter of the Maldives” showcase literal experiences of the minority. Further, the experiences encompass a sense of belonging and cultural identity that positively or negatively affects them. In most instances, immigrants find a vast barrier between cultures and ways of living. Further, lack of knowledge and little or lack of information proves challenging, hence the need to hire tour guides, while the positives are that immigrants and tourists employ the locals. Finally, the book enables the reader to understand the challenges that different people face and how they are viewed by society.

Works Cited

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. 1999. S.L., Mariner Books, 2019.