The Interpreter of Maladies Book Review

The “Interpreter of Maladies “ is a piece by Jhumpa Lahiri in a short story collection of the same name. In this tale, an American family of five – the Das household – travels to India and hires a tour guide named Mr. Kapasi. Even though there are no overt conflicts besides a monkey attack on one of the family members, many significant internal complications develop in these characters. The “Interpreter of Maladies” reveals its theme of miscommunication and its consequences through the characters’ backstories and the forms of symbolism that hint at their personalities.

The miscommunication theme can be observed in Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das since their thoughts and conversations prevail throughout the story (which reminds the reader that not communicating is also a type of miscommunication). Each of the two fails to reach out to their significant other. Mr. Kapasi sees himself in a messy marriage and does not bother to communicate with his wife after losing his son, and Mrs. Das has secrets and guilt that she keeps hidden from her family.

We see additional symbolism in Mr. Kapasi’s linguistic challenges and Mrs. Das’s refusal to share snacks with her family – both actions portray the degradation of their ability to communicate. Mr. Kapasi used to be adept at multiple languages, dreaming of diplomatic endeavors. However, when he accepted his current profession and gradually lost his keen facility with language, it became a sign of the thoughts, dreams, and desires he sealed away from others. It symbolically showed that Mr. Kapasi completely privatized his mind, which would lead to miscommunication. Similarly, Mrs. Das’s snacking habits depict a certain amount of selfishness in her personality, meaning that she places her own desires above those of other people,  consequently distancing her voice – and her fault – from those in her life. .. In both examples, the characters push others away from exposure to their true thoughts – a fundamental way in which miscommunication develops.

Finally, miscommunication can also be observed in the theme of indirect sight that is brought up repeatedly for every single character. Mr. Kapasi, while fantasizing about Mrs. Das and a potential rekindling of his diplomatic dreams, only observes her from the rearview mirror. Mrs. Das wears a pair of sunglasses that hides her image and her secrets from others. In other examples of obscured vision, Mr. Das sees India through his camera, and the kids all wear visors. By the end of the story, the only character with direct vision is Mr. Kapasi,  having come to his senses after hearing some terrible secrets from Mrs. Das. A layer of miscommunication covers everyone else: Mr. Das fails to experience India without the benefit of photographs; Mrs. Das and her secret threaten to destroy the family, and the children (especially Bobby) are victimized by lies. Jhumpa Lahiri implements the concept of indirect sight to show which characters are failing to communicate directly.

From character development to a whole arsenal of symbolism, the “Interpreter of Maladies” emphasizes the theme of miscommunication. The driving force of the current (and possible future) problems for the Das family and Mr. Kapasi. It is critical to take in the significance of this story and see it reflected in our society. Miscommunication continues to be a problem in our modern world, where we don earphones that block out others’ voices and engage in internet conversations that are opaque and meaningless, devoid of facial expressions and honest thoughts. It is important to convey our points clearly, without error,  to avoid a problem that could return to backstab our future selves.