Post-Modernism and Misinterpretation in "Interpreter of Maladies"

         Postmodernism is defined as a literary period with “highly skeptical explanations which claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truths of each person.” Moreover, it was a time period in which we all interpreted the world in our unique perspective. It is fair to say that people were and still are selfish and overly concerned with us rather then everybody as a whole. The purpose of this writing technique is to understand how different people decipher literature in different ways. Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies” is an outstanding example of Postmodernism, the reason being because the reader is able to interpret the different scenarios between each character. The reader can construe the parents as unfit or fit, disrespectful or respectful, and/or faithful or unfaithful. “Interpreter of Maladies” is demonstrated through a third person limited point of view, revealing the perceptions of Mr. Kapasi, but nobody else.

            Mr. Kapasi is a driver leading the Das family and their children through India for a tour on vacation. Mr. Kapasi was once an interpreter of maladies in an office, in which he assisted individuals regarding their problems. He took this job as a way to pay off medical bills for his sick son who had contracted Typhoid Fever and it paid better than his previous teaching job. An exemplification of Postmodernism in this story is the misinterpretation when Mrs. Das called Mr. Kapasi’s interpreting job “romantic”. In regards to Mr. Kapasi’s job description as an interpreter, Mrs. Das says, “But so romantic.” (Lahiri 17) Once this was stated, Mr. Kapasi misapprehended the situation and believed that Mrs. Das was romantically interested in him. In reality, all she was seeking was advice because of her one night stand and felt a sense of guilt because of the affair and ultimately winded up perplexing Mr. Kapasi because of his observation of the distorted family. Moreover, Mrs. Das has taken a picture with the family and Mr. Kapasi ended up in the picture. After this, Mrs. Das stated how she was going to mail the picture to him. The narration then states, “He dreaded the possibility of a lost letter, the photograph never reaching him, hovering somewhere in Orissa, close but ultimately unattainable” (Lahiri 21) This shows his nerves acting up; frenzied that he wont receive the pictures from her.

            In summation, Mr. Kapasi winds up falling for Mrs. Das, even though the feelings were not mutual. It was Mr. Kapasi’s burden for misinterpreting what Ms. Das said and he should not have been so quick to judge. Mrs. Das’ child winds up attacked by monkeys in the end due to the fact how she inadvertently dropped a trail of puffed rice, even though Mr. Kapasi warned the family that the monkeys were only dangerous if they were fed food. In the end after the attack, the paper with Mr. Kapasi’s address floats away, leaving no evidence of the address for Mrs. Das to mail the picture to him. Ultimately, this postmodern writing technique illustrates how everyone interprets situations different from one another.