Interpreting the Malady: Misconceptions and Connections

In “Interpreter of Maladies” Jhumpa Lahiri reveals to us the lives of two unsatisfied people stuck in loveless marriages, Mrs. Das and Mr Kapasi. Both characters have such different backgrounds yet they share the same difficulties in their empty marriages. Her choice of the narration from Mr. Kapasi’s point of view intensifies the misunderstanding between the two that drives the story to its ending. Both parties misunderstand the other and in their assumptions they reveal the difficulties of connecting to another person.

Mr. Kapasi, as the narrator, controls the way we see the story and so his misinterpretations about Mrs. Das make our surprise at the outcome all the more great. As the reader we are meant to take his observations as the truth so that the conclusion is even more powerful. Although he is an “interpreter of maladies” he fails to interpret the Dases because of his “intoxication” with Mrs. Das. He is unable to read her intentions correctly because of her interest in him and especially his job, which she mistakes to be the interpretation and curing of maladies, which his own wife never even mentions.(79) His own intoxication and her use of the word “romantic” leads him to perceive feelings of longing and even lust from Mrs. Das. Early in the story he notices the signs of her strained marriage to Mr. Das and takes a special note of the fact that, “[Bobby] was slightly paler than the other children.” (39) He entertains thoughts of their increasing friendship and possible involvement based on her attention to his occupation.

Their need to connect to each other, while based on misconceptions, is a universal need. This need is so great that they each pursue it blindly and incorrectly from both sides, she believes he can help her with her problem and he believes she can help him escape his unfulfilling life. This error is especially striking from Mr. Kapasi’s side because of his dreams to be a diplomatic translator. He had wanted to settle national disputes yet he misread the thoughts and intentions of a twenty-eight year old woman. They both take the other to be what they want them to be out of their intense desire to feel a connection with someone again. Mr. Kapasi notes that Mrs. Das “had already fallen out of love with life.” (161) He describes his own life in terms that show a detachment from his wife and family, and has “long been resigned” to his wife’s silence and unhappiness. This new found interest from a woman makes him throw caution to the wind and expect to finally have someone to connect with. Mrs. Das mistakes his job to be the interpreting and curing of illnesses and so she wishes for him to cure her of her family problems, she barely talks to the boys at all and practically ignores Tina during their trip. Out of an equal need to connect with someone and at the same time escape their own lives they seek each other out and in doing so they reveal their own fallacy.

When they finally confront each other with their need they both find that they have erred in their views of the other and that there is no real connection to be had. To her cathartic release of her history and feelings he can only respond with silence and resentment at her shallow expectations of a solution. Eventually he asks her the simple question “Is it real pain you feel, Mrs. Das, or is it guilt,” and shows her the truth of her own feelings. (161) Her response to the realization that he is not what she supposed is simply anger and ultimately a kind of acceptance of her life. Mr. Kapasi also accepts this and his affection for her disappears with the loss of his address. The maladies that they both feel are loneliness and emotional pain, and in the end they learn to deal with their maladies on their own. In the end we are left with an image of acceptance and of the difficulties of connecting to other people.