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Sexy explores the cross-sections of race and gender, as Miranda (who is having an affair with married Bengali man Dev), exoticises Dev more being older and from India. Laxmi, her coworker, describes how her cousin had an affair with a much younger English woman. This work explores cultural understandings of the position of white women but also delves into how Miranda is using Dev in order to broaden her world.

"As Miranda imagined the scene she began to cry a little herself. In the

Mapparium that day, all the countries had seemed close enough to touch,

and Dev's voice had bounced wildly off the glass. From across the bridge,

thirty feet away, his words had reached her ears, so near and full of warmth

that they'd drifted for days under her skin."

"she closed her eyes and pictured elephants and deserts"

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Part of Jhumpa Lahiri's, her short story "Sexy" follows young American lady Miranda into an affair with married Indian guy Dev. After a quick meeting at a department store, Miranda starts the affair and falls in love with Dev, who calls her "sexy."

Miranda is more emotionally bonded to Dev as the affair goes on, but she starts to wonder about the nature of their relationship as she watches a boy called Rohin, whose mother is also coping with the hurt of adultery. Miranda is profoundly affected by Rohin's innocent but pointed remark: that being attractive means "loving someone you don't know" which helps her to see the flimsiness of her affair and its emotional fallout. Ultimately, Miranda removes herself from Dev and reassues her decisions.

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Boori Ma is sleep-deprived because she is a stair-cleaner who lives in different conditions that are worse compared to when she lived in Calcutta. Before leaving because of the partition, she lived a life that was more luxurious but due to her displacement she has become a durwan. The recounting of her past events reflects her current reality as it shows a comparison in the difference in lifestyle and how displacement drastically alters someone's status in society. - Aaron L. & Supreeya M.

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1. How does Mrs. Das's behavior and attitude during the car journey reveal deeper insights into her character, and what impact does it have on Mr. Kapasi's perception of the family?

2. In what ways does Mr. Kapasi's job as an interpreter evoke conflicting feelings within him, and how does it connect to his past experiences, particularly the loss of his son?

3. How does Mr. Kapasi's perception of Mrs. Das and his fantasies about their future interactions reveal underlying tensions in his own marriage and his desire for connection?

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1. What kinds of marriage are presented in the stories? One reviewer has written that Lahiri’s “subject is not love’s failure,… but the opportunity that an artful spouse (like an artfulwriter) can make of failure.” Do you agree or disagree ?

2. Lahiri has said, “As a storyteller, I’m aware that there are limitations in communication.” What importance do miscommunication and unexpressed feelings have in the stories?

3. What do you learn about the differences between life in suburban America and life in less stable parts of the world? What do you learn about the personal consequences of those differences?

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1. For Mrs. Sen, “Everything is there” (that is, in India). What instances are there in these stories of exile, estrangement, displacement, and marginality—both emotional, and cultural?

2. What characterizes the sense of community in both the stories set in India and those set in the U.S.? What maintains that sense, and what disrupts it?

3. Another reviewer has written, “Food in these stories is a talisman, a reassuring bit of the homeland to cling to.” How do food and meal preparation maintain links to the characters’ homelands? What other talismans—items of clothing, for example—act as “reassuring bits of the homeland”?

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1. What underlying tensions and cultural differences are revealed in the interaction between Mr. and Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi during their journey to the Sun Temple at Konarak?

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"They were all like siblings, Mr. Kapasi thought as they passed a row of date trees. Mr. and Mrs. Das behaved like an older brother and sister, not parents. It seemed that they were in charge of the children only for the day; it was hard to believe they were regularly responsible for anything other than themselves. (Page 6)"

"Mr. Kapasi pulled over to the side of the road as Mr. Das took a picture of a barefoot man, his head wrapped in a dirty turban, seated on top of a cart of grain sacks pulled by a pair of bullocks. (Page 7)"

The cultural difference between Mr. and Mrs. Das and Mr.Kapasi caused Mr. Kapasi to judge them harshly. He did not see Mr. and Mrs. Das as parents to these children but more as "an older brother and sister," highlighting their lack of responsibility and control over their children. Personally, I understand why Mr. Kapasi feels this way as my parents too always preached about 'acting right' in front of others. Indian culture emphasizes how the child's behavior reflects their upbringing. This is why the tension between Mr. Kapasi and the Das parents was noticeable. The Das sense of parenting, which was influenced by American culture, is different from Mr. Kapasi's views on parenting, which is influenced by Indian culture. Connecting this to cosmopolitanism, though Mr. Kapasi may not agree with the way Das's parent, he remains quiet and focuses on his job. This highlights the idea of agreeing to disagree and respecting the different cultures that people grew up in.

(group 1)

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2. How does the dynamic between Mrs. Sen, Eliot, and Eliot's mother reflect cultural differences and the challenges of adaptation in Jhumpa Lahiri's narrative, and what role does Mrs. Sen's connection to her Indian heritage play in shaping this dynamic?

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3. In Jhumpa Lahiri's narrative, how does Mrs. Sen's daily routine of chopping vegetables, her attachment to the blade from India, and her longing for the communal life back home illuminate themes of cultural displacement, the struggle to maintain identity, and the impact of solitude in a foreign land?

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6.  Why does Mrs. Sen stop practicing driving after a minor accident?

7. How does the accident impact Mrs. Sen's perspective on life and family?

8. What does Mrs. Sen suggest to Eliot regarding his mother's driving habits?

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7. Why is Boori Ma sleep-deprived, and how does her recounting of past events reflect her current reality?

8. What role does Boori Ma play in the flat-building community, and how does her presence challenge stereotypes about her capabilities?

9. How does the installation of basins in the building impact the dynamics among residents, and what does it reveal about Mr. Dalal's priorities and aspirations?

10. How does the installation of the basin in the stairwell lead to resentment among the wives, and what does this reveal about societal dynamics within the flat-building?

11. What role does Boori Ma play in the unfolding events, and how does the loss of the basin lead to a drastic change in her relationship with the other residents?

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4. How does the juxtaposition of Mrs. Sen's traditional practices, such as chopping vegetables with a blade from India and her attachment to scarlet powder, with Eliot's mother's modern lifestyle, exemplify the clash between cultural identities and the challenges of assimilation in Jhumpa Lahiri's narrative?