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I picked this poem because it depicts how the things they used to adore become meaningless. Shukumar remembers back to the exciting parts of Shoba before the stillbirth and when recalling things about Shoba, talks about it in a fondness compared to things Shoba does know. For instance, Shukumar moved his office into the room of their deceased baby to avoid Shoba making forced small talk.

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Reader Response Theory

The story Temporary Matter depicts a broken marriage and the lack of effort and total effort displayed in the couple. The confessions Shukumar and Shoba reveal to one another give them room as characters to show their flaws in a way without making one appear more in the wrong. "Somehow, without saying anything, it had turned into this. Into an exchange of confessions — the little ways they’d hurt or disappointed each other, and themselves".  Showing the humanization of the characters and the traumas faced provides a more captivating story while reading.

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#Grief #Confessions #Starting over #Falling out of love #Disapointment

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The message of the story is that not everybody gets the happy ending they deserve. Shukumar and Shoba loved each other and had an unfortunate tragedy happen to them, and rather than working out their issues, the author decides to give them a more bleak ending, showing not everything ends perfectly.

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Shukumar and Shoba are a married couple dealing with the birth of their baby being a stillborn. Due to a snowstorm, for 5 days the power would go off for 1 hour, giving them an opportunity to speak. Shoba decides they should make confessions in the dark , revealing information they haven't told each other. Shukumar believes his wife is trying to become intimate and vulnerable with him, but it's revealed at the end Shoba was trying to find a way to tell him she found an apartment. Angered and no longer in love with his wife, Shukumar reveals the gender of their baby losing the surprise factor Shoba took comfort in.