# data[].attributes.body
By Dara, Allan and Kostia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Copy of India and the allusions to India in interpreter of maladies

# data[].attributes.body
By Ines and Martin

# data[].attributes.body
By  Joe, Theo, Abdoulah

# data[].attributes.body
By Théo S., Noah and Gabriel

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The text relates to us the story of a tourist guide, Mr. Kapasi, who meets the Das family for a tour to see the sun temple at Konarak, at first sight this family is ordinary. But when the guide takes a liking to Mrs. Das, they tell each other facts about their everyday lives. Until Mrs. Das reveals her long kept secret...
Content & Theme
Structure
This story is a
short story
. The ending is really
not expected
, and is a big surprise. This story is
very mundane until the middle of the history
. The latter is made so that the audience may be very astonished, and the story is a lot of describing the characters, their lives, until the end of it,
very few action
and
a very quick ending
. The beginning of the story lasts from the beginning to the beginning of the dialogue. The fact is that at first the story starts with describing the Das family. But then, there is a lot of dialogue in all the rest of the story.
The
rising action
is when Mr. Kapasi starts thinking about a relation with Mrs. Das, and getting closer to her. Also you discover that Mr. and Mrs. Das are not really a couple, don't seem close or in love.
The
climax
is at the end, in the car, when Mrs. Das tells Mr. Kapasi that the third child is not Mr. Das's, it's such a big surprise, you cannot really expect, even though there is some foreshadowing. You can see there is in this quote: "Mr. Kapasi noted that this boy was slightly paler than the other children."
The
end
starts at the moment when Mrs. Das gets out the car, and the story finishes with the attack of the monkeys.
Stylistic devices
It can be noticed that the stylistic devices are used
to describe
, in order to make the description more understandable, more living, more interesting, more captivating, more spellbinding. These descriptions, by being captivating can be named
hypotyposis
.
Audience and purpose
The audience
would be all
married couples
, that are not in love anymore.
Because of the subject matter, this short story is more for
teenagers
,
young adults and adults
.
The purpose
is that
keeping secrets from someone is really bad for ourselves
, because by not telling anybody, the pain grows inside of you and you can't do anything against it, you being the only one knowing why you are suffering. It also tells that by hiding something from everyone, at a point
it can become too hard to keep it to yourself
and you end up telling it to someone you don't know that well. In the story, Mr. Kapasi has a low estimation of himself, and when Mrs. Das tells him how important he is in his job, he is surprised and says he had never been granted such praise on his work. This is also part of the purposes of the short story, because it tells that you have
not to underestimate yourself
, there is always something admirable in what you do, even though you do not think so. It also tells
the importance of people, about our self confidence
, because a comment can destroy us internally, whereas a compliment can make us more confident about ourselves.
Big 5 analysis
Interpreter of Maladies
Tone & Mood
Tone
: the author's tone in this story is
hopeful
and
passionate
until the point where we know Mrs Das' secret and when she loses Mr. Kapasi's address, it then becomes
hopeless
,
tragic
.

"In addition to Tina they had two boys, Ronny and Bobby, who appeared very close in age and had teeth covered in a network of flashing silver wires."

Here, the author employs a metaphor to talk about Mr. and Mrs. Das' sons' braces making the description quite droll.
"[The monkeys'] long gray tails dangled like a series of ropes among the leaves."

This simile shows how could the landscape, which is described, be seen.
"His voice somehow tentative and a little shrill sounded as though it had not yet settled down into maturity."

In this quote, a simile can be spotted, it makes us aware of the sound that Mr Das' voice makes, it helps us understanding Mr. Das' voice: thus we really know what it is like and could even hear it.
Also, here stylistic devices are used as
foreshadowing
: they are clues that make the end more and more obvious although it be surprising.
"one of the monkeys leaped into the middle of the road, causing Mr. Kapasi to brake suddenly. Another bounced onto the hood of the car, the sprang away. Mr. Kapasi beeped his horn. The children began to get excited, sucking in their breath and covering their faces partly with their hands."
The
graduation
which is present is almost what happens at the end: everything is perfect, then it goes
from bad to worse
. It makes the audience aware of the monkeys' violence, danger and excitement
"Mr and Mrs. Das behaved like an older brother and sister, not parents."

This simile is an example underlining that the parents are
not wary
enough for their children.
"She was lost behind her sunglasses, ignoring her husband's requests that she pose for another picture, walking past her children as if they were strangers."

This metaphor and simile again highlight the lack of attention from the parents, particularly from the mother.
A trailer of this short story
Bibliography
http://jhou.weebly.com/uploads/3/0/8/0/30800919/interpreter_of_maladies.pdf
www.youtube.com
Where we found this short story:
For the video:
For the translation of the french stylistic device "hypotypose":
http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/hypotypose.1440839/
One of the main themes in this short story would be
love
, because this story centers around the curious bond made between Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi. The theme is also approached in the similitudes between Mr. Kapasi's relation with his wife and the Das' couple, both couples are doomed because of
lack of interest
. Another theme would be
communication
primarily because of Mr. Kapasi's job as an interpreter and also because of the lack of conversation and exchange between Mr and Mrs Das.
A few questions :

What are stylistic devices useful for, what do they provide to the text?

They are used so as to make the description more captivating, to amuse the reader so that he does not get bored.
What is the name of a long and living description?
A hypotyposis.
How would you react if someone told you what Mrs Das said to Mr. Kapasi? What would you have done if you were in Mr. Kapasi's shoes?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The text relates to us the story of a tourist guide, Mr. Kapasi, who meets the Das family for a tour to see the sun temple at Konarak, at first sight this family is ordinary. But when the guide takes a liking to Mrs. Das, they tell each other facts about their everyday lives.

# data[].attributes.body
by  Mathilde, Lila and Zoé Sang.

# data[].attributes.body
By Allan, Kostia & Dara

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

# data[].attributes.body
By Camille

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine Content Plot Indian family who welcomes Mr. Pirzada for dinner every night. They dine and watch the news together.

# data[].attributes.body
By Zoe M., Elisa, Anne, Solenn.

# data[].attributes.body
By Kylian & Benoît

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Allusions to India in "Interpreters of Maladies"
The Konarak Sun Temple
This place is mentioned several times in the story,
it's the place where Mr. Das and his family are going to visit it.

-800 years old temple, located in the state of Odisha, India.
-Famous touristic attraction, because of its proximity with the city of Purî, one of the most visited city in India.
Dedicated to Surya god of the sun in the Hindu religion.

"They were on their way to see the Sun Temple at Konarak"

Bombay
The city of Bombay is mentioned once in the story, when the family is in the car and Mrs. Das fanned herself with a Bombay city guide.

"She fanned herself with a folded Bombay film magazine written in English"

-Capital city of the state of Maharashtra
-Also the India's most populated city with about 12.5 millions inhabitants.
-Well known for being among others, the home of Bollywood, or the background of the famous movie "Slumdog Millionaire"
Gajurati, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya
(languages)

Hindi:
-260 million speakers all around India
-Fourth most spoken language of the world
-One of the official languages of India.

Gajurati:
-50 million speakers mostly in the North-west coast of the country
-Spoken in the region of Gujarat

Bengali:
-210 million speakers
Spoken in the north-east of the country and in Bangladesh

Oriya:
-40 million speakers
-Mostly spoken in the North-east of India in the Orissa region.

"he was confident that he could converse, if given the opportunity, in English, French, Russian, Portuguese, and Italian, not to mention Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, and Gujarati."
Purî
-Purî is an Indian city known for
being one of the 7 sacred city
of the Hindi religion.
In the story, it is where the Das
family's hotel is located.

"I thought that the Sun Temple is only
eighteen miles north of Puri"

-200 000 inhabitants
-Located on the Bay of Bengal's coast
-Located in the Odisha state

Odisha
The state of Odisha (anciently: Orissa) is
an Indian state.
It is the place where the story takes place.

"He dreaded the possibility of a lost letter, the photograph never reaching
him, hovering somewhere in Orissa, close but ultimately unattainable"

-Located on the Bay of Bangal's coast
-42 millions of inhabitants
-One of the most touristic state of India
-Several Hindi temples including the Surya one
-King Narasimhadeva I was king of eastern Ganga dynasty of Utkal (Odisha nowadays)
-From 1238 to 1264
-Famous for defeating Muslim armies that tried to invade India and
-He built the Konark temple to celebrate this victory.

"Narasimhadeva the first to commemorate his victory against the Muslim army"
Narasimhadeva I
Nagamithunas are half-serpent couples, who fabulously live in deep waters of the sea, where they hoard their treasures.

"The children ran ahead pointing to figures of naked people intrigued in particular by the Nagamithunas"
Nagamithunas
Surya
-Surya is the god of Sun in the Hindu religion
-His symbol is a chariot drawn by seven white horses
-He represents the sun and has lots of attributes
-He is called "Saptashva" which means "the lord of the seven horses" or also "Jagat chakshu" which means "the eye of the world".
-The temple of Konarak is dedicated to him, the Suryavanshy dynasty claims to be his descendants.

"He is the Atachala-Surya, Mr.Kapasi said, the setting sun"
Ganga
The Ganga (also Ganges) is a river that flows through India and Bangladesh. It's mentioned when Mr.Kapasi introduces the story of the temple.

-Source: 3892m high, Himalaya, India
-Mouth: Bay of Bengale, India
-Lenght: 2525km (for a comparison, it's 3 times the distance between Lille and Marseille as the crow flies)
-Sacred river in India
-According to some specialists, it's the world's most polluted river

"...by the great ruler of the Ganga dynasty, King Narasimhadeva the First..."
Chandrabhaga
River
The Chandrabhaga River is a river that flows through India.
Some arms of the river are dry nowadays, that's what's said in the story while the temple visit

"The Chandrabhaga River once flowed one mile north of here. It is dry now"

Udayagiri
Udayagiri is a Buddhist town with several monasteries. That's the place Mr.Kapasi suggests to visit.

" It was then that he suggested visiting the hills at Udayagiri and Khandagiri, where a number of monastic dwellings were hewn out of the ground, facing one another across a defile."

-Biggest Buddhist complex in the state of Odisha
-Inhabited between the 7th and the 12th century
-This complex is still an unknown place, because of the very few archeological excavations which result by very few findings
Punjab
The Punjab is an India-Pakistand region.

-Located in North-West of India, West of Pakistan
-90 millions of inhabitants

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Chandrabhaga River The Chandrabhaga River

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Allusions to India in "Interpreters of Maladies"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Allusions to India in "Interpreters of Maladies" The Konarak Sun TempleThis place is mentioned several times in the story,it's the place where Mr. Das and his family are going to visit it. -800 years old temple, located in the state of Odisha, India.

# data[].attributes.body
By Emile, Hector and Thomas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Treatment of Bibi Haldar
Plot
Character
bIBI HALDAR
BIBI's cousin
the wife of bibi's COUSIN
THEMES
sTYLISTIC DEVICES
At first, the author used several comparisons ("..like the pox"; "as if she were speaking to a deaf person"...). She even used a comparison in a negative sentence "Don't worry, it's not as if they've locked me in here," this one is almost ironic because Bibi has sort of been locked in Haldar's house for years. There are also some metaphors as "News spread between our window bars, across our clotheslines, and over the pigeon droppings that plastered the parapets of our rooftops" which shows how fast the news can spread even when you do nothing for it.
There is also some literary devices such as the title "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar" which can have two meanings : first, it represents the way Bibi Haldar is treated by her cousin and the local women; but it can also mean the remedy that cured her (her child).
Bibi's illness may be interpreted as loneliness because no medicine is able to cure her and some people think that what Bibi needed was to marry a husband. The best evidence to prove that she suffered loneliness is that she was finally cured thanks to her child. What she needed was maybe just someone to take care of instead of everybody taking care of her. It is interesting how loneliness is considered as a disease which you can restore with medicament or at least they try to..
Finally, you can find some marks
of foreshadowing at the end. It is possible to understand that she was pregnant thus "She drank little, ate less, and began to assume an expression that no longer matched her years." or "some of us began to wonder if she was dying [...] she had lost her mind" "someone (Bibi Haldar) had vomited" and others.
illness
We can put illness because the whole story is about a sick woman and this theme is related to the title of the book collection "interpreter of maladies"
Nature/Seasons
During all the book, Bibi Haldar life's is kind of represented by the seasons cycle. During Winter she's is isolated, talk to nobody but in spring, she become pregnant and she is recovering until her misery ends.
Science

We can also put Science because there is a lot of scientifics terms in the story and some are actual nowadays. For example "Allopaths, homeopaths, ayurvedics. Over time, all branches of the medicals arts have been consulted." But we can also see many old way to cure someone which are related to religion and belief at this time : "At the suggest of a blind Christian, she was once taken by train to kiss the tombs of saints and martyrs."
Love
Love is a theme because all the remedy to her disease is base on love. One day, Bibi is told that all she need to cure herself is a love relation and an husband. Not lot of man are attracted by her because she sick, and she need an husband to heal herself. She finally will found her love and have a baby. After that, her misery will disappear.
She really hates bibi but she like her husband.
They do not care about bibi's illness. when the baby is born she starts to hate Bibi even more thinking that she will contaminate her baby.

He has to take care of bibi as it is his duty in the indian custom when one's parents are gone. He sees bibi as a weak link who demands too much help, thus bibi lives in a room next to the roof and stays there most of the time.

Bibi is a very fragile person with an incurable sickness. she depends entirely on her older cousin. she is also shy and does not protest when she is treated unfairly
this story is about a young girl that has an incurable sickness, she is being taken care off by her older cousin and wife since her parents have gone. they try to consult as many doctors each having a theory about her sickness.
Women of the village
the women of the village are a group of women never named that are very helpfull towards Bibi

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Treatment of Bibi Haldar Plot Character bIBI HALDARBIBI's cousinthe wife of bibi's COUSINTHEMESsTYLISTIC DEVICESAt first, the author used several comparisons ("..like the pox"; "as if she were speaking to a deaf person"...).

# data[].attributes.body
By Bassma, Lucie, Tais, Zoe.

# data[].attributes.body
By Iulia, Louise and Esha

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Calcutta
The Third and Final Continent
Budapest
Summary

Meet the Characters
Mrs Croft
-
103
years old
- Lives
alone
in her house.
-
Bridges the gap
between the American and Indian cultures.
-Is a
mother-like
figure to the protagonist.
Unnamed Indian Protagonist
IMMIGRANT
Helen
Mala
Culture
Calcutta.....
Style:
Retrospective
Older, more mature narrator commenting on his experience.
Events in the present trigger memories from the past, which Lahiri uses to weave together ideas and themes.
Relevance of the title:
The protagonist went from India, to Britain to the United States.
His search for the perfect place of residence ended in Boston.
Weak links
with India.
Lost
his true identity
.
Both his
parents have died.
Represents the journey
faced by every migrant.
Lives an
empty
life.
"

...struggling to educate and establish ourselves abroad.
"
"
...although I was no longer a student I was on a budget all the same.
"
"
...my own marriage was arranged.
"
independent
"
...she looked fierce.
"
"
SPLENDID!
"
"
"
It reminded me of the way I was taught...
"
Housewife
-Is a
conventional Indian
wife.
- Gives the protagonist his
Indian identity
back.
-is Very
talented
-and Very
emotional
"
...cook, knit, embroider, sketch landscape, and recite poems..
"
"
It was Mala who consoled me...
"
"
...clean silk sari, and extra bracelets, and coiled her hair...
"
Childish
-
Childish
in the presence of Mrs. Croft.
-Takes c
are o
f her mother.
- Ne
w generation
-
68
ye
ars old
"
For your information, Mother, it's 1969.
"
"
She was short and thick-waisted, with cropped silver hair, and bright pink lipstick.
"
"
Helen didn't seem worried.
"
Curry
Spinsterhood is not respectable -
'..willing to ship their only child half way across the world in order to save her from spinsterhood.
'
Indian norms-
'We lived three or four to a room..','..ate with our hands..' pg. 173, a
nd Mala's nightly rituals of grooming herself.
Arranged marriages -
''..it was a duty expected of me(him), as it was expected of every man,'pg. 181.
Men were only fit to make decisions-

'I had assumed the role of eldest son..'pg. 182

Young, wild and free
Get with times
Different to Indian culture.
American Culture
SYMBOLISM
MOON LANDING
FOOD

-Protagonist comes here to London to study
"I lived in north London , in Finsbury Park, in a house occupied entirely by penniless Bengali Bachelors like myself, at least a dozen and sometimes more, all struggling to educate and establish ourselves abroad."
THE RENT
"A flag on the moon boy! I heard it on the radio. Isn't that splendid?
Say Splendid"
'...she asked me for a few dollars. I parted with them reluctantly..'pg. 193
Egg Curry
-
Weakest substitute
of food in the Indian Culture
-Symbolises the protagonist's
weak ties
with
his culture.
-Eventually this gets
replaced by cereal
which is the American subsitute.
Mrs Croft's canned soup
"
I am happy to warm Mrs Croft's soup in the evenings...
"

"
I wouldn't if i were you, that's the sort of thing that would kill her altogether...
"

The fact that she doesn't like Helen helping shows how independent she is.
2nd CONTINENT
CALCUTTA
"In 1969, when I was thirty-six years old, my own marriage was arranged."
-This is the protagonist's final destination
- He stays at Mrs Croft's apartment until he
finds his own place and settles down.
Mrs Croft's America

long skirts
communication between genders should be done infront of an adult.
people must have respect for elders.
Helen:
For your information, Mother, it's 1969. What would you do if you actually left the house one day and saw a girl in a miniskirt?"

Mrs Croft:
I'd have her arrested!
Helen's America
'On Frdays I made sure to put the rent in her hands. There was nothing I could do for her beyond these simple gestures. I was not her son, apart from those eight dollars, I owed her nothing.' pg. 189
MALA
Mrs CROFT
Themes and Ideas
Embracing Americanism
Hardships faced by immigrants
Struggles of Maintaining a relationship
practicing traditional custom in a foreign country
Mala's food
People's roles
Role of Women
Role of children
ROLE OF MEN
Analysis
Writing Style
How is the malady cured?
Who interprets the malady?
Malady
Epiphany
Long distance relationships
He feels lonely as he knows no one and therefore, has no support.
Lived in an overcrowded house in England.
'..although I was no longer a student, I was on a budget all the same.'pg. 174
From her own personal experience, Jhumpa Lahiri explains the ordeals every immigrant must. The isolation she felt of being Indian while everyone else was not as
'..You feel like you're causing someone pain just by being who you are.'
Mala and the protagonist
Arranged marriage
'..a week later and we were still strangers.' pg. 192.
Corresponds to "A Temporary Matter" and "This Blessed House."
The protagonist realizes that Mala, just like himself, is struggling to adapt to this new culture. For this reason he sympathizes with her and that is when their relationship begins to mend.
Jumpha Lahiri's Story
Lahiri's father was a librarian who traveled across all 3 continents, like the protagonist to find a home for his family.
1964
1967
Lahiri's mother was a multi-skilled housewife who valued her culture because it was their only identity.
Lahiri, like Helen, wanted to become a modern day woman. She wanted to fit in but because her family had such strong ties to India, they did not approve of what she wanted. This resembles Helen's relationship with Mrs. Croft.
1969
Figurative language
Mala
- is the only form of consolation the protagonist has. She depicted as equal to her partner.
Mrs. Croft-
Bridges the gap between the 2 conflicting cultures. Also reveals how independent some women can be.
Protagonist's mum-
is mother went insane after his father died. She was far too dependent on her husband thereby becoming inferior to him.
Protagonist-
He is responsible for taking care of his mother even though: -she was insane
- he could have given her to other relatives
-he was sitting his exams soon.
Helen-
is obliged to take care of her mother; however, she reluctantly does so.
What is the Malady?
Boston
Massachusetts
Finsbury Park, Britain
FINAL CONTINENT
She brings the India back into his life through this food.
Mala's food reveals how in touch she is with her culture because it necessitates knowledge of conventional Indian recipes and ingredients. The narrator could not do so because he had inadequate knowledge of India.
The Malady in this story is the distance between the protagonist and his wife. It causes discomfort to the protagonist. This in turn adds to the loneliness he already faces through being a migrant.
When Mala's food comes into his life he is able to balance his 2 colliding cultures.
"...pg. 192
Real genuine curry, not weak subsitutes for his lack of skill.
Finally some real food
"The only thing I was not used to was Mala"
Main Ideas:
struggle faced by all migrants
trouble in maintaining a relationship
hardship of balancing 2 different cultures.
Human (not only Indian) experience.
The narrator interprets the malady.
The malady is cured through him finally being able to adapt to American culture. This in turn allows his relationship to flourish because he is now able to find balance and accept both cultures.
Eats cereal instead of curry.
He had never lived in a house of a person who wasn't Indian.
Leads him to become deracinated.
'..a sign on the door said cooking was strictly forbidden.'
Resembles Mr. Pirzada in his quest for knowledge; however, he continues to practice his cultures unlike the protagonist.
Mrs. Croft and Helen:
Helen feels burdened by having to take care of Mrs. Croft.
'Helen didn't seem worried. She came and went..one Sunday after the next.' pg. 188.
Shows how disrespectful her generation can be.
'"What is it?" Helen hollered back.' pg. 185.
Protagonist and Mrs. Croft:
He cared for her, just like he did for his own mother.
'I did not expect any display of emotion, but I was disappointed all the same.' pg. 191.
Lahiri highlights the necessity to uphold our cultures because not doing so results in the loss of our identity.
'We ate with our hands, another thing I had not yet done in America.'pg. 192. His loneliness slowly fades after he regains his Indian identity.
Similarly Mr. Pirzada and Mrs. Sens continue to practice Indian customs like eating with hands, wearing traditional clothes, and socialising like and other Indian person.
Decision -makers
More experienced and so more competent
Financially support the family
Pass on the wisdom they obtained
..reminded me of the way I was taught..' pg. 180.
The Indian woman attacked by an American woman's dog on the street, reveals how the American culture enable other cultures to be practiced.
"Like me, Mala had traveled far from home, not knowing where she was going or what she would find, for no reason other than to be my wife." pg. 195.
- Anachronism-
Mrs. Croft's character
is a form of anachronism as she does not belong to the 20th century instead she seems to belong to the 19th century.
-Juxtaposition- On page 187, while the narrator is talking about Mrs. Croft the paragraph is followed by a description of his mother.
- Irony- The protagonist took the
role of a parent
when he was taking care of his mother who began acting like a
child.
- Patriarchy- The narrator assumes the role of
head of the family.
GAME
By Esha,
Iulia and
Louise.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Calcutta The Third and Final Continent Budapest Summary Meet the Characters Mrs Croft-103 years old- Lives alone in her house.- Bridges the gap between the American and Indian cultures.-Is a mother-like figure to the protagonist.Unnamed Indian Protagonist IMMIGRANT HelenMalaCultureCalcutta.....Style:RetrospectiveOlder, more mature narrator commenting on his experience.