Throughout Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story, “Interpreter of
Maladies,” the display of postmodernism is undoubtedly prevalent. The writing
style of postmodernism is visually present within multiple pieces of dialogue
within Lahiri’s story. The identifiable instances of the postmodern writing
style are found within the display of the two characters, Mr. Kapasi and Mina
Das. The characterization established by Lahiri amongst the numerous
discussions present in the story display not only how characters feel about one
another, but also how characters feel in their present situation. The illustration
of the complex emotions that human individuals are capable of having is unquestionably
established in Lahiri’s piece. In addition, the inclusion of one fantasizing
the reality of simple implicit actions is also addressed while displaying Mr.
Kapasi’s thoughts. Without the inclusion of Kapasi perceiving Mrs. Das’ actions
as more than a simple compliment, specifically thinking, “Perhaps they too, had
little in common apart from three children and a decade of their lives. The
signs he recognized from his own marriage were there- the bickering, the
indifference, the protracted silences. Her sudden interest in him, an interest
she did not express in either her husband or her children, was mildly
intoxicating,” (19). As an aside, one
can even view Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies,” as being less true to being a
postmodern style story without the inclusion of Kapasi’s over reactive thoughts
to Mrs. Das’ compliments.
A key
concept of postmodernist writing, according to Martin Irvine of Georgetown
University, involves, “Suspicion and rejection of Master Narratives for history
and culture; having local narratives, ironic deconstruction of master
narratives and counter-myths of origin. ‘Progress’ is seen as a failed Master
Narrative.” Within Lahiri’s writing it is clear that the events that occur
truly reflect the postmodernist style of writing. Examples from “Interpreter of
Maladies,” that show complexities of human nature can be greatly seen in
instances such as, Mrs. Das consistently ignoring her own family, Mr. Kapasi
creating a life in his head in which himself and Mrs. Das are together, and
Mrs. Das revealing that she is in deep pain because of her infidelity in
marriage. In addition to Lahiri’s writing, there have been many instances in
other pieces of literature that undoubtedly reflect the postmodernist style of
writing. A written piece that can be seen as an exceptional example of
postmodernism is the novel, Carrie, by Stephen King. King’s novel
displays a girl put in a predisposition in which an over protective, religious
mother essentially shields her daughter from real life situations creating
ridicule from fellow high school classmates. The display of Carrie attempting
to consistently live her life in a normal fashion while also trying to keep her
mother’s approval is prevalent in multiple thoughts and distinct actions
throughout the novel. “She had tried to fit. She had defied Momma in a hundred
little ways, had tried to erase the red-plagued circle that had been drawn
around from the first day she had left the controlled environment of the small
house on Carlin Street and had walked up on the Baker Street grammar school
with her Bible under her arm,” (King 16). Carrie White’s constant struggle to
keep up appearance with her mother and neglect ridicule from peers can be
perceived as a great example of postmodern stylistic writing.
The concept
of postmodernism relies heavily on being able to perceive the complex emotions
one can feel within a simple conversation. The postmodernist writing style also
depicts storytelling, involving plotlines in which not every thing comes to a
complete and truly happy ending. Pieces of literature such as Jhumpa Lahiri’s,
“Interpreter of Maladies,” and Stephen King’s, Carrie, display true
examples of the postmodern mindset with characters present like Mrs. Das, Mr.
Kapasi, and Carrie White. Instances of postmodern ideals can be seen heavily
within modern society. A defining example of postmodernism with the real world
can be found within the legalizing of gay marriage across every state in the
United States. Following the actual court case that allowed for homosexual
marriage to occur in every state in the US, there had many other states that
have been avid in defying the rights of the LGBT community. The efforts
displayed that are in distinct disagreement with the laws put in place to
protect those in the LGBT community can be perceived as improper flow of events
towards an ultimately beneficial ending in equality. Overall, the discussion of
postmodernism displays many individuals with the idea that happy endings aren’t
guaranteed and that human interactions are deeper than face value.
Lahiri, Jhumpa.
"Interpreter of Maladies."
Interpreter of Maladies. New York:
Mariner-Houghton, 1999. 19.
King, Stephen. Part One: Blood Sport. Carrie; a Novel of a
Girl with a Frightening Power. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974. 16. Print.
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