The narrative “Interpreter of Maladies” . by Jhumpa Lahiri. the major subject is self-reflection. The chief characters Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das. dwell on there past but one time they meet they both were looking for alibis to travel on. In comparing. the narrative “Half a Grapefruit” by Alice Munro has to make with the same construct. if you read in between the lines. Rose sees herself better than the people that surround her. She tries really difficult to be better than them. but does non win. However. it makes her experience better about herself and her life in general. merely like Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das are seeking to break their lives. In the two narratives. the writers illustrate the battles to happen felicity within their chief characters lives ; to halt life with declinations of the yesteryear. they both show that merely an flight from world will ensue in a realisation of their meaningful being.
The female characters in both narratives are likewise in some ways. They believe in a similar life manner. Mrs. Das lives the life manner that Rose fantasizes to hold. which makes them similar in an uneven sense. “Puffed Rice in the summertime” ( Munro 41 ) . Throughout the circuit Mrs. Das snacks on Puffed Rice. merely as Rose pretends to hold for breakfast. “She walked easy. transporting some puffed rice tossed with peanuts and chili Piper nigrums in a big package made from newspaper” ( Lahiri 60 ) . Even though Mrs. Das’ puffed rice is packed in newspaper. which means she likely bought it at the hotel. it still seems to be a common thing to eat for affluent people. particularly during summer times harmonizing to both narratives. Rise wants to be person she is non. She genuinely wishes to be at a higher rank than the people in her town.
This is likely to be the ground why Rose listed it in the breakfasts. because she believes it is a fancy nutrient to eat. such as half a Citrus paradisi is. “The first forenoon the Puffed Rice. visible radiation as pollen. came sloping into the bowl. was as gay. as promoting a clip as the first twenty-four hours walking on the difficult route without gum elastics or the first twenty-four hours the door could be left unfastened in the lovely. brief clip between hoar and flies” ( Munro 41 ) . Half a Citrus paradisi is non available to purchase in any of the shops in her town. which is why she announced that is what she ate. It is out of the ordinary for the kids in her category to hold eaten this. Rise accepts the fact that she is different than the other kids in her category. This is what she wants. She wants to be different. It gives her mental pleasance. Eventhough the other kids tease her for it. she is content to cognize this fact of distinction.
In both narratives there is secrecy. This secretiveness shows in most ways that the characters feel guilty about something. that must hold happened in their yesteryear. This comforter or possibly even repent is one of the large battles within the narratives. Both female characters have secrets from their close friends and/or households. whatever the instance may be. Mrs. Das keeps one of the biggest secrets a married adult female could maintain from her hubby. The ground she keeps it from him. is because the truth hurts her ; the guilt. She claims it is pain she is experiencing. but deep down she knows it is guilt. because when Mr. Kapasi confronts her about it she gets offended. “She turned to him and glared. mustard lips on her frigid pink lips. She opened her oral cavity to state something. but as she glared at Mr. Kapasi some certain cognition seemed to go through before her eyes. and she stopped” ( Lahiri 79 ) . This means that she is maintaining the truth from her ego. aswell. This awful feeling chows her up indoors. Mr. Kapasi’s response was non really appealing to Mrs. Das. Once she thought approximately what he had said. she realized the truth of the affair. She looked at the life she had now. and realized that it wasn’t that bad.
She could hold been happy all along by non brooding on the yesteryear. . She kept this awful feeling. because it seems that she was really afraid of aching her hubby and rupturing apart their household. On the other manus Rose merely hides something from one of her best friends. because she is really ashamed of what she had said and the individual she truly wants to be. “Flo enjoyed the episode of the Kotex. would inquire about fresh developments. Half-a-grapefruit she ne’er got to hear about” ( Munro 42 ) . It is all right for her to hear other people make merriment of her. but she does non desire her best friend to make the same. Mr. Kapasi is neither happy nor unhappy with his life. He is content with everything. even though it is nil particular. This was until he met Mrs. Das. He realized how suffering his life was. “He wondered if Mr. and Mrs. Das were a bad lucifer. merely as him and his married woman were” ( Lahiri 67 ) . From his point on he starts fantasying about a relationship with Mrs. Das. He is be aftering so many things he could make with her and bask. Throughout this portion he is happy. There is nil observing of his wretchedness. This phantasy is his world for now. He as escaped his mundane life. His occupation is non merely a occupation any longer.
Every second when Mrs. Das is non around Mr. Das he is basking more and more every clip. The ground why Rose wants to be better than the people she lives about. is because she thinks really small good of them. “…was relieved when duty was fixed on a large sullen state miss named Muriel Mason. who wore slub rayon housedresses to school. and had B. O. ” ( Munro 42 ) . The job with Rose though is that she knows she is merely like them. Her phantasy is to be a affluent lady ; her end is to move more comfortable. She tries so difficult non to be. The ground for that is that she was the 1 who put the Kotex on show. “Rose was afraid that she might be a prima campaigner for ownership…” ( Munro 42 ) . Rose gets a kind of exhilaration believing that she is better than her schoolmates or people in her town. It gives her that joy of life. which she needs. All she wants is to be successful in life and be better off.
The differences between the two writers narratives. are the diverse significances felicity and how to seek for felicity. Since the writers both use phantasies to demo an flight of the characters mundane life to happen a sense of joy in life. Each character reflects on them egos and realizes that their lives are suffering. In this instance Mrs. Das. “Eight old ages Mr. Kapasi. I’ve been in hurting eight years” ( Lahiri 78 ) . This realisation of wretchedness is the cause for the phantasies they have created. It seems as if both writers put a small spot of their ain life experiences in their narrative. but that is non rather certain The hunt for life and felicity might be ne’er stoping sometimes.
But both writers realize that people don’t ever see what is right in forepart of them. A manner both writers have their characters find felicity is through different phantasies. Peoples ever try to seek for something better. and in these instances it is something beyond world. Mrs. Das is in hunt of more love. which she gets from her hubbies friend. Rose hunts for a different life manner that people in her country don’t approve of. Mr. Kapasi thinks that holding a long distance matter will break his life. but one time world hits and the phantasy comes to a halt. things are perfectly different and his hopes and dreams were crushed. Nevertheless Mrs. Das finds felicity within her kids. Fantasies last for a piece. but non everlastingly. Life will ever be tough. but true felicity will ever happen its manner in.
