Short Stories: A Temporary Matter

I'm choosing to write this blog entry on the short story we read titled A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Out of all the short stories we've read so far in class, this one stuck out to me the most. I've read Interpreter of Maladies in the past and I am familiar with Jhumpa Lahiri in that sense.

I wanted to focus on how very real this story is. There is such deep, personal subject matter taking place here. Shoba and Shukumar show the reader the reality of a marriage. We see what it's like to have a relationship dwindle after a tragedy. I have not had anything like this happen in my life, but the loss of a child is something that many couples struggle with.

We get a better sense of each character's individuality by not only the way they deal with their grief, but the way they deal with each other. It is clear that Shoba and Shukumar struggle to find much in common after this happens. They end up resenting each other.

Shukumar's perspective is the focus of this story and the reader gets a good idea of how his feelings and opinions of his wife have changed over time. He says that she once used to be beautiful and interesting and now he does not regard her this way. When she was pregnant, Shukumar didn't find Shoba desirable and I think that in itself is the turning point of their relationship. After the death of their son, Shukumar turns the baby's room into his office and he becomes irritated when Shoba interrupts him and intrudes into his new, designated space.

Although this story is through Shukumar's perspective, we also get how Shoba feels about Shukumar through her actions. She no longer wants to cook, she leaves her shoes and her bag on the floor, she doesn't put an effort into her appearance, she's constantly staying late to work and she never wants to talk to Shukumar when she is home.

What really intrigued me are the scenes where their power is shut off and they begin to tell each other secrets in the dark. The reader almost feels like these candlelit confessions will be what saves their marriage, but it does not happen. Shoba tells Shukumar that she is moving out and it is truly the end. Their sudden trust in each other only happens because they don't have their work to busy themselves with and, most likely, because it's easier to tell someone you care about a piece of information you've been hiding if they can't see you clearly. It's only temporary.