Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Mr. Pirzada, the Refugee

When I read When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine the cultural differences among the characters is what strikes me. We can talk about this story in terms of Indians and Pakistanis and their lives among Americans, but I am going to talk about the differences between the Indians and Pakistanis themselves and the war that occurs throughout the story.

Although we may believe that Mr. Pirzada and Lilia’s family gather together in concern for the events going on back home, I notice how Lilia’s father is quick to point out the differences between Mr. Pirzada and his family. Maybe it is because Lilia’s upbringing in the US, but she does not see the difference between her family and Mr. Pirzada. She calls him an Indian and her father points out that it is important that she know he is no longer considered Indian. Lilia does not see the difference because Mr. Pirzada acts so much like them. He speaks the same language, laughs at the same jokes, has some of the same manners as them, and he even looks about the same as them.

Lilia’s father even tells her that Mr. Pirzada is Muslim and during Partition Hindus and Muslims set fire to each other’s houses. Even though he acknowledges this difference in religion and race, he still seeks out Mr. Pirzada to come dine with them. “In search of compatriots, they used to trail their fingers, at the start of each new semester, through the columns of the university directory, circling surnames familiar to their part of the world” (Lahiri 24). The word compatriot is important here, because a compatriot is someone whom one can identify with, but how can they identify with someone they see so differently for themselves? Lilia’s father points out that the idea of Muslims and Hindus eating in each other’s company is unthinkable, yet they keep inviting him back to dine with them. So the question I ask is why did they invite Mr. Pirzada to come and dine if there is such an important and even tense history of differences between Muslims and Hindus?
The most obvious reason is because Lilia’s parents were just being hospitable to a fellow colleague at the university and he just happens to be Muslim. After all they had done it many times before. But, I would like to say that in keeping with the theme of refugees back in India and Pakistan, Lahiri makes Mr. Pirzada a “refugee” among Lilia’s family, the Indians. The family keeps welcoming Mr. Pirzada back to dine because he is like a refugee to them and they wish to help him (by feeding him). When Mr. Pirzada goes back to dine for the second time his first words are “Another refugee, I am afraid, on Indian territory” (Lahiri 28). But, he is not talking about the refugees on television, but he is referring to himself as a refugee. He is constantly living in Dacca time and he is very concerned with the situation back home because is family is there. Lilia’s family has taken Mr. Pirzada in because they feel bad about the situation back home and that Mr. Pirzada has family in the turmoil. Her father is constantly telling Lilia how lucky she is to not have to worry about certain things and he tells her “see, children your age, what they do to survive” (Lahiri 31). This shows me that they sympathize with Mr. Pirzada’s situation and is why they have put aside their differences to keep welcoming him back to eat.

At the end there is no consistent communication with Mr. Pirzada, except a note from him to say thank you. The reader expects there to be some kind of everlasting connection between him and the family, but Mr. Pirzada was no longer a refugee in their care and had no need to return to them since he was able to go back home. Her parents had predicted correctly that they would never see him again. Although this ending is a bit disappointing to me as a reader, I see how it works well with this theme of refugees.

Relationship problems in the Interpreter of Maladies

Priya once mentioned in a class discussion that there was a review that described the Interpreter of Maladies’ stories as being filled with examples of carelessness. The thought of carelessness throughout the book was one that I did not consider before hearing that response. Specifically, the idea of carelessness in relationships is evident throughout the collection.

The book opens up with a story entitled A Temporary Matter. In class discussions, this story has seemed to uproot the most conversation of any of the pieces. A young married couple hardly speaks to each other and concentrates on their own personal lives without thinking of the other. It is not until a blackout that they try to connect once again only to find out that she is leaving him and he shares the deep, dark secret of the sex of their dead baby with her. These characters are filled with carelessness for each other, never once feeling the stereotypical feelings that once would imagine a marriage to contain. When darkness takes over the house, there is an attempt to rekindle the flame that used to be alive in their marriage, but it seems almost a disgrace since these feelings can only be felt in the dark without each other’s gaze. And when the lights come back on and their secrets game is over, the reader learns that their relationship means nothing to her and she is willing to erase everything is if she is editing the papers that she gets paid for.

The Interpreter of Maladies also presented moments of carelessness, this time in the relationship of two different families. The Das family hardly felt like a family at all. The parents did little to control the actions of their children and seemed to care less about any of the antics they got themselves into, including provoking monkeys with a stick. Mr. and Mrs. Das were even oblivious to each other’s actions for the whole of the story; Mr. Das hardly ever looking up from his India guide map, and Mrs. Das having no interaction at all with the family but rather the tour guide, Mr. Kapasi. Even Mr. Kapasi thinks thoughts that show no care about his family waiting at home, expressing an interest in Mrs. Das as an adventure to pursue. But even more specific, is the example of food that is present in the story. Mrs. Das carries with her an Indian rice snack that she never cares to offer to any of her family or the driver. It is this food that is carelessly spilled on the dirt, leaving rice for the monkeys to eat. The food sparks a climactic moment in the story in which the monkeys attack a child that has been provoking them with a stick and starts beating him. The parents do nothing about this incident, calling on the surprised tour guide to interfere with the scene and save the child from any more harm. The whole moment seems odd because it is hard for me to see any care in any of the characters for each other at all.

The example of carelessness in A Real Durwan is just sad. Boori Ma is blamed for an incident that she had little control over and was forced out into the streets because of her tenants greed and blame. When the tenants decide to contribute more and more to the improvement of their living space, Boori Ma is practically relieved of her duties of security and stairwell maintenance since the workers performing the tenants’ desires are constantly moving through the building. Boori Ma cannot do her duties and thus falls asleep on the roof, and then robbers come and raid the building because she was not awake to do anything about it. Her actions seem to be careless to the tenants, but I would have put up a fight for her. She is then thrown into the streets by her tenants and left with nothing about her shawl and a broom.

I would like to skip ahead to the last story in the collection, The Third and Final Continent. The narrator moves to America where he attends MIT and lives with an elderly woman named Mrs. Croft on very low rent. For the first half of the story, the carelessness lies in the narrator’s relationship with Mala, his arranged wife. She is still in India, but when she arrives in America, he does little to welcome her and has a hard time warming up to her as his wife. She acts the part of an Indian wife but he still does not love her until a trip to Mrs. Croft’s home where Mrs. Croft labels Mala the “perfect lady”. It is then that the “arranged” boundary begins to break down and reveal the love and respect that is deserved in their marriage.

The collection does show signs of carelessness throughout, and the examples can be overcome as in the case of The Third and Final Continent, but other examples never seem to resolve for the better.

Priceless Punctuality

Reflecting on “The Third and Final Continent”, the final story in The Interpreter of Maladies, brought my focus to Mrs. Croft, a brilliantly designed caricature of American history and influence on Asian American life. I couldn’t help but think of my great grandmother, who at 93 is just beginning to suffer from Alzheimer’s, something not stated, but somewhat implied about Mrs. Croft. Her influence on my life parallels the influence Mrs. Croft’s life has on the protagonist of the story. I believe that the picture given of Mrs. Croft by Lahiri could not be portrayed any better but I couldn’t help but write a part of the story from Mrs. Croft’s point of view. I feel that her seniority and influence deserves a little more depth, and what better way than from the very mouth and mind of this Alzheimer’s ridden, fiery old woman.

The doorbell rings exactly on time, this boy is off to a good start. It’s nice to see that some of these young folks still care about showing proper time management skills and respect.
“One minute please!”
The only way to keep anything safe nowadays is to keep it locked up tight. Goodness, this chain is getting heavier every day, I swear! Why on earth do people have to be so untrustworthy nowadays? These ruffagins that throw trash in my yard and set off those preposterous car alarms so late at night wouldn’t know what hit them if I had half the strength I used to. If only these fingers would work the way they used to, there, that tiny knob button-lock won’t get the best of me!
Well, this boy looks presentable enough. Harvard boys just don’t take pride in their appearance the way they used to, such a shame. Now, where did I move that piano bench to? Oh goodness, is it there by the piano again, where could it be? Here it is, oh these old bones, what am I doing? Yes, yes, this boy, the room… Oh dear the lock!
“Lock up!” That was close! Goodness boy, don’t you have any sense?
“Fasten the chain and firmly press that button on the knob! This is the first thing you shall do when you enter, is that clear?”
Like I said boy, you can never be too careful nowadays.
“You’re punctual! I expect you shall be so with rent!” Am I speaking too loud again, he recoiled? No matter, I hope he doesn’t think I’m going to let him slide by with that rent! That last boy… what was his name? Well, he knew nothing of courtesy…
“I have a letter madame.” The boy extends his hand, in it a folded sheet of paper.
Interrupted once again, for what? I assume this piece of paper shows his credentials, he seems credible so far. Better warn him, keep him on this good path he seems to be following.
“The last boy was always late! Still owes me eight dollars! Harvard boys aren’t what they used to be! Only Harvard and Tech in this house! How’s Tech boy?”
“It’s very well.”
“You checked the lock?” Can never be too careful, even in midday like this… I miss my noontime walks, sunshine sounds delightful right now, Henry would never have approved of all those locks on my door. He always said he was all the protection I would ever need… When was my last visit?
“Yes, madame.”
Oh yes, this boy. He’s going to be alright for now, I wonder if he has heard? I shall inform him.
“There is an American flag on the moon!” I hardly believed it. If I hadn’t have heard it with my own ears I would never have believed…
“Yes, madame.”
Is that all this boy ever says? Maybe he didn’t fully comprehend. This is the moon!
“A flag on the moon, boy! I heard it on the radio! Isn’t that splendid?” He thinks I’m a fool.
“Yes, madame.”
Foolish boy! I may be old but I am not crazy. If you are to learn respect and dignity you must be able to recognize your place. I know mine, you will learn yours, even if I must help you along…
“Say ‘splendid’!” Oh dear, this boy, he will understand with time, I know it. He is different.
“Say ‘splendid’!” Do not make me repeat myself again, I know you will learn fast.
“Splendid”. He murmured. He knows I am hard of hearing, thoughtless child. I will give him time, someday he will understand.
“Go see the room!” He recoiled again, oh well, that’s what he gets for mumbling. He should be grateful. I wish my hands would stop aching, I would like to play another piece for Henry. Having company again will be nice… He better be punctual with that rent!

I know these stories focus on Asian, and/or Asian American characters but I feel that Mrs. Croft’s influence on this Asian- American man as an American woman was worth expanding. I thoroughly enjoyed her character, and I enjoyed watching her influence play out through the growth of the marriage.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Do Like the Monkeys Do

The story, the Interpreter of Maladies in The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri astonishes me by the way Lahiri writes about the monkeys. As the Das family visits India and is given a tour by Mr. Kapasi, the monkeys are shown as being dangerous but also mysterious at the same time. Mr. Kapasi explains to the family that, "We call them the hanuman. They are quite common in the area" (Lahiri 47). What is not common in the area is the Das family. This family has chosen to spend their vacation in India to experience their culture and to explore their own heritage. However, they are very unfamiliar with the area just like the monkeys are unfamiliar with them. The monkeys are as curious as the Das family as they step out of the car and look at unfamiliar things.

The monkeys come up in the story at times when the Das family and Mr. Kapasi are having an uncomfortable moment. As the car became silent, Mr. Kapasi wondered what Mr. and Mrs. Das relationship was like. He knew that they bickered often. After this realization, monkeys began showing up in the trees outside of the car. To me, this symbolizes the bickering of the husband and wife but as well as the monkeys. Monkeys like to fight with each other as well as some human beings. Mr. and Mrs. Das are like monkeys that argue with one another for uncertain reasons.

Secondly, once Mrs. Das told her husband that she didn't want to get out of the car to take pictures for their Christmas cards, the monkeys began to creep upon the family like there was something wrong with them. Mrs. Das claimed that the monkeys make her feel uncomfortable, "I'm not coming. Anyway, those monkeys give me the creeps" (Lahiri 61). They give her the creeps due to the reason that the monkeys are always picking on her and her family. Animals can always sense people's emotions, such as fear.

As their son Bobby, was being attacked by the monkeys, Mr. and Mrs. Das had no idea what to do. The monkeys were hitting the little boy with a stick, pulling at his clothes, and circling him due to the reason that he had food in his hand. This situation shows a sign of an unhealthy relationship between the husband and wife. These two people do not know how to handle fearful situations. They both need the assistance of another who can pry away the mokeys off their son.

All in all, as the monkeys fight, tease, and climb trees as the Das family watches them, they are very similar to that of Mr. and Mrs. Das themsleves. This couple seems to always fight and bicker just like the monkeys do. Therefore, people are like animals in this aspect. Animals have emotions and get into arguments as shown in this story. Since monkeys are similar to that of the human race, we do like the monkeys do.

Ethnocentric America: Its Ignorance is Showing

Ethnocentrism is a way of examining the world in terms of our own culture. Often an ethnocentric view will lead one to ignore what is important in other cultures while focusing on what is important in theirs. This tendency to be ethnocentric can result in viewing one’s own culture as superior to another and can cause lack of ability to see other cultures without judging them on the basis of one’s culture. These effects may be why in American schools there is little world history that is taught, in my day there was none.
Lahiri invents a family which is common in America, a family with a diverse background. As one reads When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine, they are struck by the lack of concern given to Pakistan’s war by the American media, and the grade school teacher who thinks if it is not relevant to the student’s report, it is not important.
American schools are known for only teaching American history. But Lilia’s father insists she is not getting a good enough education. Lilia’s Father and Mr. Pirzada are very concerned about the situation in Pakistan. Lilia’s father wants to know if she knows about the situation in Pakistan, Lilia’s father, when realizing she does not know of the situation, states "What exactly do they teach you at school? . . . But what does she learn about the world?" (26-27). This is a valid concern because American culture often centers on only their own history, ignoring the history of the world. Later Lilia talks about what she is learning in school "We learned American history, of course, and American geography. That year and every year, it seemed, we began by studying the revolutionary war. We were taken . . . to visit Plymouth Rock . . . to walk the Freedom Trail . . . to the top of Bunker Hill Monument" (27). Lilia’s school shows a large bias toward American history, while ignoring the rest of the world’s history.
Mr. Pirzada and the Lilia’s Family are very concerned about what is happening in Pakistan, but as the war continues there is less news coverage about what is happening. This shows a lack of social concern on the part of Americans who steadily lose interest in the Pakistan war.
A kind of bonding occurs between the Lilia’s family and Mr. Pirzada. This is not a lasting relationship, since once he le

Ethnocentric America: Its Ignorance is Showing

Ethnocentrism is a way of examining the world in terms of our own culture. Often an ethnocentric view will lead one to ignore what is important in other cultures while focusing on what is important in theirs. This tendency to be ethnocentric can result in viewing one’s own culture as superior to another and can cause lack of ability to see other cultures without judging them on the basis of one’s culture. These effects may be why in American schools there is little world history that is taught, in my day there was none.
Lahiri invents a family which is common in America, a family with a diverse background. As one reads When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine, they are struck by the lack of concern given to Pakistan’s war by the American media, and the grade school teacher who thinks if it is not relevant to the student’s report, it is not important.
American schools are known for only teaching American history. But Lilia’s father insists she is not getting a good enough education. The Das family and Mr. Pirzada are very concerned about the situation in Pakistan. Lilia’s father wants to know if she knows about the situation in Pakistan, Lilia’s father, when realizing she does not know of the situation, states "What exactly do they teach you at school? . . . But what does she learn about the world?" (26-27). This is a valid concern because American culture often centers on only their own history, ignoring the history of the world. Later Lilia talks about what she is learning in school "We learned American history, of course, and American geography. That year and every year, it seemed, we began by studying the revolutionary war. We were taken . . . to visit Plymouth Rock . . . to walk the Freedom Trail . . . to the top of Bunker Hill Monument" (27). Lilia’s school shows a large bias toward American history, while ignoring the rest of the world’s history.
Mr. Pirzada and the Das Family are very concerned about what is happening in Pakistan, but as the war continues there is less news coverage about what is happening. This shows a lack of social concern on the part of Americans who steadily lose interest in the Pakistan war.
A kind of bonding occurs between the Das family and Mr. Pirzada. This is not a lasting relationship, since once he leaves they do not keep in contact. But this relationship is built around commonalities and shared expressions of concern. While few Americans knew about, or cared about the situation in Pakistan, those people whom it effects directly-as Mr. Pirzada for being worried about his family- and indirectly-as did the Das. Family because of their Indian heritage, were very interested.
America is very ethnocentric, concentrating on only those virtues which we deem important, teaching only the history we are a part of and even then leaving out many people who were important in the history of America. Too often in America world history is ignored and often only learned if one chooses to do so in college. The writer makes an important point of how American students are often undereducated in the field of world history, and current events. I find, when reflecting at my own education that the basis I have for history is very biased toward American history. My education of history contained only knowledge of America.
Especially in times of political unrest, people who are being educated should be done so in a whole world approach. In America we would do better to teach a multi-national history and include in American history all the peoples who came here and struggled to survive.

Monday, February 19, 2007

The Darkness

During our class discussion on A Temporary Matter, we briefly touched upon the topic of darkness and how this teases out major issues within the story. Take note that I have selected the words touched upon, being that I feel there are greater ideas in which we can elaborate on. What does the darkness represent? For purposes of exploring this theme, I have worked closely with a novel in which I am reading for another literature class. The book is entitled Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison; one that many of you may have already read, and if not, I would highly advise that you do so.

In A Temporary Matter we learn that the wretched couple spends more time in the day avoiding each other than actually participating in a relationship. Though pained and distorted by occurrences in the past, Shoba and Shukumar take advantage of the blackout. By using the darkness as a time for confession, they are able to speak of the harsh realities in which they would normally be unable to confront. The darkness becomes representative of something far more. It becomes a shield, and although the deepest of thought and emotions may be revealed, it is almost a way of remaining unidentified in the truest of times.

To further structure this thought, I pinpointed an exact passage from the prologue of Invisible Man where the author ideally articulates this idea of darkness, and counters it with the importance of light. The text reads:

“…I now can see the darkness of lightness. And I love light. Perhaps you’ll think it strange that an invisible man should need light, desire light, love light. But maybe it is exactly because I am invisible. Light confirms my reality, gives birth to my form. A beautiful girl once told me of a recurring nightmare in which she lay in the center of a large dark room and felt her face expand until it filled the whole room, becoming a formless mass while her eyes ran in bilious jelly up the chimney. And so it is with me. Without light I am not only invisible, but formless as well; and to be unaware of one’s form is to live a death.”

(Just for clarification, the narrator is not actually physically invisible. He is rather dealing with major racial issues in which he classifies himself “invisible.” As I mentioned before, read the book, it is well worth it!)

Now, to connect this passage to that of A Temporary Matter… If Ellison is claiming that without light one is invisible and formless, then perhaps this is true with Shoba and Shukumar. When they are transparent and without a created structure, they are able to release the things they hide within dept. I would say that they use this formless imperative to reveal the things they cannot say upfront. And although this may be the time in which they are truly unable to be seen, there is something about the loss of the “conscious reality” that lets one reveals the “unconscious reality.” The unconsciousness that they may not recognize… or further, may not want to confront.

The idea of light is also of great importance. For instance, Ellison states that light is what confirms reality and what creates form. I would say that this would be true for Shoba and Shukumar in the sense that when they are in light, they become isolated, distant from one another, and always haunted by the reality of the loss of the child. There is no getting around this fact that they have suffered a tragedy, and mourning over the loss (assuming a state of “unconscious reality”) has become whom they are. Their identities have ultimately grown apart, and being in the everyday life sheds light on this fact.

The ending of this passage is where I find a major inconsistency with comparing the passage to the story. Ellison argues that “to be unaware of one’s form is to be dead.” Now although this gives perfect reference to Shoba and Shukumar, I believe it is in opposite retrospect. In their case, to be aware of their form is to be dead. When they are in the light, they are dead and dead to each other. They are haunted by their true realities that they have yet to overcome. When in the dark, Shoba and Shukumar are able to confess their inner most secrets. Therefore, letting go of their form revives them, allows them to live. The last section of the story is where this becomes tricky. Shoba is about to tell Shukumar something of great importance when she turns on the lights and states, “I want you to see my face when I tell you this.” Although they have allowed the dark to assist their secrets in escaping, they are only able to confront each other with their truest of feelings when she talks to him in the light. I would say that this is the rebirth of Shoba's form, provoking the change of Shukumar’s. Although light only worked in the past to reveal unwanted memories, the light in this case led to release change, a confrontation that was long overdue.

So in closing, what exactly does the dark represent? Is it just a counter to light, a way of hiding? Or is it a place in which one loses their form and therefore is able to lose themselves and their thoughts? The darkness seemed to draw the couple closer together, only to have the light reveal the truth inside. So is darkness a source of escape that ultimately promotes bondage? I really cannot answer this, though I have explored the idea. So now I ask the question to others… what does the darkness represent?

Sunday, February 18, 2007

The Third and Final Continent Discussed

For those of you who have not completed Interpreter of Maladies, do not read any further. Though all the stories in the book were quite fascinating and interesting to read, I couldn’t help but enjoy the very last one, “The Third and Final Continent,” the most.

It is a story about a man coming to the United States for the first time. He is recently married but has to leave his wife behind in India; only for a while at least.

He takes refuge with an older woman, Mrs. Croft, who he would later find out is one hundred and three. She is fascinated by the fact that the U.S. has successfully placed a flag on the moon. She sits by her old piano every day and invites him to sit next to her.

Mrs. Croft is also very proper. She won’t let him have lady visitors, even though he is married. When he has a conversation with her daughter Helen, she criticizes them both for talking with out a chaperone, seeing as they are both single. She fails to realize he is married and Helen is old enough to be his mother.

When her daughter asks her what she would do if she saw a woman with a mini-skirt, Mrs. Croft replies that she would have her arrested.

I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out the significance of Mrs. Croft and her properness to the story. I have come to the conclusion that Mrs. Croft was a way for the main character to practice living with his future wife.

. The main character had been distant from his culture for many years. He had lived in London and during the story, The United States. He had adjusted to the more relaxed life styles. He tells the reader at the beginning about his leisurely life living with other Bengalis in London, and how he regarded his marriage with neither objection nor enthusiasm, it was just expected of him.

His wife, Mala, however, lived her entire life in Indian. She was raised to be proper and regard her husband with respect. When she first gets off the plane, she refuses to take off her sari at the airport. She is dressed very formally and appears to follow her country’s customs. She is the product of an old world.

He has trouble getting used to her at first. He states that after the first week living with her, he had not become accustomed to her. It appears that he has trouble adjusting to her old customs. It isn’t until they take a visit to Mrs. Croft that she starts to grow on him. I believe this is because he finally realizes how similar they are.

Mrs. Croft was also a product of an older world. Granted, it was in the United States, but the difference between when she grew up and the time she was living during the story was great. Almost as if she was living in a different place. Since she is both incredibly fascinated by the fact that the U.S. had landed a person on the moon, but also distressed over the changing culture of the world around her, she was adjusting to a new and different world with values that were outdated; just like the main character’s wife tries to do. In this way, Mrs. Croft is very similar to Mala.

I think the main character realizes the similarity by the end of the visit. He worries what Mrs. Croft will think of his wife. He wonders what she will think of Mala’s strange customs. However, un-expectantly, she calls her a perfect lady. He suddenly laughs and for the first time and his wife and he smile at each other.

The protagonist says that from that moment the distance between his wife and himself became closer. If they grew closer together, he had to have seen something in his wife that he hadn’t seen before. When Mrs. Croft gave approval to Mala, it was an indication that she and Mala were not so different because Mrs. Croft was strict on who she decided to like. This could have given the protagonist the idea that his wife was similar to the woman he had been living with for so many months, and thus the distance for himself probably wore off.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Identity through food

Through The Interpreter of maladies we are lead into multiple Indian lives through multiple stories. Each story touched on different issues that we have and have yet to discuss in class. When I first read the book I found myself becoming easily lost as I jumped from story to story, trying to shed the sympathy that I’d gained for the last character so that I could give it to the next, but then I found a connection that is shared by each story. We touched on the importance of food and what it represented for immigrant communities while reading about how Grace threw up her food in the interpreter. I found the same importance of food in The Interpreter of maladies.

Throughout each story food is used as a comfort. Food is used to express happiness, discontentment, sadness, and virtually every other emotion throughout this novel. We begin with the story of Shukumar and Shoba. “He liked that Shoba was different. It astonished him, her capacity to think ahead. When she used to do the shopping, the pantry was always stocked with extra bottles of olive and corn oil, depending on whether they were cooking Italian or Indian. There were endless boxes of pasta in all shapes and colors, zipped sacks of basmati rice, whole sides of lambs and goats from the Muslim butchers at Haymarket, chopped up and frozen in endless plastic bags….He watched in disbelief as she bought more food…brown paper bags of artichokes, plums, gingerroot, and yams, and dropped them on their scales…”pg.7 Shukumar and Shoba even break up over “shrimp malai”

After the story of Shukumar and Shoba A woman named Lilia tells us of the magnificent feasts that his mother would prepare when Mr. Pirzada came to dine. When trouble breaks out in Pakistan and Mr. Pirzada does not know the fate of his daughters the Lilia consumes chocolate as she offers a prayer for the man’s family. We even learn that during the twelve days of war her mother refuses to serve anything other than hard boiled eggs and rice. Food has now taken on the sorrow of the experience. Food takes on a different role in every story and this book and it's use of food has helped me to even better understand the gravity of what Grace did when she threw up the food at the dinner table.

Trip for Two to Calcutta

Author’s note: After I finished reading “A Temporary Matter” in Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, I was unable to move. Not only did the ending shock me and upset me, but I was left with this empty feeling like the story wasn’t complete. I kept wondering “What happened to Shukumar? How does he handle this?” My questions will never be answered, but I knew I would sleep better at night having written my own form of answers. So for my blog, I continued Shukumar’s story.

Autumn quickly passed and Shukumar was getting ready for final exams. His students hated this time of the semester. Throughout the halls you could hear the constant complaining and whining drone on and on like a fan that’s twirling and twirling, too loud and annoying to ignore. The constant sound from the halls made him tired. Lately it seemed like he was always tired. He didn’t have the energy for anything. Not even to eat lunch. He had lost 15 pounds since Shoba left him. 15 pounds he didn’t have to lose. It wasn’t his fault. He tried to eat. He just couldn’t. Food lost all taste. Without taste, what’s the purpose of eating? He got by on coffee and a few crackers and maybe a free doughnut. Skukumar was staring at his computer screen in his office when the phone pierced his aimless thoughts.

It was his mother.

“Skukumar, how is your day going?”

“Fine, Mother, and yours?” He attempted to sound as upbeat as possible. He dreaded these calls. Since the divorce his mother called for more and more frequency. For moments at a time he contemplated changing his number. He could never do that to his mother, though. He felt sorry for her. And for himself. They were both alone.

“You don’t sound fine,” she replied, “Are you eating?”

“Yes, Mother, I’m eating. I eat all the time,” He was trying his best to conceal his lie. What should he say? “Actually, mother, I’m on my way out to grab lunch with Professor Lymen. You remember him?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Now she was lying too.

Silence.

Why does she always call when she knows we have nothing to say? Nothing has changed since the last time we spoke. He knew the answer. She was lonely. He was lonely too. He didn’t like to admit that small but crucial fact. His mother and he were in the same situation. Both lost without their life partner, their other half, their better half. However, his mother was widowed. His father died. His father never left her. His father never went off to live another life without her. He liked to believe that if it was possible, his father would have chosen to live forever with his mother by his side. That’s the difference. Shoba left him. She had decided to amputate him from her life and move on. She knew she could do better without a parasite clinging on, sucking life from her.

“Why don’t we take a trip?” asked his mother intruding on his self-pitying thoughts.

Was she serious?

“Excuse me?” he asked. Surely he misheard the question.

“A trip together. You and me. Maybe to Calcutta,” his mother said trying to sound nonchalant about the whole matter.

“You want to go back to Calcutta?” he asked, still perplexed by the whole idea.

“Yes. I think it will be good for us. You’ve said before how much you’ve regretted not going more in the past. I think we could both use a break, no, a start over. There’s nothing to lose. I have nothing tying me here and you weren’t even sure if you were coming back next semester. It’s time for a new journey.”

There it was. The answer he had been looking for. It amazed him that his mother still knew him so well even after all of these years apart. Everything she had said was true. He didn’t have anything to lose. He had always wanted to go back to Calcutta. He went only once after his father died, and even then it didn’t seem like enough. He could tell the school that he was leaving. He could do it today. He could pack up the small apartment he was forced to move into after Shoba left him. He could do this. He could explore the country. He could find the answers to his questions. He could begin again. He could start over.

“Alright, let’s do it!” he exclaimed. The instant and urgent agreement shocked and surprised them both. This was a turning point.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Jen? Jen who?

So what’s funny is that even after Priya’s little remark that no one has mentioned anything about Jen, no one said anything. I decided to look a little further at her character in the novel.

So first of all, Suzy and Jen went to college together, where they studied all sorts of literature and dranks cafes out of their coffee stashes, dreading the ever-so-wrong decaf. What’s interesting about their relationship is that they each know each other inside and out. This is evident especially in the scene where they get together years after college to catch up and end up talking (Jen’s case) or thinking (Suzy’s case) about their individual problems, practically ignoring each other. Regardless, Jen is the only person that has known Suzy for a good length of time and still backs her up entirely. My take on Jen is that she is self-absorbed, but still cares about Suzy since she knows everything that she has gone through.

I found myself asking what Suzy truly thought of Jen. Suzy has practically isolated herself for years from all of her “close” friends save for the occasional get together for a cup of coffee, phone call, or even line of questioning. Suzy’s attention to solving her parents’ murder case is almost commendable since nothing seems to be able to keep her from it. This, in my opinion, can be attributed to the freedom that Suzy has chosen for herself from any obligations such as marriage or a consistent work shift. Suzy’s relaxed approach to life becomes the complete opposite of Jen. Jen is the chief editor of a publication that has her working never-ending shifts, and is keeping up in a relationship as well. She symbolizes what many people can consider a hard working, entrepreneurial woman.

So what is Jen’s role in this novel? First and foremost, Jen is an American woman that can be used as a distinct characterization of someone that will presumably exist in New York. Along with that, she is a contrast to Suzy and the other Korean-American immigrants that we see in that community. Often times, Jen can be considered Suzy’s muse, a character that instigates the questions and feelings that Suzy must ask and feel to move along in her investigation of her parents’ murder. There is also a certain amount of envy that is exchanged between the two primary characters of Suzy and Jen. Suzy sees a life in Jen that she may never achieve, one of successful work, problems that may not deal with death or corruption on a daily basis, and belonging to a community that is accepted with no bias of skin color. But then Jen sees Suzy as someone who is truly free to move within her society as a drifter with no real obligations other than the ones she chooses.

Jen isn’t used, as a character that affects Suzy one way or another in her investigation, but is important to Suzy because she doesn’t. She is one of a handful of characters that are symbolized as a loose comfort zone for Suzy. I feel comfortable calling Jen the official muse of Suzy.

Sisterly Affection

The relationship of Grace and Suzy is one that is difficult to pin down because although it appears to be one of dysfunction and hate, I see it as one of pure love and sacrifice. According to Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary a sister is “a female human being having the same parents as another person.” To me, a sister is so much more than that cold definition of lineage. Maybe it’s because I have sister and therefore understand the intricate relationship that lies between two sisters. The relationship is one of jealousy, envy, pure love, learning, laughing, and competition.

In The Interpreter by Suki Kim, the relationship between Suzy and Grace is more complicated than the author leads us to believe. I agree, from the first reading, I felt every cold shoulder, petty comment, and longing to be accepted. However, after much thought, I believe a deeper meaning can be read into every action and word exchange between the two sisters. I don’t think Grace was the “evil” older sister and treated Suzy poorly their entire lives. I have found in Grace’s actions a full and undying love of her sister that provokes her every action. Grace, being the older sister, was trying to protect and shelter Suzy from cold and harsh reality their family lived in. Grace took on all of the problems from knowing the truth of her father’s actions and never letting anyone else know. This is a lot to ask of a young girl who already faces many issues such as finding a cultural identity, moving schools every year, and finding true friends. Grace has good intentions by taking these problems onto herself and not sharing with Suzy, but it backfires some what. Grace ends up jealous of Suzy for being naive about family issues. Grace has created a vicious circle of catch 22. Grace feels like she shouldn’t share the grief with her younger sister, and yet because Suzy is unaware of these issues Grace envies her. Due to the Korean culture their parents foster, the responsibility is put on the elder daughter’s shoulders. Grace might have secretly wanted to share this responsibility with Suzy but couldn’t because it weight was hers to bear alone. Likewise, Suzy might have wanted to help Grace with translating for her parents, but wasn’t allowed to therefore causing a bigger divide.

Grace’s life motto should be, “The path to hell is lined with good intentions.” Grace ends up suffering alone in her own personal hell because of the sacrifice she makes in order for Suzy to be left youthful and untouched by all of the problems their parents, especially their father, create. This silent, strong relationship can be summed up by quote from Grace that is repeated several times throughout the novel, “One day, if you find yourself alone, will you remember that I am too” (260)? It takes the entire book for Suzy to finally understand and come to realize what Grace meant by these words. At the end, it is brought to light that Grace has been silently suffering all of these years due to her full understanding of what her father had been doing for years to other immigrants. Therefore Grace felt “alone” in her world and therefore excluded others including Suzy. One last cry of help can be heard in this line from Grace, although it was meant never to be understood until the end when all was revealed.

Leave a Message

Suki Kim uses Suzy’s answering machine as a device to show her readers the distant world that Suzy lives in. There are three distinct purposes that Kim uses the answering machine to portray: as a barrier between Suzy and the outside world, an interpretive tool, and as a doorway into Suzy’s thoughts. From the beginning of the novel the tone of Suzy’s life story is drab. Kim does not supply many scenes in her apartment that have description or color. And additionally most of the book Kim has Suzy spending time by herself.
We see Suzy reminisce of events of her childhood and time with Dameon while hiding in her apartment, uninterrupted and alone. This is because Kim wants to emphasize to her readers that Suzy’s world is completely separate from everyone. When you think about it, this idea of Suzy’s own world can be read in two separate ways. On an outer level we are able to understand that Suzy is someone that has practically no one. She has no family and very few friends. And on a deeper level it can be understood that this contrasts to the idea that Suzy being 1.5 generation Korean is living between the Korean community and the American community, not fully belonging to either one.
Having so many scenes in Suzy’s apartment alone opens the opportunity for Kim to show Suzy screening her phone calls through her answering machine. The answering machine acts as a medium through which Suzy is able to contact with the outside world at her own liking. As she was raised not to have any deep relationships with anyone because of her family moving and her parents working all the time we can see how using the answering machine is a device to show readers how mundane Suzy’s life really is. With the image that Kim portrays with “the blinking red light on the answering machine” it’s a subtle enough image to allow readers to imagine that it grabs Suzy’s attention just slightly enough to disrupt her dream world (69).
Coincidentally the answering machine also acts as a device for Suzy to interpret her life. “She presses ‘Delete’ after each message. It is no longer possible. An interpreter cannot pick sides”(275). Kim cleverly picks the answering machine because it can also be thought of as an interpretation between a conversation or message from one person to another. Throughout the book Suzy picks and chooses what she feels like listening or responding to just as she decides at this point of the book to stop being an interpreter because she found herself choosing what to listen and respond to in court cases.
Finally, the answering machine also works as a device to help readers to understand Suzy’s thoughts. As she hears messages being left on her machine or the ringing of the telephone we can understand her more deeply by seeing who she will and will not pick up for or who she hopes will be at the other end of the phone. There are many times when we hear Michael’s voice on the answering machine or the courts calling her to tell her about a job. In these instances we have a deeper understanding of her relationship with Michael and what she really feels about him, as well as an understanding for the commitment, or lack thereof, that she enjoys about her work. Kim uses the answering machine as a gateway for us to understand Suzy’s character.

Monday, February 12, 2007

White Irises

The most effective use of symbolism in The Interpreter is the use of Irises and the color white throughout the novel. From early on in the novel the Irises serve as a representation of Suzy’s relationship with her family, particularly her mother, and Suzy’s characteristics. Suzy says that her mother describes the flowers as sad and they symbolize perpetual mourning. Suzy is perpetually mourning her relationship with her parents and their deaths. Bill, the police officer tells Suzy that she has the face of a mourner (Kim 175). Another detail of the Irises is that they are white. The use of the color white in this novel symbolizes mourning, regret, and the longing for home.


Even though they are sad run-of-the-mill type of flowers, the Irises are her mother’s favorite flowers (Kim 33). If the flowers are a representation of Suzy, how does this speak to Suzy’s connection with her mother? Suzy is like her mother in many ways. Suzy even looks more like her mother, Kim Yong Su tells Suzy that she takes after her mother more than Grace does. It is almost as if Suzy represents her mother and her mother’s character develops through Suzy.
Suzy is passive and quiet like her mother. The text says that there was nothing her mother objected to, but Suzy doesn’t object to anything throughout the novel also (Kim 190). When their father chops off Grace’s hair, both Suzy and her mother stand there and can do nothing, Suzy’s mom even looks away. We see this passiveness in Suzy too with her relationships; she keeps her feelings in and never says what she really wants from the men in her life. When Suzy describes Korean culture she mentions that it is the Korean way to underplay the situation and declare one is fine even when suffering from pain, Suzy does this throughout the novel and it demonstrates her passiveness. Instead of confronting the problems in her life Suzy finds it easier to run away and isolate herself.


Suzy says the Irises are not glamorous and she doesn’t see herself as glamorous either. Throughout the novel Suzy compares herself to her sister Grace. When the gentleman at Montauk mistakes her for Grace, she is secretly amused since she never considers herself as beautiful as Grace. When Grace is defiant towards their father and her father punishes her, Grace seems to be the one in control, and Suzy is jealous of Grace’s ability to be an acting agent in her own life.


The color white in the novel symbolizes mourning and a longing for home. It is Korean tradition to wear white when mourning, Suzy and Grace wear white to their parents’ funeral, the Irises are white, and Suzy’s mom wears a white cloth pin to commemorate her own parents’ death. “White is the color of sadness, the color of remembering, of home” (Kim 72). White symbolizes their homeland of Korea. The parents are constantly trying to make sure that Suzy and Grace do not forget their language and their culture. The girls want nothing to do with anything Korean, but after her parents’ death, Suzy longs for her parents and her culture. Suzy reflects on Korean things and regrets leavings her parents and rejecting the things they always told her were important.

Sisters: The Strongest Relationship?

Suzy and Grace? Sisters? According to the Oxford English Dictionary Suzy and Grace are both "a female in relationship to another person or persons having the same parents". It is interesting to think that Suzy and Grace are sisters. I believe that these two characters are similar in many ways that they do not know about. They both want something to hold on to outside of the world of their parents. However, their escape goat could be to look after one another and claim that they are best friends, but there are two many outsiders that want to damage their relationship.

As Suzy and Grace grew up in their parent's home, they both seem like strangers under one roof. What I don't understand is why don't they try to help one another due to their parent's strict ways? I only have one sibling in my family and that is with my sister. My sister and I are about two years apart, and I can not imagine one day where I can not talk to her. We both grew up together in a loving manner, she is the one I who to when we have family problems at home, and like Suzy and Grace, we are the same person.

The same person? That is a stretch to imagine of Suzy and Grace. Suzy is the quiet, patient, obedient sister while Grace wants to spread her wings to get out of her parent's life. What they don't understand is that their life would be so much easier if theyhad one another to count on.

One reason they can not count on one another is the fact that other people, outside of their home, put pressure on their self control. The men that Suzy has affairs with are who she goes to in need. Due to this fact, Suzy begins to rely, believe, and love some of these men that do not know who she is. For Grace, her ESL class and the gang that she is involved with is who she looks up to. They both do not need to look up to these outsiders. They do not know who both of these girls are, only Suzy and Grace know each other. What about family? Why doesn't Grace and Suzy try to become closer?

Once again, the Oxford English Dictionary states that sisters "have the same parents." Maybe the idea of "parents" to does not mean anything to Suzy and Grace. They both have the same blood from two people who raised them. Even though their parents are hard to deal with, strict, and sometimes mean, it does not mean that they both should disown their family all together as they grow older especially in the bond of sisterhood.

"Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship"
Margaret Meed 1901-1978

Saturday, February 10, 2007

A Thought About Grace's Final Actions

I have been thinking a lot about Grace’s actions. I have specifically thought about her final act. From what I gathered in class, many believe that Grace was avenging her parents when she took the life of their killer. Thinking the situation over, I have come to different conclusion.

I don’t think Grace was taking revenge for anyone. I believe her actions were a way to let go of the pain involved with her parents. Grace always seemed to want to get away from her mother and father and always took actions to distance herself as much as she could.

She spent her childhood alone, always isolating herself from the rest of the family. She would read her novels to allow her to escape.

She created the character of Marianna so that she would have an excuse to leave her parent’s house and smoke.

Grace never let Suzy have a crack at interpreting. If Suzy had become an interpreter for her parents, I theorize that Grace would have had to have dealt with her living nightmare even longer because her father and mother would have had a back up. Thus, I think this is why she kept Suzy from interpreting.

In college, she rarely came home. Only during the summer time would she actually return. Suzy speculates that the return was hard for her.

Grace becomes an English language teacher, something that her father had been so forcefully against through out her life.

When her parents die, she tells Suzy to leave “them” alone and they do not speak for several years. Though she does leave flowers at Suzy’s door each year, she does so anonymously.

Though her mom and dad had barely mentioned anything about Montauk through out her life, she did burry them there. The only hint as to why she does this comes from Mr. Kim. He told her that he buried his own wife there. Since her parents had wronged the Kims, it could be implied that she buried them there in order for them to face what they had done. Thus, she was making them deal with their guilt so she could get over hers.

I think she was trying to kill her mom and dad's murderer so she could finally be done with the situation. Why would she want to seek revenge? She always distanced herself from her the people she was avenging. But if the murder remained unsolved, she would have had to face her emotions involving the situation for quite some time; because the investigation and the thoughts about it would have continued. Thus, it seems likely that she spent her own time trying to solve the solution, so she could finally break free from her parents’ spell.

Now, granted, there are still some questions that need to be answered. For instance, why would she hang on to her parent’s house? It is a puzzler. However, she does distance herself from her parent’s views by giving the house to someone who was half-Korean, something that the reader knows her father would have expressly forbidden because of his rant about the mix breed puppy he almost runs over.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

A Graceful View

In class, on Tuesday, we began to discuss the novel, The Interpreter. Among the topics we touched on, from taboo relationships to the abrupt ending, the discussion on the character Grace caught my interest. Grace, as we all know now, is the main character Suzy’s sister. What we briefly discussed about her was why the author chose Suzy to be the protagonist and not Grace. Throughout the novel, the latter appears to be the more interesting sister, what with her wild escapades with risqué men and involvement in her parents INS scandal. Not to mention, the mystery, though about the parents murder, comes to focus more on Grace instead. The opposing opinions in class were that Grace should have been the main character because her story was more interesting than Suzy’s and that the book was fine focusing on Suzy because it gave a deeper, more subtle reading of the situation. In any case, I thought it might be interesting to rewrite part of a chapter of the book with Grace as the protagonist instead.


Ch. 4, pg 30-31 (italics are direct quotes from text)

The voice on the other end chimes, “Silver Shears Floral Shop, my name is Connie, how may I help you?” Grace stands by her desk, still in the modest blouse, long skirt and black pumps she wore to work. “I’d like to order a bouquet of white irises, to be sent to Suzy Park – S-U-Z-Y. She’s on St. Mark’s Place – I think you have the address in your records.”
“Yes, ma’am, we do. Would you like to include a message or card?”
“Not today.”
“Thank you for your order, ma’am. Anything else today?”
“No, that’s it.”
“Have a nice day then.”
“Thanks, you too.”
She hangs up the phone and looks at the Day-Planner open before her. Every November since her parents’ death she has sent the irises to Suzy. Anonymously. No sender’s name, nothing. No note, no miniature card with a happy smile, no heart-shaped balloon with double I-love-you’s. Simply a bunch of white irises, a rarity in November, but only in November, always in November. She wonders what Suzy thinks of them; whether she keeps them until the last petal wilts to a crinkled, light-brown mass, or if she just throws them away as soon as she can. She knows that irises will remind Suzy of Mom. Mom had liked them, Grace recalls. Mom said that, among all garden flowers, irises needed the most care, because they withered quickly and had virtually no smell. Her mother was not one of those frivolous women who fell head over heels over the rich colors of long-stemmed roses or tulips, and neither was Grace. In spite of all the wasted flowers Johnny sends, she still thinks that they ought to be left where they can grow, whether in the perennial fields of the Netherlands or in a vacant lot in Queens. Flowers do not belong choked in a vase, drowning in water filled with life-sustaining chemicals; sent to appease her on some Hallmark-copyrighted American holiday, with the purpose so obvious that the sappy love note is rendered completely pointless. The only time that such an excess of flora may have served a valid purpose was at her parents’ funeral. Grace had arranged it. The cascading garlands and sprays of lilies and chrysanthemums, all in white. Even then, the flowers were only fulfilling their assigned purpose. Even in their death, she felt the need to rebel against them. Him in particular. Everyone thought that the flowers were appropriate. But Grace knew that they were the last things that her parents would have wanted at their final moment.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

What is in a dream?

Class on Thursday brought a lot of interest to me. For those who weren’t there or need a recap; we talked about the dreams in dogeaters. Mainly we focused on the President’s wives so I am going to go into detail on Alacarn’s dream.
Being a Psychology major I am even more intrigued by the concept of dreams. We touched a little on Freud’s psychoanalytical view, and repressed emotions. My personal view has been influenced by Freud but also has been backed up by scientific views. Throughout my studies of psychology I have come across a lot of experiments on dreams, but have come across one I feel makes the most sense. This experiment came to the conclusion that dreams come from both sides of the brain causing different reactions and consequences. When someone dreams from only the left side of their brain the following day they will be very dull and boring, due to the lack of creativity. If someone only dreams from their right side of their brain the following day they will be have problems comprehending and doing daily skills, do to lack of logic. Freud fits into this for me due to the images being dreamt.
In Alacarn’s dream I believe that she was dreaming manly from her right side of her brain, do to the vivid images and the creativity. The main part of the dream that sticks out as the underlying theme of her dream is; “In a final, pathetic attempt at saving herself, Girlie arches her back and thrust her hips in the air, offering her body to the surly boys. They are not interested.” (Page 180). I think that is so important because through Girlie’s life she has been trying to compete against Dasiy. She wants to have Daisy’s sex appeal and the attention she receives through everything that she does. I also believe that she jealously brings more and more pain to her.
Her desire not to be herself brings pain to her while she is awake and also when she sleeps. I think that when she was rejected by her own culture, this was devastating because her home is denying her. She wants to be someone else that she is setting herself up to always be the outsider; represented the beginning of her dream when she is with everyone that matters but isn’t part of them. This dream represents her insecurities in her life.

Monday, February 5, 2007

Duality in The Interpreter

One of the first things that stood out to me upon finishing the novel was the sheer amount of dualities that were present throughout the entire novel. There were some basic and pretty obvious ones and some that were more subtle, but I think that all of them served a very important purpose.

The first thing that I felt was important to point out is how the word “interpreter” suggests a duality all on its own. By becoming an interpreter Suzy embraces the differences between many things such as her new world (America) and her parent’s old world (Korea), the differences between poverty and privilege, and the difference between language and understanding. Suzy is often faced with interpreting the truth exactly as it is said or by smudging it slightly as to reflect what she feels the person is trying to say. Suzy notes that there is a distinct difference between what is literally said and what is meant, and this relates to the very distinct differences between American culture and Korean culture in America. During her interpreting for the courts she comes across the difference between the culture of her generation and the culture of her parents. She speaks of being a 1.5 generation where she and others like her are still stuck between Korea and America, those who were born in Korea but who were raised in the states. It is particularly hard for her to adjust because she still feels a tie to the life that was but an urge to live an American life like the others around her.

Some other dualities that can be found in the novel are home and family, love and sex, work and success, the self and the other, and betrayal and guilt. To Suzy there is a difference between what it means to go home to the physical place in which you live and to go home to your family that you love. I don’t feel that Suzy ever really connected to her parents or sister and so to her she was home but she never really had a family. Suzy also portrays the difference between love and sex, in that she found herself in relationships with men for a purely physical attraction knowing that she could never have them because they already belonged to someone else. Suzy was a kept woman and she enjoyed this because it again kept her in a neutral position, she was able to keep herself detached from the situation. The duality of work and success is also present in the book. Suzy works but does not feel successful because success implies some sort of relationship to what you are doing and a degree of liking or even enjoying your work. At certain times in the novel Suzy can see herself as a separate entity from the rest of her life, she talks about what life is like for her and her wants and needs, and in other parts of the book she refers to herself as the other woman.

All of these dualities can be applied to other aspects and other characters in the novel and doubtless there are many other dualities that one can find throughout this piece of work. In the end an important thing to remember is that through everything Suzy manages to keep herself detached from everything going around her. An interpreter’s job is to stay neutral; to ask questions and give answers exactly as they are said without changing them or putting in any personal meaning. Suzy tries to be detached in all other aspects of her life, always staying on the outside, never getting too attached or too personal.

On The Interpreter

The friction that Kim illustrates with Suzy is twofold. On the one hand is her love life and how her status as a Korean-American woman influences the way she is perceived and, more importantly, treated with respect to her romantic endeavors. The second part is obviously Suzy's job as an interpreter, which helps Kim explicate the problem of racial identification through language.
Suzy is presented as a sexually inexperienced woman, in contrast to her sister Grace who has, at least in Suzy's mind, a much more developed sexuality. Suzy, under the Korean upbringing that her parents enforced, was not allowed to date or even go to school-sponsored dances, as evidenced by pg 53 in The Interpreter ("...In Korea, he said again, girls stayed clean, as girls should. Under Dad's 'Korean girl' rules, nothing was allowed: no lipstick, no eye shadow, no hair dye, no perm, no perfume, no miniskirts, no cigarettes, and absolutely no boys, especially American boys..."). The fact that Suzy's father maintains his strict rules with respect to his daughters may be a testament to their Korean ancestry, but also has to do with his personal beliefs; not every Korean father holds their offspring to such restrictive standards, and while there are certain traditions and habits inherent in Korean upbringing, the retardation of Suzy's sexual experience may well speak more to Suzy's father than Suzy herself. However, her sister Grace was able to maintain a social life and, unlike Suzy, was able to maintain relationships (some sexual) with boys throughout high school. The text mentions that Grace was more attractive than Suzy, which could also explain the discrepancy. Regardless, Suzy was very naive entering her first true relationship: the affair with Damian, a married man much older than Suzy herself. The fact that her relationship with Damian is brought up so frequently illustrates two things: that Damian had a some kind of impact on Suzy's life (which is evident) and also how Suzy's Korean upbringing and heritage played into her interactions with Damian. He was married to her professor, a Japanese woman named Yuki Tamiko, at the time when he and Suzy became involved romantically. As both Damian's wife and Suzy are both Oriental, we are able to see a parallel in the way Damian views women. Obviously he has a penchant for Oriental women, but also sees them as interchangeable, as shown by the way he simply interposes Suzy onto the image of his wife and vice versa. In return Suzy, who sexually is very sheltered, finds herself exploited and used as a sexual object by a man much older, and experienced, than herself.
Suzy's job as an interpreter is a very intelligent way for Kim to shed light on the issue of association with differing cultures when raised against the societal norm. When in trial, Suzy contemplates the problem of feeling beholden to her fellow Koreans whom she translates for while upholding her position with respect to the laws of the courtroom ("...But the interpreter, as much as her heart might commiserate with her fellow native speaker, is always working for the other side. It is this idiosyncrasy Suzy likes. Both sides need her desperately, but she, in fact, belongs to neither. One of the job requirements was no involvement: Shut up and get the work done. That's fine with her. Except it doesn't go as smoothly as that. Suzy often finds herself cheating..." pg 15). I appreciated the deftness with which Kim brings together the opposing ideas of cultural fidelity and loyalty to the law and her job; when the time comes for her to translate for Mr. Lee, she asks him questions that pertain to her own interests and does not uphold her position of interpreter. Although Suzy justifies her transgression by saying that she has kept her line of questioning to things that truly "matter" in the case, it is a clear violation of her job. What is more interesting, however, is the idea that she is the liaison between two opposing cultures and that her word is all that holds together the relationship between the two parties. Through the foil of Suzy's job, Kim is able to depict the conflict that Suzy feels within; being held as representative of the Korean race while still submitting to the laws and rules of the ruling (see: white) culture. Pretty interesting stuff.

Shoots

Asian American Women and Plastic Surgery

I am taking SOAN 100 this semester and we were assigned a reading that I thought related closely to what we are discussing as far as Asian American women and this undermining notion that everything has to be “American” or “Hollywood.”
The article was called "Opening Faces" and was about a Chinese American women in her forties who had her upper eyelids surgically cut and sewed by a plastic surgeon to get the "open appearance" look in her eyes. She wanted to look more American. Ellen did not like being classified as foreign or Oriental because she viewed herself as an American and wanted other to view her the same way. She was proud of the fact that she had her eyes changed from being "slanty" to "wide" and open. Not only did she want to be viewed as American, but also her family. She even asked her high school aged daughter to have the surgery done. The difference in the mother and the daughter was that the daughter liked her eyes. She did not mind that they were puffy or not as wide. Although Ellen nagged her daughter about having the operation performed, her daughter still decline to have it done. The daughter really did not understand the importance her mother saw in the operation.
I found this rather disturbing only because after reading the article and discussing it in class, we found that the mother was pushing her daughter to change her physical appearances not because she was ugly or have imperfections, but simply because of her natural features. The daughter thought herself to be American with or without the surgery. The mother was the one who was not happy with her looks. I find this interesting because in the books that we are reading, we see how people have this perception of what America is and should be. Hollywood has made it the norm to have plastic surgery and change what is not liked and enhance oneself to be better, but for Asians to now want to change their appear to comply with Hollywood seems like it has now been taken to the next level.
In Dogeater we see how the characters all want something from America: Hollywood, New York, Las Vegas. America has placed an illusion on them all and they want to achieve the American Dream, but in reality the American Dream is not for everyone to look alike and have the same eyes, ears, and noises, but to be individuals and succeed in our own ways.
I brought up this article because I mainly wanted to see what everyone else thought about it. Why would Asian Americans, any generations of America, want to change their features to look more Caucasian? I guess Hollywood has placed such an emphasis on being "perfect", skinny, and tan that now it has gone even further to having people of other nationalities change their appearance to look like something that does not really exist if America is a true melting pot.


*If anyone is interested in reading the article it is:
"Opening Faces"
The Politics of Cosmetic Surgery and Asian American Women
Page 4 of:
Mapping the Social Landscape
Readings in Sociology
4th Edition
By, Susan J. Ferguson

Dogeaters: A Book Brought to Life on Stage

The play Dogeaters was very entertaining to watch. From watching the play I was better able to understand the book. While reading Dogeaters, many times I found myself looking back in the book to try and understand what was happening. And, often I felt very confused and disoriented. The author did a wonderful job of adapting this book to a play. The characters came alive on stage and the story was easier to follow. I cannot be for sure though, if I had not read the book the play would have had the same effect.
My favorite characters on stage were Joey and Andres. Joey was very interesting to watch. He made the book Joey seem so real. Joey captivated the audience with his sleek acting and good looks. He held the attention of the audience with his intense style and facial expressions. He really seemed to be a tormented soul who was without anyone whom he did love. Andres, on stage, is flamboyant and fantastic. In the book Andres was not a very interesting character, but on stage Andres was the most unforgettable character. His actions in the book did follow along with his actions in the play, but the actor and writer brought Andres to life on the stage. The actor did a wonderful job of portraying a feminine man.
The themes of Manila come alive on stage. While reading it was hard to discern what the themes were. But it seemed obvious that there were many themes being addressed in the play. Themes like war, sex tourism, politics, and Americanization, were all alive in the play. The theme of war was omnipresent as the soldiers stood above our heads and across from us. The sex tourism was much more obvious, in one scene many of the examples in the book were played out on stage at once. This brought the intensity of the sex tourism to life which is described in the book. Americanization was shown through the seeming obsessions which people of Manila had with Americans and Hollywood. They loved to go see American movies, talk about the American movie stars, listened to American music, and dressed in an American style.
There were some drawbacks to the play in regards to having read the book. If someone only sees the play much of the story is left out, and part of the story is changed. For instance, Girlie’s dream is not in the play but it is a very interesting part in the story. The President’s wife’s dream is also left out. Also, by not reading the book a person could miss the dramatic way in which the story is cast, the feeling of being a spectator lost in Manila.
Dogeaters the play was an experience which will not be soon forgotten. Sitting on the stage in Manila was exciting and made one feel as though they were part of the story. The actors were dramatic and intriguing to watch. Hagedorn did an excellent job of adapting her hot story of Manila into a play. The lights dazzled, and the characters jumped around; up above, behind, to the left, to the right, the stage exploded with intense emotion. Up on the stage one could feel as though they were in Manila, dancing the last dance.

Thursday, February 1, 2007

A close read on "His Mother, the Whore

The first concept that was brought to my attention was Joey’s critical ages when his uncle exposed him to the immoral world Joey from then on lived in. When Joey’s mother was driven to suicide he was only five years old. This is also the time that Joey went to his uncle’s house. At the age of seven the stealing started. Joey’s virginity was taken at the age of 10, by one of his uncle’s whores. I believe this age frame five to ten is one of the most curial times to learn life long morals and sets a person up for the rest of their lives.
Joey didn’t really know who his mother was at all. “They say that she was still young and beautiful, they shake their heads solemnly at the terrible waste. I’m not sure they’re telling the whole truth; maybe she was the more ordinary than they remember an ordinary whore with a ravaged face.” (Page 42) He grew up believing what everyone else told him about his mother. The only true thing about her that he knows is that her name was Zenaida. Joey went to his uncle’s house after his mother’s body was identified; “Uncle identified her bloated body, arranged for her pauper’s burial. That’s why I own him” (Page 42) Joey never grieved his mother’s death, didn’t even shed a tear, and never talked about it again.
Uncle started having Joey doing odd jobs on the street, selling cigarettes, magazine, snacks, and garlands. “Legitimate little things that never got me anywhere; I had to compete with all the other kids on the street, running up to cars and busses, pestering tourists, hawking our wares.” (Page 43) This part of the passage gives an insight on the life; Joey isn’t the only child in this situation. Joey also became a con artist with his uncle; “Then there were times when Uncle pretended he was crippled and blind. I would lead him up to the air-conditioned Toyotas and Mercedes-Benzes where rich people and foreigners sat with their doors locked, trying to ignore my outstretched hand at their window” He became a beggar through cons of pity.
The stealing started at the age of seven. Uncle told him he was one of the best; “I was wiry, fast, and fearless. A natural talent, according to him.” The adrenalin rush from it is what made Joey want to keep doing it. “A heady rush of triumph like dope, a pleasure so private, delicious, and powerful. I never once got caught – that’s how good I was.” (Page 43) At the age of ten one of uncle’s whores took his virginity. He didn’t like it at first, but then had an erg to have sex with her again. “The pleasure I suddenly felt was extreme and overwhelming.” (Page 44) This I believe is the start of his downfall, this is the rush that he is always trying to get at, through sex and drugs.
Joey was brought up to do what everyone else wanted him to do, if it was through stories of what his past was or direction for his future he always listened. This could explain why he grew up the way he did, “Sex-Tourism”.