Hi, need to submit a 1250 words essay on the topic Interpreter of Maladies.Download file to see previous pages... Mr. and Mrs. Das are accompanied by their children, Bobby Das, Tina and Ronny Das. The

Hi, need to submit a 1250 words essay on the topic Interpreter of Maladies.

Mr. and Mrs. Das are accompanied by their children, Bobby Das, Tina and Ronny Das. The couple picks up Mr. Kapasi for a tour guide, as they attempt to get to the Sun Temple. Mr. and Mrs. Das behave in a way that does not distinguish their character from their children’s. They for instance argue over trivialities and fail to discipline their children, while Mrs. Das seems not to respect the sanctity of marriage. This clearly shows the problem of character development in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Das, as shall be seen forthwith. First, the genesis of character underdevelopment is seen as being underpinned by culture clash. This is because, the short story has it that although the couple is Indian native, yet it has grown up and studied in the US. This means that the couple’s socio-cultural alienation from its native total way of life is a result of the forces of acculturation and socialization. The reality of culture clash is emphasized by Lahiri orchestrating the plot so that the Das family and Mr. Kapasi can share the same situational context. By subjecting the same situational context, the audience gets to experience the cultural disparity between Mr. Kapasi and the Das family, despite the fact that both sides are natives of India. In respect to the foregoing, the author inadvertently postulates that character development is directly relational to the socio-cultural context that an individual draws societal values from. Mr. and Mrs. Das are complacent towards conventional socio-cultural values since they have led their lives in a cultural melting pot, characterized greatly with cultural relativism. At the same time, the geographical distance between the Das family and India cut off the point of familiarization with the socio-cultural values in India. Thus, life in a culturally variegated and permissible setting in the US and life away from the socio-cultural center of Das’ cultural heritage is responsible for the stunted character development in the Das family. First, lack of character development is seen in the person and conduct of Mr. Das, as the head of the Das family. At an instance, Mr. Das is not able to constrain his son Ronny from walking out of the car, walking towards a goat and attempting to give the goat a chewing gum. Mr. Das also does nothing after Bobby expressly disobeys his instructions to go look for Ronny who is lost. In another instance, he takes photos of a malnourished starving man, taking fascination in such a scene. Mr. Das’ inability to put down his camera reflects his juvenile preoccupation with it, to the point that he photographs Bobby who is surrounded by monkeys. Mr. Das and his wife also refer to each other by their names to their children and leave the rescuing of his son Bobby to Mr. Kapasi (Booth and Mays, 326). Mr. Das’ preoccupation with the camera is so intense that Lahiri uses it as symbolism. The camera that hangs around Mr. Das’ neck always becomes a symbol of his worldview, albeit the worldview is self-centered and removed from the responsibilities of the real world. While there is nothing amiss about taking a photo of a starving peasant, as one who is economically endowed, he should not have sidestepped the peasant’s fundamental need and reality. Mr. Das’ act of photographing the starving peasant and then ignoring his plight is a testimony of the culture of individuality that is prevalent in the United States. Comparing Mr. Das and Mr. Kapasi gives credence to this observation.