Interpreter of Maladies

Many of the stories in the collection center on a failure of empathy, as characters are unable to understand the pain felt by one another. How is the immigrant experience well suited to this kind of story?

“A Temporary Matter” demonstrates an ability to convey meaning with detail. In what ways do symbolic acts, description, and imagery play a role in our understanding of the characters? How do these elements play into the denial that the characters are living in?

Mr. Kapasi’s job as an interpreter is significant in “Interpreter of Maladies.” What role does interpretation play in that story, and how does it relate to the characters’ different cultural identities?

In “A Real Durwan,” Boori Ma’s repeated refrain is “Believe me, don’t believe me” (71), but this changes by the end of the story. What has caused this change?

“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” and “Mrs. Sen’s” have many thematic and structural similarities. Compare the two as coming-of-age stories for the narrator of each.

Many of the stories in this collection deal with characters who know each other for a time but then leave each other’s lives forever. How does this perspective influence your understanding of the stories? What is the author trying to say about the impact people have?

How does the depiction of arranged marriages in this collection differ from common perceptions of arranged marriage in America?

How does the Catholic iconography complicate the tension at the center of “This Blessed House?”