Oompa Jhumpa Essay

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temporary Matter," Lahiri's interpreter Maladies in essay, evidence story "A temporary Matter"

There were a combination of factors that contributed to the failure and ensuing dissolution of the marriage between Shoba and Shukumar in Jhumpa Lahiri's short story, "A Temporary Matter." The most interesting fact about these reasons for the lack of success in the marriage is ultimately alluded to in the title of this work. Despite the fact that Shoba had miscarried while attempting to deliver the couple's first attempt at a baby, the other most significantly contributing factors that cause the couple's marriage to fail was that their attraction towards one another -- that which caused them to come together in the first place and to remain together afterwards -- was not based on true love. Instead it was based on expectations and role playing that was typical of their genders -- factors that are completely transitory, and so soon dissolved.

One of the best examples that the initial level of attraction between the pair was merely transitory and not lasting is Shukumar's affinity for what he perceived was the beauty of his wife. One may argue that true beauty goes beyond the skin and is a reflection of the spirit. However, it is quite apparent from reading this story that Shukumar's attraction to Shoba was merely based on appearances. The subsequent quotation readily demonstrates this fact. "Each day, Shukumar noticed, her beauty, which had once overwhelmed him, seemed to fade. The cosmetics that had seemed superfluous were necessary now, not to improve her but to define her somehow" (Lahiri).

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This passage alludes to the fact that there was a physical attraction that Shukumar felt for his wife that contributed to his decision to marry her -- the fact that the aforementioned quotation follows a passage in which Shukumar reflected on his wife's beauty when first he met her helps confirm this implication. Physical beauty, and physicality period, is bound to fade. It has never been a sustaining basis for a marriage which ideally lasts a lifetime. Shukumar's initial attraction to his wife was for superficial, fleeting reasons or, a temporary matter.

Another quite convincing piece of evidence that reveals the fact that Shukumar never truly loved his wife and was merely infatuated with her physical looks at the initial point of marriage pertains to the tenure during which she was pregnant. When a man truly loves a woman because of her essence -- her spirit -- and not merely her body, the time when she is pregnant with their respective child is a special one. That pregnancy symbolizes the love of the man and the woman, and the child represents the ultimate union. Such feelings will galvanize any man to care for his wife and to be exceedingly attracted to her. Such an attraction, of course, transcends the physical and is an attraction to the force of love present between them. Shukumar, however, never had such a reaction to his wife while she was pregnant. In fact, he….....

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