A few years ago, I first read Jhumpa Lahiri’s beloved novel “The Namesake.” Having found it to be a very endearing exploration of cross-cultural identity, I became curious to read more by her. With this Short Stop series, I will be taking a close look at her debut short story collection “Interpreter of Maladies.” Having won The Pulitzer Prize, I am curious to see if she is able to convey in a matter of pages what made her novel so substantial. Will this be a work that captures the complexities of being of two lands, where you’re in search of a home on two continents? Over the next few entries, I hope to discover what has made her one of the most essential modern writers and discover more of what she has to say about the human experience.
There is one caveat that I must put forward. Despite my desire to delve into Lahiri’s fiction and discover something new, I will be at a disadvantage as a reader. Unlike my experiences with William Faulkner and Alice Munro, I am not familiar with the wars that Lahiri is personally recollecting. To find greater meaning within this subtext would be difficult as I haven’t studied global politics, especially Middle Eastern relations. I say this because I feel it would be disingenuous to suggest I know anything about the day-to-day actions or significant turning points. I will be consulting resources for significant events, but don’t expect deep analysis. The goal is to learn and form a greater empathy through literature, and I think that can be achieved by how Lahiri is ultimately interested in presenting things. This is people coming together, trying to survive in an environment that presents hurdles that are physical and mental. This is essentially what made “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” another great work.
The story takes place in 1971 and is set in Boston, MA. The protagonist, Lilia, is a 10-year-old girl who recalls a visit from someone who may be considered controversial from a racial standpoint. The reason for setting the story during this time is because of the ongoing Indo-Pakistani War, itself symbolic of why Mr. Pirzada coming to dine is seen as an issue. From a contemporary lens, Indians and Pakistani people have never liked each other let alone enough to share a meal. Given the idea of it as a hospitable event, this title may raise a few eyebrows for those who wonder why Lilia, an Indian, would want to focus on her relationship with Mr. Pirzada, a Pakistani. While the initial shock is lost on me, I think the way the story develops helps to build a greater understanding of how under cultural differences, there is a longing for connection and humanity.
Lilia as a protagonist is the first masterstroke in Lahiri’s text. While she is on the verge of adulthood, she is still a child with a naïve sense of the world. Outside of whatever her parents have shared, she can only perceive her environment. There is no awareness of the Indo-Pakistani War. She has no real emotional investment in death and destruction. Could she even fathom the potential for loss? Given that she cannot understand how Mr. Pirzada misses his family, trapped overseas in his homeland of Dacca, it seems doubtful that she has reached the point of nuanced understanding of the world. Like Mr. Pirzada, she is a bit helpless to change the course of time even within her own family. She must obey those around her. It’s as much the product of being a child as it is being an Indian in a challenging American environment.
In fact, there are a lot of small ways that it’s easy to read Mr. Pirzada and her family as being one and the same. Geographically, they are from similar areas and have shared diets. In the most obvious sense, Lilia sees everyone as looking the same, meaning that she accidentally mistakes Mr. Pirzada for Indian. Because of this, she becomes intrigued to learn more about Pakistan as a country and consults her library. However, outside animosity emerges when a librarian suggests that her schoolbooks won’t provide any significant answers. This can suggest that people are more likely to profile and stereotype Pakistanis. This could lead to disrespect and even erasure as they get grouped with other countries. Like the ongoing war, it could simply be a submission tactic meant to shift preference to one nation. Even then, Lilia’s motivation to understand Mr. Pirzada as a person shows a willingness to not buy into wartime propaganda. It could even suggest an effort from an immigrant standpoint to not buy into racist American rhetoric that “everyone just looks the same.” After all, they come from unique homelands, and the more time that Lilia spends with Mr. Pirzada the more she realizes what makes him unique.
So, who is Mr. Pirzada besides being from Dacca? Much like Lilia, he is an immigrant to Boston. In this case, he is a botanist who is studying plants to write a book. Much like “A Temporary Matter,” there is unity found through academia. In this case, Lilia’s parents find Mr. Pirzada through a university directory. They also miss their homeland and are searching for people with similar names to befriend. On the surface, there’s not that much difference. However, things become more complicated as they realize their racial differences. Whereas they likely would’ve been enemies back in Asia, here they have no choice but to be friends for a host of reasons, let alone the slim pickings they would otherwise get. They could assimilate into white culture, but they would only seek to isolate themselves in this environment.
Mr. Pirzada comes to dine less because of friendship and more out of necessity. In a complete flip on Lilia’s situation, he is away from his family. They are stuck in a war zone, which brings with it uncertainty and danger. Efforts to stay on top of the latest news overwhelm him, especially as he can’t make contact otherwise. Over dinner, Mr. Pirzada watches the news and looks for any small update. There’s hope that the war will end so that he can reunite with them. Lilia doesn’t fully understand the severity of these events and thus must find her own way to become informed. She is entrenched in people struggling to connect with their loved ones, which she has never been challenged with.
It becomes clear that this is what dinner is for everyone. It’s not just a moment to fill themselves. There’s a chance to feel connected to their homelands and identities. Much like the watch that Mr. Pirzada wears (set to Pakistan time), there is a sense of being disconnected. Physically, they are far from the war and can’t change the outcome of events. There’s no way to sacrifice themselves to better Mr. Pirzada’s family. Instead, they feel trapped in the past, much like Lilia’s narration, having to deal with the hindsight of what’s to come. In a moment, their lives can be changed. Lilia could experience a loss of innocence and Mr. Pirzada might even be unable to return home and see the cherished landscapes that gave him comfort. When everything is shaking, a good meal is not a terrible consolation prize.
Again, having Lilia be the narrator allows for an innocence in discussion to be had. Shift it to any other member of the family, and there would be a sense of shared grief over something. They clearly have stories from accomplished lives that bear down on them. Lilia is too young to understand most of them. Even more, having it emphasized by her relationship with Mr. Pirzada shows what he is missing. There is comfort in seeing a child not too dissimilar from his seven back home. There is a sense of perseverance and potential to grow into more understanding and empathetic adults. They are not burdened by the troubles of adulthood, at least yet. It may be reduced to projection, but there’s still hope that Lilia’s childlike wonder is translatable to Mr. Pirzada’s family.
This can be found in one of the sillier plot points. Mr. Pirzada feels obligated to share candy with Lilia. While this in itself lacks meaning, Lilia takes up the habit of eating one per day as a form of prayer. She believes that consumption will provide some guidance for his family back home. She even decides to stop brushing her teeth and let the sugary texture take over her. As silly as it is, it’s her own ritual to try and connect with the greater issue. It also is a perfectly childish way to show the complications of missing someone. Without an understanding of the world, the only way to compensate is to adapt to the local environment.
The good news is that Lahiri doesn’t end the story in a tragedy. Mr. Pirzada will eventually go home and reunite with his family. However, it is far from the land he had left. Dacca is no longer there. Outside of family, there is the destruction caused by a divided landscape. As tragic as it sounds, this also means that Lilia’s family returns to feeling alone in Boston. They have each other but must find new friends to fill their time. The struggles of an immigrant are constant. Having it reflected in a war that openly divided countries in terms of support shows a complication that is specific to the people of two nations. They can never be in two places at once, and thus will always have something missing in their lives. There will always be worry and disconnect. The trick is to find small ways to feel connected in the moment to not forget one’s identity.
And how does Lilia recall this event? She sees the candy as being symbolic of some greater cosmic potential. Because she’s been eating them as a form of prayer, she has this connection to a greater purpose beyond her own. She can’t do much, so she eats to understand Mr. Pirzada’s struggle. The candy is sugary, likely overstimulating her. As the tale comes to an end, she discusses how she gave up eating candy as she discovered that Mr. Pirzada found his family. Even in her own silly way, she reveals how to keep hope alive. Similarly, by having him leave, she recognizes the power of missing someone. Having had a formidable impact on her, she realizes that without him, she’s lonely and worried. The story has come full circle. She has grown older and found reasons to care about her family’s homeland, even if it’s a controversial corner of the world.
“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” is another story that shows that some of the most powerful commentary can be done indirectly. By having characters simply exist, Lahiri can find the depth of what it means to be an immigrant. Even as the characters feel disconnected, there’s the optimism of finding something similar enough to get by. What the story achieves is bittersweet and subverts the coming of age narrative with enough complexities to make one recognize the value of the little things in life. One can hope that this trend continues throughout the rest of the anthology and only builds a greater sense of what it means to be an Indian living in a land that maybe doesn’t give you every chance you want but gives you enough to get by. It’s the optimism that makes me appreciate this story, especially in contrast to the first’s cynical reversal. It really helps to show just how far things can go and what unexpected directions we can expect from Lahiri going forward.
Coming Up Next: “Interpreter of Maladies”
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