Interpreter of Maladies, When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine by Jhumpa Lahiri - Essay Example

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine Introduction Mr. Pirzada, a scholar from Dacca, comes to Lilia’s family home to dine almost every night. At first, Lilia thinks that the reason for Mr. Pirzada’s regular visits to their home has something to do with her parent’s Indian origin. This is because in the small town where they live, neighbors do not come by unannounced and there are hardly any visitors. Her parents, who are of Indian origin, only search for compatriots with familiar Indian names in the university directory. Later, however, she discovers that he purposely comes there to eat dinner and watch the evening news about the Indo-Pakistan war since he does not have a television set in his house. Dacca, then a part of Pakistan, has been invaded by the Pakistan army and torched. At first, the relationship between Mr. Pirzada and Lilia is complicated due to their cultural differences. However, it grows stronger by the day when they start to understand each others culture and perspectives of life (Lahiri 23). This takes place in the autumn of 1971 when Lilia is only ten years of age. Mr. Pirzada’s major interest in the day’s news, as Lilia later understands, is to ascertain whether his family back in Dacca has survived the turmoil of the ongoing civil war. He has constant worry for the safety of his property in Dacca, his wife of twenty years and seven daughters aged between six and sixteen which he left behind (Lahiri 23). Lilia, at first, does not understand Mr. Pirzada’s cultural system. She does not know that he is a Muslim and not Indian and refers to him as “the Indian man”. Lilia does not see any difference between their visitor, Mr. Pirzada and her parents. This is because they speak the same language, look more or less similar and share the same meals and other customs. Even after her father gives her a geo-political lesson on the divide between Hindu and Muslim sects in post independence India, she still cannot see any sensible explanation (Lahiri 23). With time, however, Lilia starts to discover some of Mr. Pirzada’s cultures and some of his misunderstandings with the way of life she is used to. For example, Mr. Pirzada neither likes nor understands the excessive use of the American “thank you”. He cannot comprehend why the librarian thanks him even after returning an overdue book, the bank, the cashier at the shop or even the oversees operator. This happens after she thanks him for a gift he brought for her (Lahiri 23). When Lilia found out that their regular visitor was not Indian, she started to observe him closely, ask questions about him and even read books about his part of the world. She does all this in an effort to learn more about him and his cultures in order to understand him better. The relationship between Lilia and Mr. Pirzada is symbolic of the cultural as well as generational difference between the two. It symbolizes a great generational and cultural gap between the two. Lilia does not understand any of Mr. Pirzada’s customs and cultural procedures at all. She was born and raised in Boston in the United States of America whereas Mr. Pirzada comes from Dacca in Pakistan. When she sees him worry about his family in Pakistan, she only prays that all be well with him while in her bedroom instead of telling him directly (Lahiri 23). Lilia views Mr. Pirzada as someone way beyond her generation and therefore she is not able to establish a rapport with him. In fact, spoke to him directly for the first time that night when she was thanking him for the gift he brought her. Mr. Pirzada, on the other hand, does not understand the meaning of the excessively used American “thank you”. This is probably not common where he comes from. As mentioned earlier, Lilia is not accustomed to Mr. Pirzada’s cultures. The following day she has to read a book a book about Asia and Pakistan in an effort to understand him better. In American schools, they learn only American history and geography. Her teacher is not impressed when she finds Lilia reading anything away from American Revolution. In addition, Mr. Pirzada had never seen a Jack-O-Lantern or understood the American holiday of Halloween. He does not even know the significance of any of these. This is evident when he asks the purpose of the pumpkins he had seen on people’s doorsteps (Lahiri 23). Lilia was born in Boston in the U.S. Although she has been to Pakistan once, she has no memory of the trip. To Lilia, U.S represents her home. This is the only place where she has a sense of belonging. She is used to customs and norms of the United States such as the excessive use of “thank you”. She practices and celebrates local traditions and holidays like Halloween when she and her friend Dora dress up like witches for the occasion. In school, she learns the American geography and history. To her, the U.S is a safe haven where she is assured of great opportunities, fine education and safe and easy life without curfews, riots or rationed food (Lahiri 23). Mr. Pirzada, on the other hand, is in the U.S on a grant to study New England foliage. To him, the U.S represents foreign land. He is not accustomed to the traditions or ways of life of America. He constantly follows up news about his homeland in the television in anticipation to get any updates from there. He does not know anything to do with Halloween neither does he understand the excessive use of “thank you” in America (Lahiri 23). India represents the ancestral land to Lilia. However, she does not have any memory of the place despite having visited there once. She knows and practices some of Indian cultures that she learnt from her parents like eating habits. However, she shows no much interest in what happens in India. This is evident when she confesses that she has no idea of the happenings in India and Pakistan. She does not show interest in watching news that concern India either. To her, Pakistan represents a strange foreign land whose happenings she cannot fully comprehend. She does not understand the difference between Pakistan and India (Lahiri 23). India, to Mr. Pirzada, represents refuge. When he enters the home of Lilia’s family he says, albeit jokingly, that he is another refugee on Indian Territory. From the context, we learn that at that time, Pakistan refugees on Indian Territory were estimated at nine million. This is obviously a huge number. He is seen to enjoy the hospitality of his hosts although they are not fellow Pakistanis. Pakistan represents hope to Mr. Pirzada. He follows the media reports hoping that the conflicts back in his homeland will ease or eventually end. He is worried about his wife and seven daughters who are in the war-torn Pakistan. When he gets reports in the television news that conflict is on the rise, his moods are disturbed and he gets upset (Lahiri 23). Pakistan can be seen as a reflection of both characters. Lilia gets worried about Mr. Pirzada’s daughters in Dacca and wishes that they would one day appear on the television waving to their father so that he can stop worrying about them. Although it is not her habit, she says a prayer for them. Mr. Pirzada, on the other hand, has an unsettled mind over his family back in Dacca. He is in constant worry, sends a letter to his wife every week and makes sure to watch television news in hopes of ascertaining the safety of his family and property (Lahiri 23). Lilia is the protagonist in this story. This is a story about a child trying to understand how it feels to miss someone special. She eventually experiences this when her family was toasting their water glasses to celebrate the news of the well being of Mr. Pirzada’s family. She felt that missed him the way he had been missing his family when he was in Boston (Lahiri 23). Work Cited Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000. Print. Read More