Hell-Heaven Story by Jhumpa Lahiri - Essay Example

The author describes this relationship between her mother and Pranab as good and worthwhile. Through her apt literary descriptions, the author presents the case to her family as normal and there are no ethical relationships. The author has the ability to conjure the daily texture of people's lives and sums it up succinctly into a story with a meaning. In hell- heaven, many other instances portray the characters in a life transition from bad to good (Lahiri 3). As the title describes the story, the author engages a talent for placing emergent emotions and moods with pointillist exactness.

The plot does not insinuate much about the story “He used to be so different. I do not understand how a person can change so suddenly. It’s just Hell-Heaven, the difference”, the feelings of the characters however give a reader the sense of pitying for the characters. This is a typical Lahiri story that engages readers’ emotions in developing the plot and story. There are her usual basics of family, love, yearning, and loss. There exists an open dilemma in the story by Lahiri.

The Indian families moved to the United States for work and studies. These families face the dilemma of cutting Indian customs and adapting to the new American lifestyle. There is an intense desire by the family members to be accepted in the American community. The dilemma, therefore, roots the whole story from the beginning to the end “Central Square is the first place I can recall living, and in my memories of our apartment, in a dark-brown shingled house on Ash Burton Place, Pranab Kaku is always there”.

A title Usha’s life dilemma would be more appropriate for the story. The story although has many different characters, revolves around Usha’s.The title hell to heaven suits the story from the beginning to the end. Pranab Chakraborty is a Bengali in America who came for further studies at M.I.T. For the years he has stayed in America, he seems to have not found comfort in this new environment. His desperation to seek solace leads him to stalk a woman who he thinks is fellow Bengali.

He can tell this from her type of dressing. “The woman is wearing red and white bangles unique to Bengali married women.” In Hell-Heaven, the storyteller envisions the relationship between her mother and an acquaintance of her parents. Fortunately, the woman accepts his friendship and from that point, they develop strong bonds between each other. This evidently is an aspect of the title since Pranab has moved from hell to heaven through this newfound friendship.