Interpreter Of Maladies

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Since a young Indian writer Jhumpa Lahiri released her first book "Interpreter of Maladies," the author and her book's characters have attracted a lot of attention. The nine stories of the "Interpreter of Maladies" are filled with details of Indian culture which help the author to present the life of Indians living in America in a new sophisticated manner and assist Lahiri in her attempt to reveal earlier unfamiliar to many people aspects of the everyday lives of the Indian immigrants. In the story "Sexy" we see Dev, a first generation Indian American who has a family, but in spite of that fact initiates an affair on the side. In his search for fascination in life Dev gets involved in a relationship with Miranda, a young and pretty American woman who is looking for someone to share her lonely nights with. The main obstacle keeping mischievous Dev from keeping such a comfortable relationship alive is his selfish attitude towards Miranda, who still feels alone and suffers from being used to satisfy Dev's need for an adventure. The character of the story "This Blessed House" Sanjeev has married the wrong woman whom he has little in common with. Sanjeev's prime motivation seems to be his desire for a normal family life with a traditional wife who would share the same conservative beliefs as himself. But in his attempt to make his family the way he wants it Sanjeev faces a conflict between his hidden desire to be with a modern woman and his need for a proper traditional Indian wife. Both of them, Dev and Sanjeev, strive to change their lives, one towards excitement, another towards stability. Nevertheless, both meet with the difficulties which they do not know how to overcome. Does Jhumpa Lahiri want to say that this problem is common for many Indian men in America? The first character's motivation in general can be described as a search for love, but not for love in
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