The Complexities of Diasporic Existence: Redefining Identities in Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Mr’s Sen’s” from Interpreter of Maladies

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyze Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story “Mrs. Sen’s” from her debut collection Interpreter of Maladies in the light of diasporic conditions. Like most of Lahiri’s characters, Mrs. Sen is a Bengali Indian living in America and thus has to go through the struggle of assimilation while dealing with the complexities of dual identity. Thus, this paper shall explore and discuss theories on diaspora, cultural hybridization, Bhaba’s theory on third space and pay close attention to the protagonist’s Indian American Identity. It shall also take a close look at the word diaspora, and its varied definitions while discussing the protagonist’s diasporic complexities from both psychological and sociological viewpoints.