There was more than one emotion running through me when I read "Interpreter of Maladies". At first, I was embarrassed and angry with the way the parents (mainly Mrs. Das) treated their children. When the tour started, Mr. and Mrs. Das were arguing over who should take their daughter to the bathroom because neither of them wanted to. After that, Mrs. Das decided that she needed to paint her nails in the car and her daughter wanted her nails painted as well, but Mrs. Das said, "Leave me alone. You are making me mess up." This nasty remark makes it seem to the driver as well as the readers that she is not qualified to be a mother, and more like an older sibling.
When the tour guide, Mr. Kapasi, started to take interest in Mrs. Das, it made me uncomfortable especially because her husband was right there with them the whole time.
It was sad to see the kids so excited to be on the tour, when the parents obviously didn't care at all. Mr. and Mrs. Das were not very nice to their children the whole time until after Bobby was attacked by the monkeys. After that happened, they seemed to act as if they cared more for eachother as Mrs. Das offered a bandaid, Mr. Das brushed the dirt off Bobby, and Ronny gave him a piece of gum. It was like something bad had to happen to one of them for the parents to show affection towards the children and realize that they love them.
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Brittany,
You offer some interesting insights on the familial relationships in this story. I read this story thinking more about the relationship between Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi, and I hadn't really thought of how the Das couple was acting as a couple before.
You mention some pivotal scenes in the story that illustrate just how disconnected the family is...I wonder if they act this way when they are back in America, or if they act this way because they are in a different culture/place?
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