Interpreter of Maladies- Critical Response

Questions on pg. 298
1. For centuries philosophers have argued whether "nature" or "nurture" is the main shaping principle in our lives. In "Interpreter of Maladies," what details make the Indian-American Das family seem more "naturally" Indian or more "nurtured" by their American upbringing?

The Das family seems to be Indian only because of their looks and natural Indian heritage. When the Das family visited India, their tour guide, Mr. Kapasi, said that "The family looked Indian, but dressed as foreigners did" (284). This is one of the very few sentences in the story that would indicate that the Das family was Indian. The family is certainly not Indian by nurture; Mina and Raj "were both born in America, Born and Raised" (285). Throughout the story, Mr. and Mrs. Das do not speak of practicing any Indian language, beliefs, traditions or culture during their childhood, and it is apparent that they do not teach their children any of that either. When Mrs. Das was buying something from the man at the tea stall, Mr. Kapasi heard a man sing a Hindi love song to her, but "she did not appear to understand the words of the song, for she did not express irritation, or embarrassment, or react in any other way to the man's declarations" (285). From this passage, one could assume that Mrs. Das did not understand what the man was singing to her because the native language was not taught or spoken in her home. The only "India roots" the family seems to keep is when Mr. and Mrs. Das go to Assansol to visit their parents, and the trip they are currently taking. When Mrs. Das was telling Mr. Kapasi about how her and Mr. Das met, it seemed somewhat like an arranged marriage, something common in Indian cultures. She said, "Our parents were best friends who lived in the same town...We were sent upstairs to play together while our parents joked about our marriage...They never caught us at anything, though in a way I think it was all more or less a setup" (295). This was the only part in the story that gave a mild example of Mr. & Mrs. Das growing up with Indian traditions. The Das family's American upbringing had dominance over any "nurtured" Indian upbringing, further proving that the only thing keeping this family Indian is their heritage.

How To Lose All of Your Boyfriend's Trust

Find someone who is already skeptical and uneasy about being in a relationship. He already doesn't trust you a whole lot, but is willing to try. Two days after the relationship is "official," go out with your girl friends, have a few too many drinks, and cheat on him. All while he is back home and in bed with strep throat. For the next two months, he will have a feeling he's been cheated on but no specific reason why. All this time he will still be trying to trust you, but still scared you will hurt him. No matter what he says, deny it. Promise him you never did, and never would cheat on him. For a while he is still going to feel uneasy, but try as hard as he can to believe you because you promised. Tell him you love him everyday, but be sure to never admit what happened two months ago. While he was back home, and in bed with strep throat. Eventually, his feelings of betrayal are going to get stronger and he will trick you into telling him. He will demand over and over that you tell him what happened. Keep denying. Soon you will feel sick to your stomach for lying so much and the truth will come out. Congratulations, you now just lost any trust your boyfriend did have.

Sonny's Blues

While reading Sonny's Blues I constantly had one person in mind- my older brother Jim. Nearly everything about Sonny, from his drug addiction to his slow walk, reminded me of my brother and the struggles he is still trying to overcome. "I didn't want to believe that I'd ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out, in the condition I had already seen so many others" (89). I feel as if the author took my thoughts and feelings towards my brother out of my head, put them on paper and called them his own. I used to have the typical big brother/little sister relationship with Jim, but as I grew up I had to witness his downfall just like Sonny's older brother. Although he is not physically dead, he is mentally and emotionally and just like Sonny, "all that light in his face gone out."
My brother Jim was also in and out of my & my family's lives. After him being gone for so long, and unwilling to want treatment, there is nothing anyone can do to help. On page 91, when the man outside the school was talking to Sonny's older brother he said, "They'll send him away some place and they'll try to cure him. Maybe he'll even think he's kicked the habit. Then they'll let him loose...Listen, They'll let him out and then it'll just start all over again." This never-ending cycle of drug abuse, treatment, and failure also reminded me of my brother Jim and his struggle to recover. He has been in and out of rehab facilities but just like the man said, the hospitals took him in, gave him "treatment" and then set him free to be back on the streets and back to his problems.
Like Sonny, Jim was also once passionate and determined. He was passionate about his music, friends, and sports, but all of that disappeared once drugs became part of his life and he failed out of school. Trying to get through to Jim seemed exactly like Isabael's struggle to get through to Sonny. They both are "wrapped up in some cloud, some fire, some vision all his own; and there wasn't anyway to reach him" (101).
Unfortunately the story of my brother does not end as well as Sonny's. Nobody in our family has been able to get through to Jim like Sonny was able to with his brother. He is still out on the streets with the same problems, not in a nightclub playing the piano and accomplishing his dream of becoming a musician.

Emily

My name is Emily and I'm a freshman from a suburb about thirty minutes west of Chicago. I live in "the stable" in Britton Hall with my roommate Jessica Wright. I spend the majority of my summer in Grand Haven, Michigan so that's kind of how I ended up here at Western (even though ASU and USF were my top choices). I love summer and boats, and absoultely hate winter, snow and coldness. As of now, I have not declared a major but I plan on doing something with Spanish. Times up. Peace