THIS BLESSED HOUSE

The final story summary from Interpreter of Maladies:

Summary: This Blessed House

            “Jhumpa Lahiri  provides a short story, “This Blessed House” in Interpreter of Maladies showing contrast and similarity between the two main characters. Sanjeev born and raised in Calcutta, educated in the United States, attended MIT, and an engineering professional is newly married to California born and raised Twinkle who is very much a young vibrant modern American woman who is also highly educated working on her masters at Standford. The similarities between them physically are their ethnicity, but visibly to anyone else they could not be any more different.

            They find various Christian themed paraphernalia throughout the home they just moved into in an established neighborhood located in Hartford right soon after they married. The former occupants must have been devout Christians as Twinkle’s excitement grows with each find and overtly desires to display them out in the open. Although they are of Indian ethnicity, and they are not practicing Hindus, Sanjeev is displeased and quite uncomfortable. The difference of their background is evident in the ability of Sanjeev to understand and accept Twinkles behavior and of Twinkles disregard for Sanjeev’s reasoning for the dislike of religious relics discovered.

            Sanjeev is obviously in love with Twinkle, although their courtship was brief and not fully developed. The energy and eccentricities Twinkle exudes not only aggravates Sanjeev but he is also fascinated by them. He realizes a choice he has if he wants to continue to be married to a woman who does not hold the same old fashioned values he had once regarded a traditional wife should perform such as cooking and cleaning. As he rushed into the marriage without learning to live with Twinkles quirks, purchased the home without noticing the eccentric details of Christianity throughout the home, Sanjeev must decide if he really loves her. He must decide if their differences will separate them or bring them together in this new life where they are joined and no longer one.

            The scene at their housewarming party shows Sanjeev just how much he belongs with Twinkle. Although he was worried about what his Indian colleagues would think with all the Christian relics in the home or would they are able to appreciate the extroverted way his wife is. After the validation from his friends about her beauty and how much fun they were having, it seems that is when he finally decided to quit the internal fight and give in. For giving in he would not be at a loss, yet gain the love of his life, regardless of their differences.