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Engl 101 This Blessed House Summary

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English 101 "This Blessed House" by Jhumpa Lahiri Summary.

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  • October 12, 2024
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anyiamgeorge19
Janny Yan

Dan Hurley

October 31 2017

English 101



Through a Lover’s Eye

Depending on who’s reading this, relationships are complicated, which would be the

understatement of the year. Societies strive off of compatible couples. If everyone hates each

other, people would never get anything done. The short story "This Blessed House," by Jhumpa

Lahiri, follows a newly wedded couple’s struggles of being functional with each other in day to

day life. The struggles between the two might include the differences of past culture,

background, and personalities. In the short story, Lahiri uses a selective third person view on

the main character Sanjeev, expressing a stronger sense of connection with the theme and

readers; thus, advancing the theme of how compromise can keep a relationship striving.

How can one understand a situation from only one perspective? It's not as impossible as

one would think; it is quite plausible. In pieces of literature, authors tend to be selective about

the point of view they use. Omniscient selective is just as popular of a choice as first-person

narration because they both can achieve the effect of drawing the readers further into the story.

Whenever a point of view is selective towards one character it creates a stronger bond between

that character and the readers. The readers are able to explore with the characters’ figurative

mind.

With Sanjeev as the narrator, the readers are able to understand why he thinks the

things he does about Twinkle. While he is analyzing his own relationship, we are also able to

decipher how real the love is between the two. Sanjeev thought back to when he wasn’t

married and was only dating Twinkle. Sanjeev told her that he loved her because she asked

him if she did. At the time he gave an answer that would satisfy her, but she never told him that

, she loved him back. Going over the situation again, he started to think otherwise: “Though she

did not say it herself, he assumed then that she loved him too, but now he was no longer sure”

(Lahiri 996). As Sanjeev questions Twinkle’s love the readers can see that Sanjeev still

remembers that moment from the beginning, which means upon knowing, he still married her.

Allowing himself to continue loving her shows that he compromised the thought that their love

may not be pure.

Compromise also occurs at smaller scales in the short story. Whenever Twinkle found

Christian artifacts around the house Sanjeev would feel almost threatened by them. The

readers know that he is clearly threatened by these figures because he tells Twinkle to throw

them away. However, since this relationship is based on compromise, Sanjeev allows Twinkle

to display the pieces on the mantle. The readers would not have known that Sanjeev was

threatened by these pieces if the narrative wasn’t selective on him. When Twinkle found the

Virgin Mary, initially Sanjeev wanted to remove it from the yard. At the end, they kept the statue

because Twinkle cried over the statue, which Sanjeev had never encountered: “He had never

seen her cry before, had never seen such sadness in her eyes” (Lahiri 967). Having no choice,

Sanjeev compromises again, not wanting to upset Twinkle.

Since the readers can’t see the situation from Twinkle’s side the readers don’t know how

her attachment is like towards the Christian figures. The readers do however see that Sanjeev

doesn’t want anything to do with the figures, in fear of being judged by acquaintances. When

Sanjeev tells Twinkle to get rid of certain figures, he practically begs her to do so. He states

clearly, “‘Twinkle, I can’t have the people I work with see this statue on my lawn’” (Lahiri 966).

Twinkle, on the other hand, who does not take in the account of his distress, responds, “‘They

can’t fire you for being a believer. It would be discrimination’... ‘Why does it matter to you so

much what other people think?’” (Lahiri 966). Not having the omniscient selective towards

Twinkle, the readers don’t know if she simply dismissed his plea or if she is clueless of her

husband's self-consciousness. Therefore, the point of view is essential to the story. If the point

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