A Real Durwan

The Partition of India is a central historical context for multiple stories in Interpreter of Maladies. However, while the majority of her readership will likely know little about Partition, Lahiri does not go out of her way to fully, directly explain the history; each story offers only certain relevant details. How and why does Lahiri use the characters of Boori Ma and the building’s residents to help readers understand Partition?

Whenever she shares her origin story, Boori Ma tells her audience that it’s up to them whether they believe her, but the luxuries she describes are beyond what they can imagine. The residents make up their minds that she is lying, but the reader may still believe her. Why does Lahiri leave this ambiguity in Boori Ma’s story, and how would each interpretation—the protagonist’s honesty versus her dishonesty—impact the story as a whole?

How does the third-person cinematic narration inform the story’s themes? Address only one or two themes so you can analyze the text in detail.