Selfishness and the Interpreter of Maladies

One of the first things about "The Interpreter of Maladies" that stood out to me was Mrs. Das' character, partly because Mr. Kapasi spends a considerable amount of time analyzing her, but also because of her apparent selfishness and self-centeredness. Between her avid nail-polishing and lack of social participation, she comes across as someone who has little to interest in anything that does not concern her, including her children.

That appears to change when she begins to talk to Mr. Kapasi about his work. She's very interested in his work as an interpreter, which comes as a surprise to both Mr. Kapasi and the reader (or me, at least). Her fascination with his work is extremely sudden, and it's hard not to think that she's more interested in Mr. Kapasi than his work. She makes a concerted effort to include him in discussion, in her family's meal, and in their tour. Throughout this time, the reader and Mr. Kapasi are oblivious of her intentions but curious as well. Unfortunately for Mr. Kapasi, his curiosity leads him to creating a fantasy of an intimate pen-pal relationship with a woman he's just met. Obviously, when the truth behind her interest in Mr. Kapasi is revealed, it's disappointing for him. 

At one level, I think he's disappointed that she has no intentions of creating a lasting bond between the two of them. Her plea for help with her marriage was not what he had expected or hoped to hear, although he was curious about the state of Mr. and Mrs. Das' relationship. I also think that he may have been disappointed in her selfishness - that she had led him on and asked for his company only to use his services as an interpreter. I can imagine Mr. Kapasi feeling as if she had not lived up to her part of the pen-pal arrangement, souring over the fact that she was more concerned with her trivial life rather than the joys and wonders of their future relationship. Regardless of whether he's disappointed or simply shocked by Mrs. Das' sudden spill of heavy information, he doesn't have many comforting (or helpful) things to say, other than "Is it really pain you feel, Mrs. Das, or is it guilt?"

A tough response, for sure, and maybe a bit insensitive, although I don't think it was unanswerable. By refusing to answer and getting out of the car, I think she only proved to Mr. Kapasi that what she wanted was her only concern. She was seeking advice and understanding, and definitely didn't come to him to be questioned. Which, considering the fact that she has held her secret in for eight years and has been lonely and miserable during that time, doesn't seem outrageous. Furthermore, I don't think it's out of the question to consider whether or not Mr. Kapasi is the selfish one in this scenario. He created an entire fantasy about himself and Mrs. Das, to the point to where his dreams became more of an expectation than anything else. Then he has the audacity to be disappointed when his dreams fall through. Is it not a bit unfair to cast such high expectations on a relationship that is less than 24 hours old? Yes, he has been lonely as well, but in getting caught up in his romantic daydreams, he has ignored some very plain realities. 

I argue two things: 1) That Mrs. Das never should've attached herself to Mr. Kapasi in the first place. She was clearly looking for a safe place to dump her emotional trash in, which, while understandable, is unfair to the person she has targeted. A friend, counselor, or family member would have been a more appropriate target. Not a man who she has just met on a vacation tour. 2) I also argue that Mr. Kapasi should have kept himself from projecting his dreams onto Mrs. Das. It's always dangerous to project emotions and expectations onto another person, firstly because they will almost always disappoint, and secondly because it's unfair to that person. Withdrawing his emotions until he knew about her would have saved him both the time and energy it took to invest in her. It would have also allowed him to be a better help to Mrs. Das. 

I think there's some selfishness from both Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi in this story, and furthermore they both seem to be using each other for something. Mrs. Das uses Mr. Kapasi as an emotional wastebasket, and Mr. Kapasi uses Mrs. Das as a figure to fill the social and emotional void he has in his life. It seemed like both of them could use an interpreter for each of their maladies.