Interpreter+of+Maladies

Interpreter of Maladies-
Summary Characters

 "Interpreter of Maladies" is a short story about the character known as Mr. Kapasi, a tour guide, who falls in love with one of his tourists Mrs. Das. The Das family is an Indian family that is very "Americanized" as they don't follow Indian traditions. One of the main problems for Mr. Kapasi is that he fell in love with Mrs. Das. He believes she likes him back because she is very interested in his job as "Interpreter of Maladies". His English doesn't only help him in tourguiding; he works at the local hospital translating patients and their symptoms to the Indian doctors. However, Mrs. Das is married and has kids, therefore Mr. Kapasi does not want to change her life, even though Mrs. Das is having problems with her husband. Mr. Kapasi starts to have hopes that he and she would become close but it becomes clear that his dreams were not possible and were but a fantasy when he learns that Mrs. Das cheated on her husband and had a child with the other man. She asked Mr. Kapasi for help but he had no advise to give so she storms out of the cab eating rice puffs, and dropping some. The mokeys start following her to eat the rice, when she goes to throw out the bag she misses and they fall on the ground so the monkeys begin attacking Bobby(the illegitimate son).
 * Summary:**


 * Characters:**
 * Mrs. (Mina) Das**- she cheated on her husband and she became pregnant with Bobby; her husband still does not know. She stopped loving her husband. She dresses in a very sexual way. She also seems to care very little about her children. The whole family seems like brothers and sisters because they are always fighting.


 * Mr. (Raj) Das**- he carried around a tour book even though he had a tour guide. He also took pictures of everything he saw. What we Americans look like to the natives of other countries when we are touring/vacationing.


 * Mr. Kapasi**- he becomes infatuated with Mrs. Das. The tourguide and "Interpreter of Maladies (illnesses)"


 * Tina**-daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Das.


 * Ronny**- son of Mr. and Mrs. Das


 * Bobby**- the son of Mrs. Das. He got attacked by monkeys on the tour, led by Mr. Kapasi. The monkeys attacked because his mother dropped rice puffs while she was walking which Mr. Kapasi specifically told her not to do.


 * Somethings you might want to think about (symbolism)**
 * (This is during when the monkeys attack Bobby)**


 * Mr. K**: savior
 * Monkeys**: India (old customs)
 * Mr****s. Das**: America (new customs, ignorance to old customs)
 * Bobby**: Child; innocence

What I'm trying to say is that, Mr. K saw his address fall out of Mrs. Das's purse, but he doesn't tell her because he knows that the two cultures are very different. In India they believe in arrange marriages, so sleeping with another man is out of the question and not to mention Bobby is the son of Mrs. Das to another man, but as a child he represents innocence. The monkeys start attacking Bobby, the monkeys represent India, while because Mrs. Das "carelessly" forgot what Mr. K said about the rice puffs or what ever they are, she represents America where we are just lay back and lazy people, to the world at least. Mr. K is the savior because he saves Bobby.