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Mrs. Sen's Story Presentation
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Mrs. Sen's Story Analysis
Overview
Eliot is a kid whose mother needs a babysitter. She hires Mrs. Sen, a professor's wife, after going through two other options, one of whom was a vegetarian, and another, an alcoholic. Mrs. Sen partakes in many traditional customs from her home, India, that Elliot and his mother are unfamiliar with. Mrs. Sen is very attached to her culture, sharing it with Eliot in multiple ways, such as chopping vegetables as women in India do.
Introduction
Connections
This story includes connections to cultural, historical, and social aspects of India. These connections help the reader to not just read a story, but to see how the author views the world. Lahiri uses many connections to India throughout the story, especially to Indian cultural tradition and social rules.
Cultural Connections
Cultural Connections
- Saris are what (traditionally) women in India wear.
- Vermilion symbolizes a women being married. As Mrs. Sen says to Elliot, "It's like a wedding ring, but it doesn't fall off in the dishwasher".
- Mrs. Sen chops vegetables with a curved knife, which is what women in India do. Mrs. Sen describes relatives and friends doing this to prepare food for special occasions.
Historical Connections
Historical Connections
- Mr. and Mrs. Sen's life is based on cultural history (some positive and some negative), and is juxtaposed with Elliot and his mother's lives, which are drawn from almost completely negative cultural stereotypes about America (single motherhood, not appreciating other cultures, eating fast food, smoking, etc.)
- Mr. and Mrs. Sen bring different aspects of their historical lives in India with them, such as Mrs. Sen not being able to drive.
Social Aspects
Social Aspects
- Mr. and Mrs. Sen's Indian cultural norms are also juxtaposed with those of Elliot and his mother.
- Lahiri seems to suggest that both sets of norms are flawed, through Mr. and Mrs. Sen experiencing conflict over driving and Elliot's mother having one night stands with Elliot's knowledge, smoking, being generally apathetic toward Elliot, and Elliot taking harsh knowledge about the world to heart.
- Lahiri shows the world through a depressing lens, criticizing almost everything, but not showing deep understanding of almost anything. She could benefit from learning more about the positive aspects of cultures.
Themes
The author comments heavily on the three main themes we see consistently throughout her stories, which are one's personal cultural identity, communication (or lack of), and human bonds and connections.
Themes
Vegetables
Cultural Identity
The author shows the struggles of determining an identity by having Mrs. Sen seem very comfortable with her Indian culture, and uncomfortable with the part that's in America. She chops vegetables in her living room in a traditional Indian way, with her special blade, sitting on the floor of her living room. She does this daily for about an hour. Mrs. Sen also mentions that this is a wedding tradition as well. It seems to be a very nostalgic practice for her. It also is as if her own home is a sanctuary where she prefers to be, and is as close to India as she can get. "By then Eliot understood that when Mrs. Sen said home, she meant India, not the apartment where she sat chopping vegetables"(116). The joy she has in this shows how she loves being Indian.
Driving
Mrs. Sen can't drive. She never learned how to drive in India, and now that she's in America it's a skill that almost everybody has. Her husband is pressuring her to get her license, and says that everything will improve once this happens. Mrs. Sen hates driving and doesn't want to practice, it terrifies her. This could show how she is afraid that if she learns this, part of her Indian identity will be suppressed because this is a very American thing for her to do, as not many Indian women can drive. Eliot observes: "he saw how that same stream of cars made her knuckles pale, her wrists tremble, and her English falter" (121). The accident she has and the struggles she goes through while driving shows how she has a hard time "fitting in" with Americans and if she could, she wouldn't. But, there is outside pressure coming from her husband, Eliot's mom, etc that makes her feel like she has to change.
Cultural Identity Continued
Difficulties of Communication
Communication
We see in this story that listening to others is an issue and affects people's relationships. Eliot's mom is one who the author shows as simply caring about herself, and she doesn't communicate well with others or listen to others. One quote says, "She sat at the table as he ate, drinking more wine and asking how his day was, but eventually she went to the deck to smoke a cigarette, leaving Eliot to wrap up the left-overs"(118). She doesn't care about spending quality time with the people close to her. She didn't care to get to know Mrs. Sen, and avoided talking to her when possible. She didn't have a strong relationship shown with anybody in the story, because her weak communication skills showed her self-absorbed nature.
Difficulties of Communication Cont.
Continued
The author shows some communication issues between Mr. Sen and Mrs. Sen, especially in driving situations. Mr. Sen doesn't listen to what Mrs. Sen wants when she's driving, like when he turns off her Beethoven, or whether she wants to drive at all. Whenever she called his office, he didn't pick up. These times when he refuses to listen to her cause some tension in their relationship, and Eliot notices too, "Eliot looked through the tiny window in the camera and waited for Mr. and Mrs. Sen to move closer together, but they didn't. They didn't hold hands or put their arms around each other's waists"(130). People are too in their own heads, only think about what they believe is best and force that on others.
Frailty of human bonds
Human Bonds and Connections
Mrs. Sen and Eliot are the only two that have a meaningful relationship in the story. They find comfort in each other's company and can talk to each other. The other two relationships we see, Mr. and Mrs. Sen, and Eliot and his mother, are weaker. When Mrs. Sen asks him, "Do you miss your mother, Eliot, these afternoons with me?" and he thinks, "The thought had never occurred to him"(122). The author shows here that neither of the two put much effort into the relationship, especially the mother, and that's what they recieve. To have a solid relationship, effort is required, but isn't something everyone has the energy to give. Because of this, their ability to bond with others becomes frail and that becomes the norm.
Universality
Fear of New Experiences or the Unknown
1
2
Communication
Universality
3
Cooperation
4
Independence
Fear of New Experiences or the Unknown
Fear of New Experiences and the Unknown
Everyone has had to try new things in life, and fear of the unknown is far from uncommon. This is shown throughout the story, where Mrs. Sen has many routines, and is seemingly almost obsessed with doing the same thing everyday,
"Each afternoon Mrs. Sen lifted the blade and locked it into place... The daily procedure took about an hour" (Lahiri 114-115). Additionally, Mrs. Sen seems un-adaptable to new situations, whether it falling asleep when things are too quiet, or driving in America, "...Elliot knew she wanted him sitting him beside her because she was afraid. She dreaded the roar of the ignition, and placed her hands over her ears to block out the sound..." (lahiri 119). Not only that, but Mrs. Sen seems like she is almost living in the past, she is almost constantly talking about India or her family, "Could I drive all the way to Calcutta? How long would that take?"(Lahiri 119) "Do you know how many Sens are in the Calcutta telephone book?" (Lahiri 124). Showing her inability to let go of the past and jump into her new life in America, Lahiri is subtly, or not so subtly, telling us that people are naturally afraid of new things or unknown experiences, and that it is difficult to let go of the past no matter what it holds
Communication
Communication
Communication and breaks in communication are common themes throughout the whole book, and this story is no different. Mrs. Sen lives in a coastal American town, which is ten thousand miles from her home in Calcutta. This distance makes communication difficult to the point of impossibility, and through the story Mrs. Sen receives few letters from her family, which is obviously anxiety provoking. This is very demonstrative of how long distance relationships with close family makes people feel nostalgic and anxious to extreme points. Mrs. Sen and her husband also have communication issues, which is demonstrated when Mr. Sen forces Mrs. Sen to drive home, "'No more,' she said... 'I hate it. I hate driving. I won't go on'"(Lahiri 131) which puts a lot of stress on the relationship and on Mrs. Sen, because it's later said that she stopped driving for a long time after that. Lahiri is implying that success is achieved through active and effective communication, and that when people do not communicate with each other, it can put stress and unnecessary burdens on relationships, romantic or not.
Cooperation
Cooperation
Everyone has to cooperate in life, whether it is in school, a job, or in the household, and the common phrase that "many hands make a light load" rings true in this story many times. Mrs. Sen asks Elliot to help her many times, and in some instances uses him for moral support many times especially when driving. "'If you don't mind there is a plastic bowl, large enough to hold this spinach...Careful, oh dear, careful,' She cautioned as he approached"(Lahiri 115). Lahiri is trying to hint at the idea of collective action and efforts is always helpful to those involved, and that it is easier to acheive a goal with help.
Independence
Independence
Childhood is typically no associated with independence and freedom, and growing up is not an overnight process. In the story, the concept of becoming older or more independent is toyed with throughout. It is clear that Elliot is a capable child when his mother tells prospective babysitters that, "Elliot is eleven. He can feed and entertain himself" (Lahiri 111). In the story two other caretakers for Elliot are mentioned, with Mrs. Sen being the third and final. By the end of the story, Elliot's mother remarks that, "You're a big boy now, Elliot" (Lahiri 135) showing that he has progressed from a child with little to no independence, to a young adult who has more freedom than before. And besides Elliot, the concept of independence is again brought up with Mrs. Sen driving, when she asks Elliot if things will improve when she learns how to drive he responds by saying she will be able to drive anywhere, implying increased independence. However Mrs. Sen does not simply teach herself to drive, she uses Elliot for moral support and learns from her husband. Like Elliot, she cannot learn to be independent alone. Lahiri is hinting at the saying that "it takes a village", however in this case, that it takes much help and many people to become independent.
Symbols
Symbols
The author constantly expresses meaning throughout Mrs. Sen's posessions. The objects act as symbols and represent Mrs Sen's life back in India. The knife from India, the recording of her family's voice, the aerograms, and her saris all remind her of her life outside of America. The car symbolises her experience in America that is different from India.
Knife
The blade
One item that gives Mrs. Sen memories from India is the knife that she uses to cut vegetables. The knife represents Mrs. Sen's memories from India, and it is very important to her. It is the only knife she would use to cut vegetables. She also cuts vegetables the Indian way.
The Aerograms
Aerograms
The aerogram is one artifact that Mrs. Sen uses to comfort herself. It helps her think about her family that is back in India. Although the letter helps comfort her slightly, she desires face-to-face communication with her family more.
Sari
Saris
The red sari than Mrs Sen wears is from India, and it is a good representation of her personality.