Mrs Sens Flashcards
What quotes does the writer (Jhumpa Lahiri) use to portray a sense of isolation and loneliness for Mrs Sens?
'’Eliot if i began to scream right now at the top of my lungs, would someone come?’’
What quotes does the writer (Jhumpa Lahiri) use to portray a sense of isolation and loneliness for Eliots Mother?
But eventually she went to the deck to smoke a cigarette, leaving Eliot to wrap up the leftover. This portrays that she does not cook for herself and that she neglects herself.
What quote does the writer (Jhumpa Lahiri) use in order to show the cultural difference between America and India?
“She liked to go to a market by the beach. She added that while the fish there tasted nothing like the fish in India, at least it was fresh.’’
“You could go places,” Eliot suggested. “You could go anywhere.”
“Could I drive all the way to Calcutta?… Ten thousand miles…”
This dialogue illustrates the contrast between Eliot’s naivety and Mrs. Sen’s longing for her homeland. The rhetorical question underscores her sense of entrapment and the impossibility of returning to her past life, using the motif of driving as a symbol of freedom and mobility.
Show a description of Mrs. Sen’s reaction to the mail uses sensory imagery (“shut her eyes and shield them” and “grainy to the touch”) to convey her anticipation and vulnerability.
“She would ask Eliot to reach inside, telling him what to look for, and then she would shut her eyes and shield them with her hands while he shuffled through the bills and magazines that came in Mr. Sen’s name.
Weeks passed at Mrs. Sen’s before he found a blue aerogram, grainy to the touch, crammed with stamps showing a bald man at a spinning wheel, and blackened by postmarks.
“Is this it, Mrs. Sen?”
This moment emphasizes the importance of physical connections (like letters) to her life in India, serving as a lifeline to her past. The tactile description of the aerogram enhances the sensory experience, connecting Mrs. Sen physically and emotionally to her homeland.
How does the writer (Jhumpa Lahiri) portray a sense of resignation as she mentions having prepare a tasty dish without a key ingredient.
This moment reflects the theme of adaptation and making do in a new environment, using the stew as a metaphor for her life in America. ‘‘“I am going to put these in a very tasty stew with fish and green bananas,” she
announced. “Only I will have to do without the green bananas.”
How does the writer (Jhumpa Lahiri) portray the abruptness of the accident and Mrs. Sen’s response to the policeman are indicative of the sudden and often challenging nature of cultural adaptation. Her reliance on her husband’s identity reflects her dependency and struggle to establish her own identity in the new culture.
“The accident occurred quickly… ‘Mr. Sen teaches mathematics at the university,’ was all she said by way of explanation.”
