Mr. Kapasi Paper - Grade: B PDF

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Essay for the book, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. Title of essay is "The Admirable Mr. Kapasi: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri"...

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Coker 1 Aubrey Coker Professor Gentry English 1102 January 31, 2017

The Admirable Mr. Kapasi: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri Most of us have been a tourist at one time or another; traveling to different destinations, walking around taking hundreds of pictures, and stuffing our faces with various types of new found foods. However, have you ever stopped to wonder what the natives think of us? In the story, Interpreter of Maladies, we get a perfect view of the other side of tourism. Mr. Kapasi is an admirable tour guide who cares for the Das family, listens to them, and ensures they have the best time on his tour. Nevertheless, some people may say that he is not admirable because he has promiscuous thoughts about Mrs. Das which let his feelings distract him from his job. Mr. Kapasi cares for the Das family by getting to know them on a more personal level instead of only being business-like. He shows interest in them by asking, “’Where in America do you live?’” (448 Lahiri) and learning about what Mr. Das does for a living. This helps Mr. Kapasi get on a more intimate and comfortable level with his guests for the day. In exchange, they ask him questions as well, “’Doesn’t it get tiresome, Mr. Kapasi, showing people the same thing every day?’” (450 Lahiri), which build the relationship. The tour guide did a great job of listening to the Das’. At one moment in particular, Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das are sitting in the car together while her family goes exploring down the road. Mrs. Das tells Mr. Kapasi her whole life story. She feels a sense of security and ease with him and trusts him enough to tell him her biggest secret about her son by saying, “Raj’s. He’s not Raj’s son” (457 Lahiri). Mr. Das is of course shocked. However, he proves his kindness and respect by not saying anything rude and by continuing to sit and listen.

Coker 2 Since Mr. Kapasi is a tour guide, there are some things that are required of him in his job. One requirement is to ensure the family has a wonderful time together. For instance, he makes sure to explain different facts about the monuments and sights along the tour. The history he tells them specifically interests Mr. Das who even carries around a tour guide book. He is even willing to pull over the car so that Mr. Das could get excellent pictures of the scenery around them. Mr. Kapasi makes sure they are fed and are comfortable while riding in the car. He even protects one of the children from a monkey attack by, “[taking] his branch and shoo[ing] them away, hissing at the ones that remained, stomping his feet to scare them” (460 Lahiri). Throughout the story, Mr. Kapasi develops special feelings towards Mrs. Das. He took a special interest in her because, “it flattered Mr. Kapasi that Mrs. Das was so intrigued by his job” (452 Lahiri). Since his wife never takes much notice in him, it felt nice for Mr. Kapasi to have a pleasant, attractive lady showing interest in him. Some people might argue that this makes him a dishonorable tour guide. However, I do not think so because never once did Mr. Kapasi act on his thoughts and feelings. He never touched Mrs. Das or said anything inappropriate to her. Everything was all in his head so he never let his feelings get in the way. “’Shall we go then?” Mr. Kapasi asked. He paused at a turn in the road. “It’s to the left.’” (456 Lahiri). Mr. Kapasi lets the family choose to go to another sight when normally he would take his guests back home. He does this because he wants to prolong his time with Mrs. Das. Readers might say that Mr. Kapasi was distracted and going against his tour guide duties; however, I believe that he was doing it with the best of intentions. He was enjoying his time with the family and wanted to spend more time talking with them and making sure they got the full experience out of the tour. Although this time was to mainly talk to Mrs. Das, I think it was for the best that they decided to go because if they had not, the conversation between Mr. Kapasi and

Coker 3 Mrs. Das about the mistakes she has made never would have happened. This could have resulted in Mr. Kapasi’s dreams and thoughts continuing to grow when they needed to be shut down. I believe you have to find the best in everyone. Mr. Kapasi may have some flaws, but they do not diminish his goodness. He proves that he is an admirable man by being honest, kind, hard-working, and respectful. We see all these things through Mr. Kapasi’s ability to resist his feelings towards Mrs. Das, his willingness to tell about his life, and his determination to make the Das’ family experience of India one to remember....