A Temporary Matter Characters

Name
Tutor
Institution
Date
How light and dark operate as metaphors in Jhumpa Lahiri’s A Temporary matter.
Introduction
This story is narrated from a third person view and it deals with the break up of a relationship involving an Indian couple living in America i.e. Shoba and Shukumar. The distance between them has been created by the stillbirth of their child and this makes Shoba to be withdrawn and she changes from being attentive to being self absorbed. However, food plays a major role in the relationship of the Indian couple. Shoba has even stopped cooking and Shukumar starts cooking what he can using the old recipe of his wife and he does not supply anything new. On the other hand, Shukumar does not comfort his wife due to grief. They one day received a notice that their electricity supply will be terminated one hour at night in a day for five consecutive days. The couple spends this hour in the dark and they shared their secrets which they had never shared earlier. However, each confession brings more problems in their relationship and finally their separation is clear. The two characters are totally opposite as Shoba spends more time out of the house and Shukumar spends most of his time in the house.
Light and dark as metaphors in the novel
The idea of power going off is a metaphor which is significant that the author uses. Confession is seen to be easier between the couple when there is darkness such that each of them confesses things that he/she has done before. From the story we learn that they even do not want to use the candle so that they can see each other well when the lights are off such that Shukumar puts the candle under the table. However, darkness has made them communicate more freely than ever before since the time their child was born dead. They enjoyed the dark as is depicted in the story, “…how about telling each other something we’ve never told before (p. 34)”.
As Shukumar is left at home by his partner, he yearns for the evening and keeps on thinking the whole day about the secrets he will reveal to his wife when she returns in the evening from work. Moreover, he takes a lot of care and cooks food and buys candles to ensure that their secret game at night i...