In Jhumpha Lahiri's The Interpreter of Diseases, ritual plays an important role in both perpetuating and alleviating her characters' loneliness. Many characters like Mrs Sen, Mr Pirzada, Boori Ma and Mrs Croft maintain their rituals to connect to the society they miss. However, characters who stick too rigidly to rituals, such as Mrs. Sen and Sanjeev, find themselves even more isolated. On the other hand, Lilia, Twinkle, the narrator, and other characters create rituals as a way to defeat loneliness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayMrs. Sen maintains rituals that resemble her lifestyle in India because she misses her home. Although she was in America, “when Mrs. Sen said home, she meant India, not the apartment where she sat chopping vegetables” (116). While Noelle Brada-Williams has suggested that Mrs. Sen's “daily ritual or routine connects Mrs. Sen with India” (459), her ritual also highlights her loneliness resulting from her distance from home and her isolation in America. Sen first appears wearing "a shimmering white sari with orange paisley patterns" (112), which she "made" after hearing the word "India." Her eloquent and formal way of wearing the sari with a different pattern but "all identical, set in a common expanse of wood chips" (119) highlights her desire for a sense of unity and community that she finds in her hometown. Furthermore, Mrs. Sen is responsible for 'chopping' abundant ingredients with her bonti. The bonti brought from India is a recurring motif of the community she lost (Mitra 185). Mrs. Sen, as she cuts spinach, remembers the evenings when “all the women in the neighborhood…carry blades just like this one, and then they sit in a huge circle…laughing and gossiping and slicing fifty pounds of vegetables through the night” (115). Lahiri highlights Mrs. Sen's longing for those nights when "it is impossible to fall asleep... listening to their chatter" by contrasting them with Mrs. Sen's isolated life in America where "sometimes she can't sleep in so much silence" (115). . Furthermore, Mrs. Sen's focus on the ritual process of cutting more than the meal itself and her persistence in cutting despite the fact that "it was never [for] a special occasion, nor did she ever expect company" (117) convey the his elaborate desire to connect with India. Lahiri describes the image of Mrs Sen cutting up one of the rare fresh fish she finds in conspicuous fashion: “She took the blade out of the cupboard, spread the newspaper on the carpet and inspected her treasures. One by one he removed them from the paper wrapping, crumpled and stained with blood. He stroked the tails, patted the bellies, tore the gutted meat apart. With a pair of scissors, cut the fins. Under the gills he placed a ginger, so bright a red it made his vermilion seem pale. He grabbed the body, covered in streaks of ink, at both ends, and cut it at intervals against the blade. (127)Mr. Sen sees fresh fish as a “treasure” that connects her to her life in Calcutta, where she eats fish “twice a day,” and so her lengthy way of preparing fish serves to dramatize this connection. However, the rituals that also connect Mrs Sen to India prevent her from feeling "at home". Laura Anh Williams suggests a "lack of correct ingredients" in Ms Sen's Indian food. The tuna croquette is supposed to be made with bheki fish and the fish and green banana stew is free of green banana (73). This suggests the impossibility of Mrs. Sen feeling as if she were in Indiaalthough he maintains his cutting rituals with the same bonti he uses in India. In addition to being unable to fully connect with India by maintaining her Indian rituals, Mrs. Sen further alienates herself from American society. Madhuparna Mitra commented on Mrs. Sen's ritual of cooking only fresh, whole fish: “if fish is the instrument of nostalgia, it is also the symbol of Mrs. Sen's alienation” (185). Her desire for fresh fish makes no sense in American society: Eliot's mother has roasted "clams, or fillets" (123) and not whole fish, the shop assistant does not understand why Mrs. Sen wants the head even though it is the most prized part of Mrs. Sen's culture (127), and the old lady on the bus is bothered by Mrs. Sen's fish smells (132). Furthermore, Eliot also notes that Mrs. Sen's formal sari, “more suitable for an evening meeting” (112), contrasts with her mother's “shaved knees and overexposed thighs” (113). If Eliot's mother represents a typical American, then the contrast represents Mrs. Sen's isolation from American culture. Thus, Mrs. Sen's inability to belong to either India or America further intensifies her loneliness resulting from being away from home. Alternatively, the lack of rituals in Eliot's family also causes Eliot's loneliness. As Mitra suggested, “'Mrs. Sen's is not only a study of Mrs. Sen's loneliness, but also that of Eliot and his mother who lived in a tiny house on the beach with little connection with their neighbors” (187). Unlike Mrs. Sen, whose life revolves around the sentimental rituals of preparing ingredients into elegant meals, Eliot's mother did not “lunch at work” and “poured herself a glass of wine and ate bread and cheese, sometimes so much that she wasn't hungry for the pizza they normally ordered for dinner” (118). During dinner, Eliot was left “to pack up the leftovers” while his mother went “on deck to smoke a cigarette” (118). The sense of isolation that Eliot associates with dining contrasts with the sense of community that Mrs. Sen tries to convey by dining. Yet, having dinner for both Eliot and Mrs. Sen reminds them of their loneliness. Although Eliot is unaware that he misses anyone from home because his home is “only five miles away” (116), he shares with Mrs. Sen the loneliness of not having a “home.” Together Mrs. Sen and Eliot construct rituals that help alleviate each other's loneliness. Mrs. Sen and Eliot, who would otherwise be alone in their homes, are able to keep each other company during Eliot's daily visit. Every afternoon, Mrs. Sen waited for Eliot at the bus stop “as if anxious to say hello to a person she hadn't seen in years” (119). Eliot “particularly enjoyed watching Mrs. Sen cut things” (115). Although it seems like an ordinary activity, the two share an intimate bond as Eliot sits still at Mrs. Sen's behest and watches her use the bonti and share stories about nights spent chopping vegetables with her neighbors in India. Eliot, whose parents have always been distant, feels protected and cared for while Mrs. Sen worries for his safety. Ms. Sen, who has always been left alone in her apartment, now has someone to express her homesickness to. Mrs. Sen finds the courage to practice driving with Eliot because she realizes that "she wanted him sitting next to her" (119). Therefore, her rituals with Eliot not only build her first human relationship in America, but also allow her to face her new life. However, Mrs. Sen crashes while trying to drive to fetch the fish. His life still revolves aroundIndian rituals and therefore is not ready to adapt to the American lifestyle. Therefore, she is “scared by the honking” of other cars (134). If the car is a reason for her connection to America and the good, her connection to India, the fact that Mrs. Sen gets out of the car and puts the blade away marks her inability to belong to any community. The car accident ends the hopeful relationship between Mrs. Sen and Eliot. Lahiri suggests an unresolved loneliness as Eliot is left alone in the house watching the "grey waves" while Mrs. Sen runs into her bedroom and "closes the door". Like Mrs. Sen, Mr. Pirzada also maintains his rituals because he misses his home. The story "When Mr. Pirzada came to dinner" is also told through a child's point of view about the rituals of Mr. Pirzada's visit. Every evening at six Mr. Pirzada came to Lilia's family for dinner because they resemble the family that he lacks. In contrast, in "The Temporary Matter" Shukumar and Shoba establish their separate eating rituals (Shukumar eats in the room prepared for their dead child and Shoba in the living room) so that they can avoid each other. Note, however, that these opposing culinary rituals both suggest Mr. Pirzada's loneliness as well as that of Shukuma and Soba. Indeed, Lahiri often uses dinner rituals to portray the loneliness of many of her characters such as Mrs. Sen, Eliot, Eliot's mother, or even the narrator of "The Third and Last Continent" who eats cereal every day before Mala get to America. .During dinner, Lilia becomes aware of Mr. Pirzada's loneliness as she observes his rituals to understand why Mr. Pirzada and his parents who "spoke the same language, laughed at the same jokes, looked more or less the same" (25) they are supposedly "different". He pulled out a simple silver watch without a strap, which he kept in his breast pocket, held it briefly to one of his tufted ears, and wound it with three quick movements of his thumb and forefinger. Unlike the watch on his wrist, the pocket watch, he had explained to me, was set to local time in Dhaka, eleven hours ahead. For the entire duration of the meal the watch remained on the folded paper napkin on the table. She never seemed to consult him." (30) Observing Mr. Pirzada's eloquent but anxious way of looking at Dacca's time, Lilia comes to understand that Mr. Pirzada is different not because of the different color of his country's map or the his different religion, but because he is alone. He lives there despite being in America. Lilia realizes that "life" for Mr. Pirzada "was lived in Dacca first" and his life in America is only. a shadow of what had already happened [in Dacca], a delayed ghost of where Mr. Pirzada truly belonged" (31). As Basudeb and Angana Chakrabarti have pointed out, "this sense of belonging to a particular place and culture and to the same time of being an outsider to another creates a tension in individuals that seems to be a defining characteristic of Lahiri's characters" (qtd. in Brada-Williams 454). Lilia observes how Mr. Pirzara always maintains a posture "as if he were holding balancing two suitcases of equal weight in both hands” (28), one suitcase symbolizes his current life in America, another is his life at home. Similar to Eliot and Mrs. Sen, Lilia also bonds with Mr. Pirzada through their shared loneliness, although he does not understand the feeling of missing someone away from home. Although she is loved by her parents and is assured “a safe life, an easy life, a good education, every opportunity” (26), Lilia does not receive much attention from her parents. Before the visitof Mr. Pirzada, her father doesn't know what she learns in school (27) and she stays with her book while the adults watch the news (31). Lilia is always “sent upstairs to do [her] homework” (34) alone while listening “through the carpet” to the adults' conversations. The fact that Lilia is an only child further highlights her loneliness. Pirzada and Lilia exchange understanding of each other's loneliness through their little rituals. Since Mr. Pirzada calls Lilia "the hostess" (29) and gives her candy with 'round elegance', Lilia who usually does not receive so much attention is "flattered by the vague theatricality of his attentions" (29). Furthermore, Mr Pirzada has sent comics to his seven daughters but has not heard from them for over six months (24). So, being able to give Lilia her candy and seeing her joy in receiving it resembles the joy she wants to see from her daughters. Although she cannot express her concerns for Mr. Pirzada's family or her gratitude for his attentions, Lilia treasures "each evening's treasure as [she] would a jewel [and]...places it in a small treasure box memories” (29) because she knows how important these sweets are for Mr. Pirzada as they are for her. In an attempt to do something to alleviate Mr. Pirzada's loneliness, Lilia innocently invents her own prayer rituals for her family's safety: “I did something I had never done before. I put the chocolate in my mouth, letting it soften until the last possible moment, and then, as I chewed it slowly, I prayed that Mr. Pirzada's family would be safe and sound” (32). The fact that a little girl decides to dedicate a piece of her "treasure" every night to do something she was never taught to do demonstrates her deep connection and understanding of Mr. Pirzada's feelings. Similar to little Lilia, Twinkle in "This Blessed House" improvises her own rituals. Twinkle does not have nostalgic rituals that relieve loneliness like Mrs. Sen or Mr. Pirzada, but she is not a solitary character. She is always “content but curious” as she constructs her own meaning from her simultaneous discoveries. As Williams suggested: “scavenger hunts allow Twinkle's identity to emerge” (76). Twinkle knows Mrs. Sen's culinary rituals, but is able to create dishes that are "unusually tasty, even attractive" (144) with the vinegar she finds. Yet, even after a successful improvisation, Twinkle refuses to write down the recipe because she refuses to stick to rituals but is ready to make endless new discoveries. Furthermore, although Sanjeev reminds her that they are not Christians and that he "cannot allow the people [he] works with to see this statue on [his] lawn" (147), Twinkle refuses to get rid of the discovered Christ statues because " and it might be worth something” (136). The incident illustrates how Twinkle sees everything in her simultaneous discoveries as opportunities. In contrast, Sanjeev blindly follows the Hindi rituals not because he sees meaning in these rituals but because he is afraid of how others might. think of him.Comparing Sanjeev with Twinkle, Lahiri highlights the difference between having no rituals and having no meaning in life Twinkle has no rituals but the one who is alone is Sanjeev because he sticks to meaningless rituals Fifth Symphony is supposed to be "music of love and happiness" (140) in an attempt to impress people of his taste, while Twinkle simply hears the music. He is annoyed by the way Twinkle lies carelessly "in bed in the middle of the day." as he unpacks boxes, sweeps the attic, or touches up paint in preparation for guests (141). As a result, Sanjeev loses the opportunity to experience excitement andcontentment in Twinkle's daily discoveries. For all the rituals she tries to do to impress her guests, they are more impressed by Twinkle's lack of strict rituals. While all his guests disappear to join Twinkle's discoveries, Sanjeev is left alone. However, although Mrs. Sen, Mr. Pirazada and Sanjeev are lonely characters, they are not without hope. Mrs. Sen is isolated from both India and America, but Lahiri leaves the possibility of Mrs. Sen's future adjustment to her hyphenated life through the story's unresolved ending. Furthermore, Mr. Pirizada eventually reunites with his family in Dacca. Sanjeev, though stiff and banal, has the confident and talented Twinkle by his side. Furthermore, even the lonely children in Lahiri's stories are portrayed with positive and hopeful notes. Despite not receiving much attention from their parents, Eliot and Lilia still have their families and a protected society to which they belong. Some of Lahiri's characters, however, experience tragic loneliness to the point that rituals cannot alleviate their loneliness. Boori Ma in "Real Durwan" and Mrs. Croft in "The Third and Final Continent" are alone and estranged from society with very little hope of reconciliation. Their rituals only allow them to regret their lost past. Every day for "twice a day", Boori Ma swept the stairwell from top to bottom while listing "details of her plight and losses...[being] separated from a husband, four daughters, a house of two-story bricks, a rosewood almari, and a number of chests whose chests were skeletal keys he still wore” (71). His rituals of sweeping the stairs and wearing the skeletal keys highlight his longing for the life he has lost. Other times, while sweeping, Boori Ma 'narrated' the elegant life she had: “by the time she reached the second-floor landing, she had already drawn the attention of the entire building to the menu of her third daughter's wedding night." (71). Like Mrs. Sen who reminds Eliot of her time in Calcuatta while mowing, Boori Ma also seems to ease his loneliness as she sweeps and remembers her "easier times" by attracting the attention of the tenants. Yet, unlike Mrs. Sen and Eliot, the tenants do not share Boori Ma's loneliness but simply enjoy her ritual stories because they are entertaining and appreciate her sweeping ritual because it keeps “their crooked stairwell clean and spotless” ( 73). Therefore, Boori Ma has no one to truly care for her and is literally alone in the world. Furthermore, in contrast to Mrs. Sen's memory of her community, Boori Ma's ritual narrative also seems illogical. This further suggests the futility of her rituals that cause her to live in a past that may not even exist. (15) Likewise, Mrs. Croft lives alone in an irreversible past of the last century. Every day he sits “on the piano bench, on the same side as the night before (182), remembering how he taught piano and how he raised Helen. She wears "the same black skirt, the same starched white blouse" (182) that reminds her of "a world in 1866... ​​filled with women in long black skirts and chaste conversations in the parlor" (189). As she longs for a society she has lost, Mrs. Croft demands that the door be "locked" as if she were locking herself out of reality. Like Boori Ma, Mrs. Croft performs her rituals to live in her imaginary world that can only be the distant past. Fortunately, however, Mrs. Croft has a narrator who empathizes with her loneliness. Although the narrator shows more adaptability than Mrs. Croft because he has travelled.