Partition and Postmemory in JhumpaLahiri’sInterpreter of Maladies

Abstract

The research paper delves intotheindividual,inter-and transgenerational transmission of experiencesinJhumpa Lahiri’sInterpreter of Maladiesthrough the lens of postmemory. Itanalyzes the selected four stories of theshort story collectionInterpreter of Maladiesthat are“WhenMr.Prizzadacame to Dine”,“Miss. Sen”,“A Real Durwan”and “The Third and Final Continent”.These stories explore the historyof 1947 partitioning of the Indian subcontinent and the suffering of the diaspora in the host country.Moreover, selected stories representthe historical incidents in the present. Implicating the Postmemory in the literary text helps to bring historical events in the present discussion. It broadens the new perspectives of the understanding historical events and its aftermath.This thesis argues that Lahiri portrays the world of her lived and inheritedexperiences which are occupied bythe transmission of knowledge throughtheearlier generation and helps inanalyzing how those incidents continue to affect on the second generation whohaswitnessed the suffering of an earlier generation. This researchthuscontributes totheemerging issues on the effect of partition and its aftermath in the life of diaspora that has still continuedand transmitted to latergenerations. Key Words:Memory,Partition,Post memory, Second generation