Kamis, 30 April 2015
The Third and The Final Continent
By : Jhumpa Lahiri
essay
by: Budak Melayoe
Jhumpa Lahiri was born on July 11th 1967
is an American author with Indian in his blood.
A short story published in The New Yorker magazine,
America in June 21th 1999. As an Author whose Indian blood, Jhumpa
Lahiri wanted to describe the readers about India people, their culture. It can
be seen that an Indian man to be the main character in this story.
All that I want to write in this essay is about what
the author wanted to provide, why this kind of story, I mean ‘the third and
final continent’ was written. Why India, England and America took place. And
why she used an India man and woman (wife) to be the main character.
The first answer I got from the beginning of the
story is that the author wanted to tell readers about how strong that the
Indian people in foreign country, and how hard that the Bengalis’ life in
abroad. Can be proved by the some sentences : live in a house occupied by
penniless Bengali bachelors trying to educate and establish ourselves abroad.
Or cooking pots of egg curry, which we ate with our hands on the table covered
with newspapers.
This story also related to her life who was born in
London, take lectures to the USA and has Indian blood. Here I catch is that she
does not like American life style, it can be seen in a statement that the
narrator compared between England and American that is: a bottle of milk that
he got every morning in front of his house in London but in America he must go
to supermarket to buy a carton of milk. Then in YMCA the narrator described how
stuffy and noisy the place that he stayed. By statement: I had to keep the
window wide open; it was the only source of air in the stifling room, and the
noise was intolerable, with his fingers pressed into his ears.
Another thing the author described America through
relation between Mrs. Croft and her daughter, Helen. They have a complicated
relation. My question is why here in the story Helen does not live with her
mother especially Mrs. Croft was 103 years old. A very old age to live alone
and here in this time Helen should take care of her by living together. Also in
the other case is Mrs. Croft does not like Helen style which very sexy in
dressed and more free in life style. But by Helen, this is 1969 where a lot
girls have the same instead her.
Author, Jumpa Lahiri also pretended to describe and
provided a good side in Indian people. Proved in her statement in explained
Mala’s habit wearing sari and her manner. Instead of telling bad side in Indian
like her describe American before, while narrator compare, complain and explain
American, she commended Indian culture by telling a marriage relationship
instead of free (free sex) life. And by the first sight the narrator seem does
not like his wife because although Mala has good talents in many aspects but
those are not enough to possess a fair complexion or Mala does not have
something special in her face; but in the end of story the narrator love her
very much. And by Mrs. Croft saying that Mala is a perfect lady that makes the
narrator smiled to his wife for the first time. And makes their distance began
to lessen.
By all the proved above, finally I personally think
that here in this story the author wrote what she has in her heart and what
actually she got in her head, because that is usually writers done to their
creation. Using their imagination or on what they want to write by their head
or heart. She loves her motherland and wants reader to pay attention to it.
That is why this story takes reason.
This is little argued between analyzers; some may
said Jhumpa Lahiri got wrong in describing Indian people or Indian culture. But
some may said that is normal, because she was away apart from her mother
country. She lived in a long time in abroad, born in England and grew up in
USA.
