Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London, raised in Rhode Island, and went to college in New York and Boston. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and author of two previous books. Her debut collection of stories, Interpreter of Maladies, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, making her the first person of South Asia descent to ever win an individual Pulitzer award, the PEN/Hemingway Award and The New Yorker Debut of the Year. Since then, the book has been translated into 29 languages and has become a bestseller in the United States and abroad. One of the stories from Interpreter of Maladies, “The Third and Final Continent,” was published in “The New Yorker” magazine in 1999 and received numerous awards. Her novel The Namesake was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and was selected as one of the best books of the year by USA Today and Entertainment Weekly, among other publications.
Below is a link to a short interview with Ms. Lahiri entitled, Jhumpa Lahiri's Struggle to Feel American. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97418330
Here is a PDF of the story, "Third and Final Continent."
Students and faculty, please feel free to join any or all of the discussion threads below.
b) What does Mrs. Croft symbolize to the narrator, and in what ways does she have an impact on his life? As you reflect upon the experiences you have had in a foreign culture, do you recall meeting a figure like a Mrs. Croft? Describe this person and his/her effect on you.
c) What does it mean to feel as if you "belong" to a culture, to fit in, and to feel grounded? What is your cultural heritage, and to what extent do you assimilate with the culture of Italy? To what degree are those who have a foot in two or more cultures destined to feel caught betwixt and between, to be neither fish nor fowl?
d) What does the following quotation reveal about the ways the narrator, Mala and their son celebrate and preserve the cultures they embody: "So we drive to Cambridge to visit him, or bring him home for a weekend, so that he can eat rice with us with his hands, and speak in Bengali, things we sometimes worry he will no longer do after we die." In what ways do you acknowledge and preserve your home culture? Do your parents worry that over time your cultural heritage might diminish and that important family traditions might fade? If you worry about this as well, explore the implications for yourself.
e) Though an outsider, Lahiri's narrator captures the inherent beauties of living on different continents. With this in mind how do you interpret the final lines of the story?
Below is a link to a short interview with Ms. Lahiri entitled, Jhumpa Lahiri's Struggle to Feel American. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97418330
Here is a PDF of the story, "Third and Final Continent."
Students and faculty, please feel free to join any or all of the discussion threads below.
c) What does it mean to feel as if you "belong" to a culture, to fit in, and to feel grounded? What is your cultural heritage, and to what extent do you assimilate with the culture of Italy? To what degree are those who have a foot in two or more cultures destined to feel caught betwixt and between, to be neither fish nor fowl?
d) What does the following quotation reveal about the ways the narrator, Mala and their son celebrate and preserve the cultures they embody: "So we drive to Cambridge to visit him, or bring him home for a weekend, so that he can eat rice with us with his hands, and speak in Bengali, things we sometimes worry he will no longer do after we die." In what ways do you acknowledge and preserve your home culture? Do your parents worry that over time your cultural heritage might diminish and that important family traditions might fade? If you worry about this as well, explore the implications for yourself.
e) Though an outsider, Lahiri's narrator captures the inherent beauties of living on different continents. With this in mind how do you interpret the final lines of the story?
I liked the story "The Third and Final Continent" by Jhumpa Lahiri and I find it very touchy and direct story of which the language and style are vary sweet despite direct at the same time. Lahiri was able to speak about a very particular, commonly very painful experience of being foreigner in a country, in a very positive way. The protagonist lists his rather uncommon life experiences as if it were nothing. Despite the time he spent with Mrs. Croft was very short, the protagonist speaks much of that part of his life because it was his new life beginning on another continent in another country with completely unknown customs and people. Everything he was to face was unknown to him. But he was capable of passing through this experience apparently easily so much to get his land lady, Mrs. Croft, to like and appreciate him despite she was very suspicious about foreigners at the beginning. Even his marriage with Mala, who he didn't know at all, turned into love and appreciation. Shortly; the protagonist has been able to turn every of his life experiences into a positive one and to have sweet memories of it.
ReplyDeleteGrassi G.
What stuck with me was the way the narrator described the relationship between the two characters. It was evident in the way it was described, that the relationship between the narrator and its wife is initially forced, a relationship that hasn't been built throughout time like it should have been but founded by their families in an arranged marriage. Plus, the fact that they haven't even seen each other for such a long time, is mostly the cause they are strangers to one another and I love how from their relationship gradually builds and develops through laughing and talking and this also makes me think. It makes me think about the difference between my culture, and how mine doesn't look into arranged marriages, but the Indian one does. For them, marriage isn't a right, something they can choose to do, but their families decide it, and they have no voice in it. Having been brought up in a different culture, I can argue how it is completely unfair but from their point of view this is probably normal. For them it’s a duty, something they have been brought up to believe. And even though I actually liked the story, I have to say that what I’ve talked beforehand is the reason I mostly appreciated this story. After I had actually finished reading it, I started seeing all these differences and similarities and links between me and other people I know and their different backgrounds and stories and what they are used to. This made me sit down and think about matters I’ve never even give a second thought before and because of this, I am extremely thankful to Jhumpa Lahiri for writing this piece.
ReplyDeleteFranchi L.
The story "The Third and Final Continent" by Jhumpa Lahiri is about the experiences of a foreigner adapting to a new world around him. The first few paragraphs tell us about the life of the protagonist, which forges a link between the reader and him. They also describe the chaotic atmosphere of a city. To us, the city does not hold any surprises, yet to someone who is inexperienced in urban lifestyles, it can be maddening and confusing. The author is able to convey this feeling through her description, such as, "Car horns, shrill and prolonged, blared one after another ... powerful hiss, throughout the night."
ReplyDeleteThe protagonist's first encounter with Mrs. Croft leaves us with a negative first impression, making us think of her as a senile old woman who likes to bark at people all day. However, as the story progresses and Helen is introduced, we begin to feel a sense of sympathy and we notice a kindness in Mrs. Croft.
When Mala is introduced, it is clear from the start that the protagonist is not used to her and feels distanced from her, as conveyed by the descriptions he gives of living with her. However, when he introduces Mala to Mrs. Croft, the gap between Mala and her husband closes.
The story is very touching, and the description is very detailed and the emotions of the protagonist are completely laid out to the reader. I liked the story, and would be interested in reading other works by Jhumpa Lahiri.
"The Third and Final Continent" is a great short novel composed by Jhumpa Lahiri describing a Bengali's first encounter and experiences in a completely new society that is very different from his previous cultures. The religion, beliefs, attitudes and of the citizens are exceedingly different, and he is left alone to try to become accustomed with life there and fit into the new society.
ReplyDeleteThrough the story, we get to understand and study the process in which he handles situations in the new society, and how he starts to fit in. This includes many things: from the smallest of details, such as driving on the right side of the road, to comprehending the strange attitude of Mrs. Croft. He expresses his concerns and opinions on certain aspects of this new culture, which usually confuse him, but which he obediently follows. Through this we get to know more about the protagonist and narrator of the story.
Mrs. Croft symbolises many things to the narrator, one of them being a first impression of this new society. She is one of the true Americans that the narrator and we meet, and thus her actions inevitably give us a general view and influence us on the society. Though her first impressions are of rudeness and almost harshness, we eventually get to know more of her through certain actions in the novel. Towards the end of the novel she appears to be a emotional and affection person, and we start to feel sympathy and love for the old woman. She also symbolises a person who the narrator can constantly place his trust and love into: she is a person who he can consistently come back to because she was the first true "nice" person that he met. She is like an anchor, someone who we can consistently come back to and find the same things in her, and consolidate our feelings with her.
Mrs. Croft has a great impact on the narrators life. There are many causes for this: one of them being that he feels compassion for her because she is such an old woman, and cannot imagine her pains and sufferings that she goes through every day. Thus from that discovery he always will feel a sympathy for her, and try to help her in every way possible. In general, he becomes a kinder person: he is helpful and put the money on her lap instead of making her get up and get it, he looks after her when she has fallen asleep on her piano stool, and he always answers her questions the way that she wants him to.
I truly found this story inspiring and could link with it in many areas, including the feelings of trying to associate myself with the people of a different culture, and coping with the different society and behaviour. Though it was quite strange at first, like the narrator's first experiences, I gradually got used to the culture and people, and they accepted me into their society. Many people think that to become part of a culture one needs to be like them, whether it be fashion, food, language or passions. To fit into a culture, you have to be like the culture, and thus you could be substituted as one of the locals of the culture. Common identity is vital in feeling accepted in a specific society, because then you can relate with people, and make acquaintances and friends. However the narrator does not always try to be exactly like the society: he still tries to obtain his childhood culture in Bengali, and try to integrate that with his experiences in this new place. This also shows us that sometimes the differences and culture can also allow you to make friends, and thus become accepted into the society.
The short story is composed in a very special way, comprising mainly of memories of being introduced to a new culture. This is a unique style of literature, though it is one that many people in the outside world can relate to. I found this story educative and inspiring, and would like to read more of these stories that include the theme of being accepted into a country. I would also like to extend my congratulations and praise to Jhumpa Lahiri for composing such a magnificent short story.
James Hua
"The Third and Final Continent" by Jhumpa Lahiri is a very nice and interesting story. I liked how the author developed the relationship between the two women Mrs. Croft and the narrator's wife, Mala. I found very interesting how the author made these two different characters similar in his own way throughout his writing.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that I liked about the story is that as I read I could relate easily with the real life problems and people, because the author narrates the experience that an immigrant lived, including the loneliness and the need of a place where to feel at home.
The story has many details and you can understand deeply the feelings that the character transmits to you throughout his sympathy and attitude.
Muratori V.
Since the day I was born I was introduced to the South American culture, It was always very contrasting to the culture which I live today. I feel like I do belong to the culture I was raised along with. My family and personal traditions are different from the ones of any other culture especially Italian. I have been able to notice this seeing as I have lived in Italy practically all my life, and when I am with my parents It feels like I return to my inherited culture. I continue to live on the edge of two different cultures, but in someway they do assimilate, because I have not found it hard to fit into Italian culture as we (as a family) have adapted to it during the many years spent here because I was mostly raised here, without loosing any significant culture related ideas.
ReplyDeleteFitting in a culture in which you have not been raised into can be hard. Not being raised and kept in a different culture can also be confusing. You can expose yourself to such a phenomenon when you visit another country (possibly in another continent) in which there is a completely different culture from the one you live in daily. I believe that fitting in is the most recurring problem for people who have adapted to a different lifestyle, and changing culture can also change your life drastically.
In my opinion, feeling grounded means to be in a sort of never-ending self conflict, the person was introduced to a culture into which he/she has to adapt, and faces some problems because of the intense divergence between the two. Meaning that the person cannot choose which different traditions to welcome into their life. Of-course such changes take time.
My Colombian culture assimilates quite well with the Italian one well, however we do stick to more traditional family culture as it makes us feel as more of a community that sticks out from our everyday culture related adaptation we live. Having 2 or more distinctive cultures is a tricky thing to live with, however the adaptation only depends on the person itself and how they were raised and where. Nevertheless people who are international tend to feel caught in a net of different culturistic trends and traditions. Its weird in a sense, it feels like you never have a place, or somewhere you belong. Its crucial to understand that it is normal, and that this story from Jhumpa Lahiri is a great example of an issue that burdens many people from all over the world.
-David R.
"The Third and Final Continent" is written by Jhumpa Lahiri and it narrates the experience of a man exploring an unknown place and explaining how hard it is to fit in, and to have different cultures than others. In these passages, the atmosphere of the city is being described and is trying to make us comprehend that some foreigners, new to the city, may find difficult to settle in. When he meets Mrs.Croft, we may notice that she doesn’t seem pleasant, but very rigid and severe. In fact, during the conversation between Mrs.Croft and Lahiri, he gets treated rudely and unfairly, despite that, Lahiri continued to please the woman by following her rules and correcting himself to any mistake he made. However, Mrs.Croft changes as Helen get’s introduced, showing her bright side, and sympathy towards others.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between Mala and the protagonist seems distant, also because it was a combined marriage, and because of this, their relationship hasn’t been built through out the time. They seemed two strangers at the beginning, but throughout time, they started interacting, laughing and talking more often, building up their relationship in something that wasn’t brought up by them but forced by someone else, and it ended up very well. This story makes me also think about the different cultures, also because I was born in one in which there isn’t an arranged marriage, and how weird I think it would be to be forced to marry a stranger, but may appear normal to those whom are accustomed to it.
After reading this story, I could compare myself to others and see other cultures from a different prospective. Not only this story was touching and really detailed, but I could almost feel the same emotions the Author felt writing this, and I would be really interested in similar stories.
Valentina
I loved reading "The Third and Final Continent". It was really touching and I liked the characters. Mrs. Croft is a common character for me. I have seen alot of people like her in my life, my mother is one of them. She is really attached to our culture that she tries her best to preserve it, preserve it in me, even if it's hard because we're living in Italy. My mothers effect on my life is a positive one, I can't imagine my attitude or how my life would be if she wasn't there. I liked reading "The Third and Final Continent" because it made me feel happy and proud of having a culture and parents who try their best to preserve it in me. There were moments when I smiled while reading it, for example when for the first time after their marriage he looks into Mala's eyes and they smile. I've heard alot about arranged marriages, especially because it's really common in Sri Lanka. I've always seen it as a negative thing, that is was a marriage done like that because they needed to marry and that there was no love or happiness between the two people. But after reading "The Third and Final Continent" I began to think that arranged marriages aren't that bad. The moment when they looked at each others eyes and the way the author described it made me feel that there was love and happiness in an arranged marriage but that it takes time. I liked Mala's character, for she dressed in sari while living in America and that was courageous of her and I could feel how she loves and respectes her culture. It's really normal that they visited their son and they ate rice with him and talked in Bengali. My mother always talks to me in Sinhalese and I'm used to that. She doen't like it when I answer in Italian. And she reminds that I'm srilankan and that's my culture. It's really hard living in Italy and having parents who take culture seriously. But I'm used to that and I pictured my parents culture while reading "The Third and Final Continent". The way the author describes things is amazing. Especially when Mrs. Croft was in bed and the narrator had went with Mala to visit her. I loved that scene. Reading "The Third and Final Continent" completely changed my perspective of my parents culture. And now I understand them better because while reading this I felt how preserving a culture is a duty for some people. They have it inside them. Reading "The Third and Final Continent" completely changed my way of thiniking and I'm sure that that will be a positive change in my life.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading "The Third and Final Continent" and I hope to read more works of Jhumpa Lahiri.
- Mithila
The final lines of the story - "I am not the only man to seek his fortune far from home, and certainly I am not the first. Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have travelled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination." - are the reflections of a traveller. Living in different places throughout one's lifetime can be a surreal experience. How do you identify yourself if you've been adapting to other cultures all your life? How do you define norms if the current ones conflict with those of your past? Sometimes, it's distressing. Other times, it expresses a sense of richness and variety in your life. Commonplace experiences you've had in one country can be remembered as exotic and different when you live in another. Moving from place to place brings such novelty with it each time, and once you've adapted, you can look back at the wonder you experienced doing such simple things - buying milk, for example, as the protagonist did - with incredulity or amusement.
ReplyDelete“The Third and Final Continent” was a stirring and touching short story. I could relate to the main character in various parts of the story. The main character and his wife want to become accustomed to the new culture. I can somehow relate to this because I was born in Rome, but my parents are Sri Lankan. Since I lived my entire life in Italy and only go to Sri Lanka on holidays, I can easily tell how different the two cultures are. My parents are very fond of their culture, and they constantly tell me about it to make sure that I preserve it as well. The culture my parents grew up in is different from the Italian, and it must have been very hard for them to adjust to a new and totally different culture. For some people, fitting in a culture is really simple, but for some others it may be tough because they don’t speak the language and they are clueless about everything around them. I have heard stories about arranged marriages because it is a really common thing in some countries in Asia, even in Sri Lanka. I never liked arranged marriages because I always felt like you are forced to marry a stranger. If I grew up in Sri Lanka my point of view towards arranged marriages would be different. However, even though their marriage was arranged beforehand, I really liked how the main character’s relationship builds up towards the end. I think that feeling grounded means that you are having a hard time fitting in, and it may happen to people who move around a lot. Mala was probably feeling grounded because she wasn't used to a different culture. I really liked how at the end of the story, they both visit their son at college, and eat rice with him. It showed that they cared about his son, and that they had gotten adapted to the new culture. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this short story and really liked how this story is based on the author’s childhood.
ReplyDeleteChathuni A.
(From Liza K.) I was born in Russia and have lived there for all 16 years of my life. I went to public school and lived with my parents, who always helped me and supported me in any sitiation , but this school year everything had changed. I moved to another country with two foreign languages for me: English and Italian. There were no parents, to friends, no home. I felt completely alone, despite the fact, that there were 30 other students, who lived in the school with no parent and home as me. Despite the fact, that teachers here tried to help to fit in and feel more comfortable, that my parents helped me with everything they could and my friends in Russia did not forget me. After some time i have realized, that if you won't try hard to make yourself happy not in the memories of past with your family, that you miss, not in the thoughts of the future , dreaming about holidays at home with friends, than nobody will do it for you. Becaue it is your life and only yours, and if you want to be happy, you should be happy now.
ReplyDeleteI am in Rome only for 6 months, but i already have notised, that Italian culture is different from Russian. As well as American, since there sre lots of American students. There are different values between these countries and Russia, but what actually thouches me, is even not how other people dislike Russia and judge me that i am Russian, it is the friendship. For a really long time i could not find a friend in the school, because for people here if you once went out somewhere together- you are best friends. Or if you just constntly communicate to each other (in the sense of "hi! how are you?") and never actually do something together , this person can call you a best frined and "the closest person for me". I don't understand it, because in my country friendship is something really valuable and significant, what is actually more deep than "going out " and "having fun".
I can say that i actually belong to my culture. For me it means that you are into your country and every peculiarity about you culture, when you feel as this "belonging" is your home and your life. I love Russia and its culture with all my heart and i never forget about it being far away not only from the place, but also from the people with the same values of the life and feeling of it, from the style of life and history of your culture and country. Maybe I will change and something inside if me will change too, but i will stay "belonging" to my Russian culture where ever i will be and how many years ever can pass.
D. "So we drive to Cambridge to visit him, or bring him home for a weekend, so that he can eat rice with us with his hands, and speak in Bengali, things we sometimes worry he will no longer do after we die."
ReplyDeleteThat quote from Mrs. Lahiri’s story really touched, and rather saddened me. Growing up between two or more worlds is very complicated and difficult, because it means having to choose one over the other, or struggling to find proper balance. I am well familiar with this myself. In the modern world, where cultures come together all around the globe and people grow up in societies different from those their parents grew up in, there's this sense of urgency to preserve your heritage and traditions. Even the smallest things, like for the narrator, eating rice with your hands, become necessary in order to not lose your sense of identity and origin. I don't want to change my name upon marriage because I don't want to lose my family's Greek ancestry. I want to remember the name my father got from his own father who traveled far from his home culture to a place terribly different from everything he knew. I want to continue to visit the Greek island my grandfather was born in as often as I can, because though I never met him, something inside me tells me that the connection to him is important. At home, I only speak Spanish with my mother. I can tell sometimes that she is scared I am forgetting words, or am not getting enough exposure to South American culture. I don't want to let her down. Family traditions played an important role in my childhood. Now that I am older, and more aware, I still don't want to lose that sense of familiarity. Since I have lived in multiple places, and for the longest time in a place that is not truly my home, my jigsaw of different cultures that I take part in wherever my family finds itself is my place where I can feel comfortable and secure. I tell myself I won't lose it, and I believe it. It is common for children to rebel against what their parents find traditional, or against their parents in general; what they stand for, what they want for them, what they mean. Sometimes, I think that's where culture is lost. For the parents, there is a sense of desperation for their customs to live on and for their child to not forget where they came from. But kids don’t always see this, and that is only natural, but it's sad as well.
–Sofia K (grade 10)
“The Third and Final Continent” is a great story. Jhumpa Lahiri used a simply language, which made the story easy to read. This story talked about adopting a new culture. When the main character moved to America, he had to adopt a new way of living because the life in America is so different compare to where he came from. Culture is something that you feel where you belong. Each country has a different culture to represent their selves and this is why culture is important because that signifies where you came from. I was born in Rome, but my parents wanted me to learn Chinese and be part of that culture so I was raised in China until I can speak Chinese fluently. When I have the idea of Chinese culture in my mind and start to have sense about things, I moved to Italy. I started to study in English and learned about American culture but in the same time I am living under an Italian society. I noticed the difference between each culture and people think differently. By going to an international school I see different culture because people all came from different places and it is very interesting to learn about other people. Even I am living under a place have a lot of different culture, I still belong to the Chinese culture, and I think this is why my parents wanted me to grow up in China. This story reminds me a lot about when I just came to Rome, and observing everyone’s behavior until finally I am part of the them like the main character successfully integrated.
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