Self-Absorbed (Stream of Consciousness)

Much of Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" consists of Mr. Kapasi's stream of consciousness. Initially, the narrative concerns Kapasi's observations of the Das family. This portion of the story is mostly impersonal, yet even in his observations, Kapasi inserts his own opinions of the Das family, stating his disbelief that the parents "were regularly responsible for anything other than themselves." Approximately midway through the tale, however, the story transitions almost entirely to a stream of consciousness as Mr. Kapasi dreams of a romantic relationship with Mrs. Das. The progression of the plot at this point turns almost entirely inward, with the narrator focusing almost entirely on Kapasi's thoughts rather than on the external action of the cab ride and the tour of the temple.

This occurs because truthfully, the conflict of Lahiri's story has nothing to do with the Das' trip. The conflict is caused by Kapasi's vain attempts to envision a better life than the one he has with his wife and children. While Mrs. Das may trigger his conscious attempts, she did not actually cause them; Kapasi's discontentment is evident from the outset. Lahiri writes not of a man's struggle with unrequited romance, but of a man's struggle with his own life.