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Situational Irony
Style
Explanation and Analysis:
Lahiri’s writing style in “A Temporary Matter” is, at the level of prose, straightforward and sparse. She uses figurative language very rarely, opting instead to describe Shoba and Shukumar’s actions (and Shukumar’s inner world) in simple and direct language. At the level of narrative structure, Lahiri is a bit more unconventional. Rather than staying in the present day of the story, she frequently moves the story from present to past (via short flashbacks) to present again. In this way, she communicates that Shoba and Shukumar’s past (specifically the loss of their stillborn child) haunts them daily, six months on.
The following passage (in which Shoba and Shukumar eat together by candlelight) captures Lahiri’s simple prose alongside her somewhat complex narrative style:
When she came downstairs they ate together. She didn’t thank him or compliment him. They simply ate in a darkened room, in the glow of a beeswax candle. They had survived a difficult time. They finished off the shrimp. They finished off the first bottle of wine and moved on to the second. They sat together until the candle had nearly burned away.
Lahiri’s style is quite minimalist here, as seen in her simple word choices and short sentences. The final five sentences all start with the word “they” and, for the most part, describe simple actions that Shoba and Shukumar take. The one sentence that does not follow this pattern is: “They had survived a difficult time.” This sentence exemplifies the way that Lahiri moves between present (the couple is eating dinner together) to past (they lost their child six months ago) back to present (the candle begins to burn away). All of these stylistic choices combine to communicate to readers the depth of the couple’s grief.
Related Themes:
