Interpreters of Maladies Part 2

I read two new short stories last night and I want to talk about the one I thought was the most interesting, Interpreters of Maladies.  A family of five goes on vacation to India and they go on a guided tour with a man named Mr. Kapasi.  As the tour proceeds, Mr. Kapasi falls madly in love the wife on the tour, Mrs.  Das. When he saw her for the first time, he was said to "believe that all was right with the world, that all the struggles were rewarded, that all of life's mistakes made sense in the end" (56).  Mr.  Kapasi gave Mrs. Das his address in hopes they would write letters.  But as they grew closer, Mrs. Das reviels that she has had an affair and that her husband does not know that one of their sons is not his.  For Mr. Kapasi, this revelation makes his affection for Mrs. Das subside.  After this, Mr. Kapasi sees his address float away in the wind.

This story was so interesting to me because it was similar to a Disney movie or fable, but for adults.  Sometimes it can be difficult to look at an event clearly when emotions are high.  Mr. Kapasi could barely drive his car while thinking of Mrs. Das, but as soon as she revealed her secret, he immediately snapped back into reality and found wrong in his situation.  The author was also trying to show that sometimes problems can work be resolved without intervention.  Mr. Kapasi thought that a new woman would be better than his current wife because of his first impression, but he later realizes the cliche lesson, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

The tour that Mr. Kapasi was giving was set in the Konarack Sun Temple in India, one of the seven wonders of India.  I did some research to see what the importance of the location of the tour was and found Daharmapada's Tale.  This legend says that when the king was building the temple, he met his 12 year old son who he had never seen before because the king left his pregnant wife.  The Tale foreshadows Mrs. Das's secret that she shares with Mr. Kapasi and adds an interesting background to the story.  Here is a photo of the temple and its architecture.    
I am enjoying this book because each chapter has new stories and lessons with unique characters and Indian culture.  I am excited to keep reading.