Blog 28: Interpreter of Maladies

1. On page sixteen of Lahiri's short story, Mr. Kapasi makes observations of the Das's children: "Mr. Kapasi noted that this boy was slightly paler than the other children" (16). What is "foreshadowing"? Why does the author focus on this moment and how does it foreshadow what may occur in the story? What did you first suspect when you read this line?

Foreshadowing is a warning or indication of future events. When the author focuses on the boy's pale face, he's pointing out the differences in each chil

d. In the beginning, Bobby went out of the car to watch the goat and the it is clear that his father doesn't care as much about him so he just has his brother go outside to watch him. The pale face foreshadows the fact that the mother had an affair because he is different-looking than the other children of the family. When I read this line, I thought maybe he was ill, or even adopted, but the author obviously meant otherwise by it.