In both "This Blessed House" and Lucy I noticed that the authors seemed to find a focal point on this idea of a sanctuary. In "This Blessed House", Lahiri illustrates the newly-wed's home as a symbolic christian church, filled with icons and idols that to believers excude a sense of comfort and reassurance. Contrastingly, in Lucy, Kincaid displays Lucy's mind, her memories, her future, her own sense of awareness as her sanctuary; both from her family, who she tries to leave behind, and her new charges and employers, who just don't understand her. In both writings, the author's play on the role of a sanctuary, the discrepancies with the common idea of this "home away from h
ome".
ome".Particularly in "This Blessed House", I found it interesting to see the play on words that Lahiri uses in the term "sanctuary". The house is represented almost like a make-shift church, filled with iconic pieces of the Christian faith; however, Sanjeev feels out of place, both in this "sanctuary" and with his new wife. This irony is part of what makes the writing so interesting, slightly off-kilter, and overall, very different from the writings of other "immigrant" or ethnically/racially diverse authors.
1 comment:
That is a very interesting point. I would have never seen the connection between "This Blessed House" and Lucy. If I had to make a connection between the two stories, I would say that both stories are the process of realization. Sanjeev has come to realize that he cannot leave with Twinkle and her obsession with the Christian statues. Lucy comes to realize that happiness in not always just handed to you. Sadness is a part of everyday like. I think both connections can be drawn from two stories.
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