The Third and Final Continent: Shraddha K, Sharmin S, Rehan P, Anya S
The Third and Final Continent: Shraddha K, Sharmin S, Rehan P, Anya S
The Third and Final Continent: Shraddha K, Sharmin S, Rehan P, Anya S
She plays a very important role in the story as which out her
there would be no conflict. He death was what could have
brought tears into the eyes of the reader.
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Mala (Narrators wife)
Generation gap
Mrs. Croft was most amazed at the fact that there was an American flag on
the moon, and she would keep repeating the fact over and over again in
her amazement. This was probably because in her generation, they would
never have in their wildest dreams imagined there to ever be a man on the
moon, and so the author shows technological advancement between the
generations.
“And no lady visitors!” (Pg 385) Mrs Croft tells the narrator he is not
allowed to have lady visitors, because during her time, it was an extremely
inappropriate thing to do.
“It is improper for a lady and gentleman who are not married to one
another to hold a private conversation without a chaperone!” (Pg 388)
Once again, according to Mrs Croft, a woman from an elder generation this
was wrong, but to the people from the younger generation, it seemed to
be acceptable.
“She (Mrs. Croft) added that it was also improper for a lady of Helen’s
station to reveal her age, and to wear a dress so high above the ankle.”
(Pg 388)
“For your information mother, its 1969. What would you do if you actually
left the house one day and saw a girl in a miniskirt?” “I’d have her
arrested!” (Pg 388) The last two examples show that according to the elder
generation, women needed to be well dressed and covered at all times,
and was very inappropriate to not do so.
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Arranged marriage in comparison to love marriage
- Another theme that is brought out in this story is the
difference between arranged marriages and love marriages.
In the story, the narrator’s marriage is arranged with Mala in
India. Since they do not know each other well enough and
have not actually fallen in love, Jhumpa Lahiri shows the
awkwardness between them, which is often there between
most arranged marriage couples, and majority of the time,
later grows into love, as it did in the story. However, it is
difference in the case of a love marriage. Additionally,
Jhumpa Lahiri shows that according to Indian custom, for a
man to accept a woman as his wife, she is expected to know
how to do a few basic things, for example in Mala’s case,
cook, knit, embroider, recite poems and more.
Struggle for success
In addition to the themes mentioned, Jhumpa Lahiri shows
us how many children work extremely hard, leave their
home, family and friends at a young age live abroad, in a
struggle for success, or as the author puts it “struggling to
educate and establish themselves abroad.”
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Author’s Style and Intention
Jhumpa Lahiri uses the technique of flashback, and writes in the
point of view of a Bengali man, who narrates his journey as he
traveled through three different continents. She uses a very
straightforward style of writing, with a tint of humor. For example,
when Mala arrives in America she says she did not want to have
oxtail soup because she could not stand the thought of eating an
ox’s tail.
Lahiri’s use of the language is very simple. Making this story
different from the others, the author does not create a major
conflict and ends the story with a resolution. Infact, she does not
add any suspense or excitement to the story. Although it seems
like a simple story of a simple man, there are a lot of themes in it
that can be uncovered through interpretation. The author
manages to keep it interesting, as she intends to, and does very
well, show the reader some aspects of different cultures, and
other themes (as mentioned earlier) as she tells the story of an
Indian man who lived in three different continents.
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Title
The room was simple with a Spartan cot, desk and a wooden cross,
hanging on the wall.
The next day he bought a plastic bowl and spoon, unable to afford
glassware and proper stainless steel cutlery.
The sizes clearly indicate that he was being careful with spending
his money.
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In America {The Third and Final
Continent} Continuation
For his interview with Mrs. Craft, a hundred and three year
old lady, he wore a coat and a tie, in spite of the heat, to
look formal enough to present himself as a decent young
gentleman.
Mrs. Craft was particular about locking the front door. Her
safety was paramount.
She even needed to use a wooden cane, but it was so
dusty that it seemed she hardly used it.
She was clearly enamoured of the landing on the Moon by
Neil Armstrong.
+ The House
The house was surrounded by a chain – link fence, which was light brown
coloured with a dark brown border.
It was a stand alone house, covered with wooden shingles and fresh
forsythia bushes on each side.
Next to the bench on which she sat was a small round table whose legs
were completely hidden by the lace tablecloth.
On it were carefully positioned a lamp, a transistor radio, a leather change
purse with a silver clasp and a telephone. There was a parlour with many
bookcases and shabby claw – footed style of carved furniture.
In the corner was a grand piano which had its top down and on it were
piles of paper. The piano stool had been moved elsewhere, and old Mrs.
Craft sat on it.
The house had a narrow carpeted staircase leading to an upper floor where
there were 5 doors, 2 on either side of an equally narrow hallway & one at
the opposite end.
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His Room
They found a man named Bill sold fresh fish on Prospect Street, a store in
Harvard Square called Cardulla’s sold bay leaves and cloves, both essential
ingredients for tasty Bengali food
In the evening they walked in the Charles River in Boston to watch the
sailboats go pass and eat ice cream cones in Harvard Yard.
The author and Mala lived in a town about 20 miles from Boston on a tree –
lined street in a house they had bought with a garden that grew tomatoes.