revisiting exile in jhumpa lahiri`s interpreter of maladies: diaspora criticism

the term diaspora brings forth the concept of exile that debates the sense of loss. as salman rushdie (1992) states: “exiles, emigrants or expatriates are haunted by some sense of loss, some urge to reclaim, to look back even at the risk of mutated in the pillars of salt” (75). interpreter of maladies which encompasses nine short stories interprets the characters` pain felt in exile especially “when mr. pirzada came to dine”, “mrs. sen”, and “the third and last continent”. lahiri mostly narrates the story of indian immigrants in exile and away from home, therefore, they deal with homesickness, alienation, isolation. the stories focus on diaspora subjects that yearn to return back to their home india, where they truly belong. this paper, therefore, intends to study why the characters suffer exilic loss and how they attempt to come to terms with their loss and suffering.