A Temporary Matter Summary

The story A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri is about a couple dealing with the stillbirth of their child. In the six months since, the couple, Shoba and Shukamar, have grown distant from each other. When the power is scheduled to go out during dinner every night due to maintenance, they begin to play a game where they reveal secrets to each other in the dark. The game allows for the couple to learn more about each other and grow closer, however all is fleeting when Shoba reveals that she is leaving Shukamar, he retaliates with information about their child. The couple begins to acknowledge that their love for one another is not as powerful as it was before. Their marriage, amongst other promises, are broken. They also face turmoil after their secrets are shared.The revelation of Shoba and Shukamar's final secrets indicate that diminishing love can result in broken promises and emotional anguish.
The realization of their shrinking love causes Shoba and Shukamar to break promises they made to themselves and each other. Shoba tells Shukamar that she is leaving him, saying that "She needed some time alone (p. 21)." This statement shows Shoba breaking the promise of their marriage. She decides to leave Shukamar and end their marriage. Shukamar realizes that “this was the point of her game (p. 21).” He understands that she was trying to tell him that she
Their broken promises, of both the end of their marriage and the gender of their child, have left them emotionally raw. However the couple still weep together in a small form of reconciliation.Shoba and Shukamar have acted like they wish their marriage to end, but still go to each other for comfort at the end of the story. This shows how the love between may have dimmed, and they may have broken promises and hurt each other, but they still love each other dearly even if it wasn’t in the way they originally planned when they were