Jhumpa Lahiri Essay On Single Parenthood

When thinking of a single parent, one might think of a strong independent person, or possibly someone under great amounts of stress but mature enough to handle a child on their own. Being a single parent is never easy, but it forces an individual to mature and grow up in most cases. In other cases, such as “Mrs. Sen’s” in, Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri, the roles of maturity switch. In “Mrs. Sen’s” a child of eleven years, Eliot, shows a level of maturity that a boy his age would usually not have yet. From the beginning of the story, Lahiri lets the reader know that, “Eliot can feed and entertain himself[...]” (Lahiri 111). This sets the bar letting the reader know this is a child who can take care of himself, but for social purposes
Sometimes circumstances almost force children into growing up and becoming self-sufficient. At the same time adults can lack in maturity, and being proper role models for children. Not all adults are mature and not all children are naive. Lahiri shows us this when Mrs. Sen admits that, “[Eliot is] wiser that[...]. [He] already taste[s] the way things must be.” (Lahiri 123) Eliot has been exposed to the real world and all its ugly, but very real, parts. Eliot represents the majority of children in this modern-day, pushed into the adult world because of parents lack of responsibility. Children can learn from grownups mistakes and strive to do better and become better people. While this is not always negative, it is tragic, the loss of innocence is never a pleasant occurrence, especially at young ages. Lahiri was emphasizing the ugly truth of how the roles of children and adults can switch, how children have to be their own examples and adults struggle to fully grow up and be the role models that children need. I enjoyed reading this story because it shows a reality that is so common yet so easily overlooked. It’s the ugly truth that everyone should