Response to Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Once in a Lifetime”

Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Once in a Lifetime” was a very different story. At time I loved the narrative perspective and at times it absolutely frustrated me. The story was so impregnated with culture and that was it’s strongest point. It just seemed so mundane to me. I guess in a way it did a great job of accomplishing a realistic view of, well, reality but I just can’t decide if I liked that or not. I experience reality every day, I read to escape reality not be immersed into it. I fully believed the story and loved the awkwardness of the training bra moment. The stark contrast between the two immigrant families was beautiful. I couldn’t help but wonder if the fact that the extravagant, indulgent mother dying was Lahiri’s way of telling everyone that comes to America to stick to the old lifestyle because the American Dream and American way leads to death. That’s definitely the message I got out of the story. I wanted to see more change between the protagonist and her crush, especially in or after the graveyard scene. After such a traumatic experience, how could the two characters not change? That was the only part that seemed a little far fetched to me, their conversation in the cemetery was starling and I didn’t see it coming, but once it happened there was no real change between the two! They just continued to live in an awkward imbalance and both were contented with that life. I wanted less reality, more drama, and more change. But I am glad I read it, it made me realize why I read: to escape.