Regardless of language or culture, certain aspects of life are present in every person's life. Among these are love, food and clothing; because of their connection to all people, they are popular symbols in literature. Jhumpa Lahiri, in Interpreter of Maladies, uses these ideas to convey the major themes of each of the relationships she forms. In her collection of short stories, Lahiri demonstrates the healthy and unhealthy phases of relationships through the symbols of food and clothing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In “A Temporary Matter,” Lahiri builds the entire plot around meals; temporary power outages always occur around dinner time. However, it illustrates the importance of food before Shoba and Shukumar's current relationship. When the couple had a loving and healthy relationship, the food was extravagant and comforting. Shoba had prepared a ten-course meal for Shukumar for their anniversary, symbolizing the warmth and care that was present in their relationship. Meanwhile, Shoba also showed her interest in their life together through her clothes. She put her coats on hangers and her shoes in the closet, and if she went shopping, she bought two blouses or handbags that she liked. This illustrates the attention to detail she used to have not only in her life, but also in their relationship in particular. Shoba loved spending time with Shukumar and she was precise in her actions so that they lived happily together. However, after the loss of their child, she lets herself go, and Lahiri reflects this in the same symbols that once showed her true love. Instead of Shoba cooking new and interesting dishes, Shukumar cooks. Not only do their roles change, but their motivations change as well. While Shoba cooked to give pleasure to Shukumar, Shukumar cooks because it is “the only thing that made him productive” (Lahiri 8). He also uses the canned foods that Shoba had prepared years earlier, unlike Shoba's use of fresh foods when she cooked. The food he cooks, no matter how good it is, is not even eaten with his wife. They eat dinner separately, signifying their isolation within the relationship. Shoba's clothing also reflects this. Instead of looking good and well-groomed, she wears a raincoat over gym clothes, with smudged makeup and a school bag that she doesn't bother putting away after work. She became the woman “she once claimed she would never be like” (1), and this illustrates how she abandoned her relationship with Shukumar. The shift from comfort food and clothing put together to the exact opposite symbolizes the deterioration of their once strong bond, a bond that is now unhealthy and unfulfilling for both people. Miranda and Dev's relationship in "Sexy" follows a similar path. , resulting in the destruction of everyone's feelings towards each other. Early in their relationship, during the healthy, love-filled phase, they go out to fancy restaurants, eat a pig's head, and hold hands around the table, symbolizing Dev's extreme care for Miranda and their feelings reciprocal for each other. Even at the end of their first week together, they remain happy for a while; Miranda buys all of Dev's favorite foods, like baguettes,marinated herring and pesto, for his Sunday visits. These visits, and the food that accompanies them, mean luxury similar to that of a honeymoon stop, and the couple is obviously happy together. Miranda also buys luxury items for herself, "things she thought a mistress should have" (92), such as a silk gown and a tight cocktail dress, showing her dedication to the relationship and the value that she tunes into their feelings for each other. Unfortunately, following the return of Dev's wife, things slowly start to go wrong and the symbols follow. Miranda begins to eat carelessly, even eating "straight out of the salad bowl" while waiting for Sundays when Dev visits her (97). As she attempts to salvage the relationship, visiting an Indian grocery store to find out what Dev's wife looks like, she finds the food in the store unfamiliar and confusing, feeling extremely out of place. The store employee even mentions that the food is too spicy for her; this illustrates how out of place Miranda feels in her relationship with Dev. He can only visit her on Sundays, and his wife seems to mean more to him than Miranda, hurting her unconsciously. Their clothes also reflect this change, as Miranda's new "mistress clothes" remain unused, her dress piled on the floor of her closet, and her lingerie tucked in the bottom of her underwear drawer. This means that what was once a symbol of hope for the future of their relationship is now gone and the luxurious, romantic stage is over. On Sunday when they meet, Dev wears sweats and Miranda wears jeans, showing that they don't care about their appearance, or their relationship either. Lahiri uses the same symbols in "This Blessed House" in Twinkle's wedding. and Sanjeev. When the couple first met, they were at a party; their bonding moment occurred when they agreed on the tastelessness of the food they were eating, and Twinkle mentions that she was "charmed by the way Sanjeev had dutifully refilled her teacup during their conversation" ( 143). Their happy, albeit short-lived, relationship begins with this warm and inviting meal, over which they can connect. This connection unfortunately proves to be faulty over time. By the time they moved in together, the meals shared by the couple were no longer quite the same. The first meal featured in the story features a fish stew prepared by Twinkle, but it is no ordinary fish stew. The stew is prepared with the vinegar she found with the first Christ figurine, placed on a Jesus trivet and finally covered with a cloth representing the ten commandments. Twinkle's infatuation with Christian paraphernalia is the main problem in their relationship, and it manifests itself in three ways in the story's first meal. The first meal in the new house is the exact opposite of the first meal they shared; instead of being an example of hope for the future, it foreshadowed major problems to come. Clothes are also prevalent in this phase of the relationship, as Sanjeev notes that he hates the way she throws her underwear at the foot of the bed instead of putting them away in a drawer. This seemingly insignificant problem with handling his clothing demonstrates his inability to deal with all of his idiosyncrasies. Additionally, during their major fight over Mary's statue, in which Twinkle cries and Sanjeev yells at her, Twinkle wears a simple bathrobe. She doesn't wear real clothes, which illustrates that a lack of care in clothing correlates with massive holes and misunderstandings in their.