Liminal Phases, Domestic Spaces:

Home in Interpreter of Maladies

Abstract

A liminal space / phase is a dimension of in-betweens’ where two identities can co-exist. Objects and traditions brought from home countries into foreign domesticities strengthen cultural identities; however, they are also symptomatic of the mourning process that is a part of the re[1]homing process. In Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri’s characters grow more accustomed to living in foreign dwellings, and learn to negotiate between the culture, food and traditions of their home and ‘host’ country’ Lahiri also explores the effects that personal conflicts have on hybrid domesticities.