Symbolism for Past Present and Future

        As I looked back over chapter ten, I was struck by the significance of the final paragraph. Lahiri fills the paragraph with symbolism for Moushuni’s current and future relationship with Gogol. While Moushumi waits for Dimitri in his apartment, she closes her eyes, and then “When she opens them a moment later the sun has slipped away, a lone sliver of it now diminishing into the floorboards” (267). Moushumi closing her eyes represents her time with Dimitri because Lahiri makes it seem like Moushumi closes her eyes on Gogol and instead focuses on this new man. Then, the sun slipping “away” serves as a symbol for the upcoming divorce with Gogol. As Moushumi spends more time with Dimitri, her relationship with Gogol slowly “diminishes into the floorboards.” Since the narrator’s tone here is factual and dry, I easily insert my own feelings about the situation. Like most readers, I feel disappointed with Moushumi because she fails to ever communicate her true feelings with Gogol and she never even gives him a chance or tries to talk about her how she feels with Gogol. While Moushumi sits in the chair in Dimitri’s apartment he comes back and puts his key in the lock, “slicing sharply into the apartment” (267). The key “slicing sharply” into the lock serves as a symbol for Dimitri coming into Moushumi’s life and quickly and aggressively slicing Gogol away from Moushumi. The use of the forceful diction like “slicing sharply” creates an assertive tone and it leads me to despise Dimitri and everything he stands for. Additionally, the dishonesty from Moushumi forces me to pity Gogol even more than I already do. The paragraph concludes with Moushumi trying to replace the book on the shelf and “searching for the gap in which it stood” (267). Lahiri uses the book to represent Gogol, and because Moushumi cannot seem to find the book’s space, Lahiri symbolizes Moushumi no longer having a special place for Gogol in her heart. This symbolism really makes me feel sympathy for Gogol. It seems like he has dealt with so many unfortunate occurrences in his life and now there is just one more waiting for him—divorce. The symbolism at the end of chapter ten solidifies the fact that Moushumi no longer loves Gogol and as a reader I wonder why Lahiri chooses to have Gogol’s wife cheat on him? I am intrigued to finish the book so I can learn what message Lahiri ultimately wishes to convey to her readers.