From Literature Through the Eyes of Faith
The understanding we acquire through reading of literature can help us make sense of human actions, just as an understanding of human behavior is essential for a deep appreciation of literature.
In the quotation above, Roger Lundin and Susan Gallagher make the point that interpretation is fundamental to human life. God made a meaningful, significant universe so our lives, not just our experiences with books, are sense-making endeavors.
We call a coherent interpretive framework a PARADIGM or MODEL, and as I teach my intro to literature course this spring, I will be asking the questions below. Each pertains not just to reality but to the fictional worlds we read.
- What is the most fundamental reality in the world?
- How do human beings fit into that reality?
- What are the most important rules of that reality?
- What are the consequences of following or breaking those rules?
- What kind of future does the world hold?
Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story “Sexy” provides a good test case for answering the questions above.
- The most fundamental reality in Miranda’s world is the here and now of human life. Miranda leaves the story understanding that the world is larger than Boston or even the United States, but never really considers a spiritual reality beyond what she can see and feel.
- In this story, Miranda emphasizes the importance of romantic love in human identity. Global politics or even gender equality matter less to Miranda than her ability to find love.
- At first, Miranda lives by the pleasure principle: find what makes you happy. She must change this rule when realizes how it fails to take into account innocent bystanders like Rohin or Dev’s wife.
- She learns that this principle is too easy to abuse, that your own pleasure may hurt someone else. She ultimately gets hurt in the process.
- Miranda has learned that her desire for love must never come at someone else’s expense and that it is difficult to really know another human being: that we are most attracted to what we don’t really know.
With these brief answers, we can begin interpreting Lahiri’s formal and thematic choices. If we compare the reality proposed in the story against our own own, we will find that the story reads us. What is our reaction to Miranda at the story’s end? Has she learned the right lesson? If not, why not?