Alone

The story of "Mrs. Sen's" is actually quite sad. Mrs. Sen is seen as being home sick, and upset with her new life away from India. She appears troubled by the fact that her husband is always busy and that her only real communication with the outside world is Eliot. She longs to be back in India with her family and be happy instead of putting on a false image, and pretending that being the wife of a professor is fullfilling. Each day appears to be the same as the last with Mrs. Sen cutting up vegetables and cooking for an absent husband, which is almost sad to imagine. Her home can speak for itself with its perfect presentation, but bland effect. There is an empty feeling in the home which is symbolic of Mrs. Sen herself. She tries to fill the void in her life by using elements that remind her of India such as the cassette tape, and the cooking of fish. It is as if towards the end of the story that she tries to break free from her simple life by driving the car on the main road, but unfortunatley she crashes into a telephone poll. It's like her triumph into this new life was only pushed back, and that the life she had in India is the only true life she will ever have.

Eliot in the story is on the opposite end of the spectrum when compared to Mrs. Sen. Like Mrs. Sen, he is alone for most of the day with his mother off working. However, it seems like this does not bother Eliot the least bit. Even when his mother is present, he is neglected most of the time, while his mother drinks wine. In retrospect, he has essentially been taking care of himeself this whole time, which might be why he is not concerned about his mother's where whereabouts. In the end, he is described as actually being left alone at the house with no babysitter. The life that Eliot is so accustomed to is a dark shadow upon Mrs. Sen's new life.
(David Roberts, Post 3)