A Temporary Matter

Shukumar is a 35-year-old doctoral student. Until somewhat recently, he’d been researching the agrarian revolts in India. Six months before the story takes place, Shukumar and his wife, Shoba, had been expecting their first… read analysis of Shukumar

Shoba, 33 years old, is married to Shukumar and works as a proofreader. Since the loss of her baby, she has taken on more work projects in an effort to fill the time and take… read analysis of Shoba

Shoba’s mother appears only in a memory of Shukumar’s. He describes her as a serious, religious woman. Shukumar thinks back to when Shoba’s mother came from Arizona to live with the couple after… read analysis of Shoba’s Mother

Shukumar compares Shoba to his mother, stating that after the death of his father, his mother had “fallen to pieces […], abandoning the house he grew up in and moving back to Calcutta, leaving Shukumar… read analysis of Shukumar’s Mother