Mrs. Sen’s

by

Jhumpa Lahiri

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Mrs. Sen’s makes teaching easy.

Food and Cooking

For Mrs. Sen, the act of cooking traditional Indian food represents her homesickness and her inability to assimilate into American culture. Mrs. Sen is constantly cooking while she babysits Eliot: she cuts vegetables…

read analysis of Food and Cooking

Driving

Driving symbolizes American culture’s emphasis on independence—something that Mrs. Sen is afraid of and doesn’t want to accept. Mrs. Sen’s inability to drive is an issue, since it means she can’t drive to Eliot

read analysis of Driving