Sexy

The affair that Miranda has with Dev in “Sexy” is shaped by her fascination with his cultural difference as an Indian man living in America. The story suggests that Miranda’s attempts to first understand and then appropriate Dev’s cultural identity follow from her perception that he has a rich sense of identity that she personally lacks. This lack is reflected, in part, by the absence of detail concerning her own identity and background. In one…

The two affairs that form the crux of “Sexy” dramatize the dynamics of male power in extramarital relationships. Although Miranda’s affair with Dev is foregrounded in the story, in the background is another affair that concerns Laxmi, her co-worker. This second affair involves Laxmi’s cousin, whose husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. Laxmi’s cousin is so distraught by the affair that she has taken to her bed and is…

A key aspect of Miranda’s character and situation in “Sexy” is her social isolation. Even her two major relationships, with her friend Laxmi and lover Dev, appear to have started without any great initiative on Miranda’s part. Even though she occasionally spends time with Laxmi (whom she apparently befriended because they work in neighboring cubicles), she spends the majority of her time outside of work alone, shopping, going to movies, and visiting bookstores. Even…