The Third and Final Continent
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Themes
All Themes The Ordinary and Extraordinary Immigration Isolation and Connection Fragility and Resilience
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Narrator Mrs. Croft Mala Helen The Narrator’s Mother The Narrator’s Brother
Symbols
All Symbols The Moon Landing The Indian Woman Sweaters
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The Third and Final Continent

by

Jhumpa Lahiri
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The Narrator’s Mother Character Analysis

The narrator’s mother is traditional Indian wife, who wears her sari over her head as is the custom until her husband’s death in 1949. After his death, she never adjusts and sinks “into a world of darkness” that neither the narrator, his family members, or professional psychiatrists can help her escape. The narrator, only sixteen, cares for her, but she loses her ability to be function in polite society: she burps and expels gas in front of people and “wanders off half-naked to the tram depot.” In 1963, the narrator watches his mother die in a tiny room, and she is cremated. His mother’s inability to cope deeply affects the narrator’s own ability to connect with other people through much of the story.

The Narrator’s Mother Quotes in The Third and Final Continent

The The Third and Final Continent quotes below are all either spoken by The Narrator’s Mother or refer to The Narrator’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Ordinary and Extraordinary Theme Icon
).
The Third and Final Continent Quotes

At night we kissed, shy at first but quickly bold, and discovered pleasure and solace in each other’s arms. I told her about my voyage on the SS Roma, and about Finsbury Park and the YMCA, and my evenings on the bench with Mrs. Croft. When I told her stories about my mother, she wept. It was Mala who consoled me when, reading the Globe one evening, I came across Mrs. Croft’s obituary.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mrs. Croft, Mala, The Narrator’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Moon Landing
Immigration Theme Icon
Isolation and Connection Theme Icon
Fragility and Resilience Theme Icon
Page Number: 196
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Narrator’s Mother Quotes in The Third and Final Continent

The The Third and Final Continent quotes below are all either spoken by The Narrator’s Mother or refer to The Narrator’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Ordinary and Extraordinary Theme Icon
).
The Third and Final Continent Quotes

At night we kissed, shy at first but quickly bold, and discovered pleasure and solace in each other’s arms. I told her about my voyage on the SS Roma, and about Finsbury Park and the YMCA, and my evenings on the bench with Mrs. Croft. When I told her stories about my mother, she wept. It was Mala who consoled me when, reading the Globe one evening, I came across Mrs. Croft’s obituary.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mrs. Croft, Mala, The Narrator’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Moon Landing
Immigration Theme Icon
Isolation and Connection Theme Icon
Fragility and Resilience Theme Icon
Page Number: 196
Explanation and Analysis:
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