Lahiri has stated that much of her writing is concerned with communication and its absence. There are no absolutes or strict moralities. By reading Sexy from the point of view of a mistress, the reader also understands that each romantic connection is a unique and personal affair.

Love is found in unexpected places and can shift in the wake of experience. They are no longer the same people as when they met. Shukumar and Shoba are radically altered by the death of their child, and the toll is taken on their marriage. Marriage is not a solid institution but a fluid invention. But, as is proved by the narrator of The Third and Final Continent, that distance can be closed by shared experience. Sanjeev doubts his love for his wife because of this disconnect. No matter what romantic feelings transpire within couples, each husband and wife in the stories remain individuals, each with their own secrets and desires. Although they are both born in America and their marriage is not arranged, Twinkle and Sanjeev are nearly strangers to one another. Twinkle and Sanjeev's relationship crystalizes the disparate attitudes and attributes of marriage in Lahiri's collection. In these stories, a marriage is an occasion of joy but also of secrets, silences, and mysteries. A marriage is the beginning of a new joint life for two people. Love and marriage are complicated in Interpreter of Maladies. There is a longing felt for the place of one's birth, a fear of losing one's culture and fear of not being accepted. Each character in this collection wrestles with identity, whether newly displaced or descended from immigrants. There is an emotional trade-off when moving to a new land. For her, 'everything' is in India and there is no reason to attempt to make a life in her new home. For Lilia's parents, the move to America also affords them a wealth of opportunity not open to them in India, but the price is paid by Lilia in terms of connection to her culture. The narrator looks forward to the opportunity that the new country can afford. For some characters, like the narrator of The Third and Final Continent, the transition to a new life is challenging but smooth. The immigrant experience takes several forms in Interpreter of Maladies. Buy Study Guide The Immigrant Experience/Assimilation

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