Mrs. Sen's

Mrs. Sen is a main character and protagonist alongside Eliot. She is an Indian American woman who has moved to the United States from India with her husband. She struggles to adjust to her life in America because her husband is emotionally unavailable and dismissive, and she misses her life and loved ones in India. Mrs. Sen forms a bond with Eliot in part because they are both deeply introspective and emotional. Because her emotional needs are not being met by her husband, Mrs. Sen is often melancholy and withdrawn. She finds joy in receiving letters from home, going on errands with Eliot, and preparing food. Lahiri portrays Mrs. Sen as a round character with complex traits. She endures her husband’s cruelty without protest, and yet she seems highly competent and assertive in other contexts, such as her dealings with Eliot. Similarly, she has strong social bonds with her relatives in India but seems unwilling or unable to form new bonds in America. The story gives little evidence that Mrs. Sen will change. She ends the story as subordinate to her husband and unfulfilled as she began.