Mrs. Sen's

“Mrs. Sen’s” is a short story by Jhumpa Lahiri that appears in her debut collection Interpreter of Maladies (2000), which won the Pulitzer Prize. “Mrs. Sen’s” follows Eliot, a young American boy who is cared for after school by Mrs. Sen, an immigrant from India whose husband works as a mathematics professor at a university. Eliot realizes Mrs. Sen is nostalgic for her home and previous life and that her marriage is emotionally unfulfilling. Mrs. Sen’s marriage parallels Eliot’s relationship with his mother, who is distant and inattentive.

Eliot, an 11-year-old boy, begins going to Mrs. Sen’s house after school after his former babysitter goes to college. Eliot’s mom finds Mrs. Sen’s advertisement at the supermarket. Eliot’s mom prefers to have Eliot looked after at their house, but she makes an exception for Mrs. Sen since Mrs. Sen cannot drive. Eliot and his mom arrive at the apartment complex, noticing the low quality of the lobby furniture and uneven paint. They are greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Sen and invited into the apartment.

Mrs. Sen tells them that Mr. Sen teaches mathematics at the university. There is a palpable distance and tension between Mr. and Mrs. Sen. Eliot is captivated by the bright colors of Mrs. Sen’s sari and makeup. Mrs. Sen offers Eliot’s mom a biscuit, but she refuses. Eliot’s mom asks Mrs. Sen questions relating to the childcare job. Mr. Sen tells Eliot’s mother that he has been giving Mrs. Sen driving lessons, but Mrs. Sen says that she is a slow learner. Mrs. Sen mentions that they had a driver when they lived in India. Eliot notices that at the mention of India, Mrs. Sen becomes distracted and upset. Eliot’s mom is wary of Mrs. Sen but agrees to hire her.

Eliot begins going to Mrs. Sen’s apartment after school. Eliot doesn’t mind because the neighborhood he lives in does not have any other children for him to play with. Eliot learns to take off his shoes upon entering Mrs. Sen’s apartment. Eliot often watches her chop vegetables and helps Mrs. Sen prepare dinner, which she makes for Mr. Sen every day.

Eliot talks to Mrs. Sen while she chops vegetables and prepares meat, and he learns about her life. Mrs. Sen tells Eliot about Indian weddings and celebrations, and how the community comes together for such events. Eliot learns that Mrs. Sen is deeply unsatisfied with her life in America. While Mrs. Sen is handling chicken meat in the kitchen, she asks Eliot if anyone would come by to check on them if she started to scream. Eliot tells her that they might but just to complain about the noise. Mrs. Sen tells Eliot that in India people would come by to check. Eliot thinks of how uneventful his life is with his mother, and how when he asks her to go somewhere she refuses and secludes herself from him. Mrs. Sen tells Eliot about the red dot she applies to her forehead with powder, which is custom for Indian women who are married. The dot symbolizes that she is married.

Mrs. Sen offers Eliot’s mom food when she arrives to pick up her son, but each time she declines or only eats a couple bites. Eliot’s mom tells Eliot in the car that she doesn’t like the flavor of the food that Mrs. Sen makes. Eliot’s mom never removes her shoes when she enters Mrs. Sen’s house. Whenever Eliot and his mom arrive home, Eliot’s mom pours herself a glass of wine and eats bread and cheese. When she orders dinner for Eliot, she has him clean up the leftovers and goes outside to smoke a cigarette by herself.

Mrs. Sen picks up Eliot from his bus stop and practices driving with him in the passenger seat. Mrs. Sen prefers to have Eliot in the car with her because driving scares her. While she practices driving, Eliot notices that Mrs. Sen is constantly distracted by people or birds and honks her horn with her index finger. Eliot tries to explain how his mother drives, but the cars passing by them make Mrs. Sen anxious and unable to move.

When Mrs. Sen receives a letter from home, she hugs Eliot and reads it excitedly, reminiscing about her home and family members in India. Mrs. Sen and Eliot visit the campus where Mr. Sen teaches. She gives Eliot updates on family members and grieves that she will not be able to see them for another three years because of Mr. Sen’s work schedule.

Mrs. Sen shares her love of fish with Eliot. She doesn’t like the fish that is sold at the supermarket because it does not taste fresh. She tells Eliot that, in India, people eat fish twice a day and it frustrates her to live near the coast without access to fresh fish. Every few days, Mrs. Sen places an order at the local fish market. At first, Mr. Sen picked up the deliveries between his classes but later tells her that he cannot due to his office hours.

After not placing an order in a few days, Mrs. Sen receives a call from the owner of the fish market asking if she wants to place an order. Mrs. Sen is touched by the man’s kindness and says she will take Eliot to the university to ask Mr. Sen to drive them to pick up the order. After calling Mr. Sen on the phone, Mrs. Sen sits on the couch in the living room and weeps, telling Eliot that Mr. Sen has a meeting. Eliot understands that Mr. Sen yelled at Mrs. Sen for calling him at work.

After she stops crying, she asks Eliot if she is asking too much from Mr. Sen. She then takes Eliot to her room and shows him her vast collection of saris, lamenting that she will never have a place to wear them. She confesses to Eliot that her family believes she lives in a palace and that she is embarrassed to tell them the truth.

When Mr. Sen arrives home, he pressures Mrs. Sen to drive the car even after she tells him she does not want to. Mr. Sen tells her that she will not pass the driving test, but he drives them to the fish market. He refuses to come inside with them and tells Mrs. Sen not to waste his time. Eliot accompanies Mrs. Sen inside. Later at the apartment, Eliot watches while Mrs. Sen takes apart the fish and cuts it into filets.

For several days, Mrs. Sen becomes depressed and does not practice driving or cook dinner. She sits on the couch reading letters from home. When Eliot’s mom notices this, she asks Eliot if he has seen a change in Mrs. Sen’s behavior, but he says no, protecting Mrs. Sen. During these days, Mrs. Sen plays Indian music or a tape from home that her family made for her. Later, she opens up to Eliot that her grandfather passed away, and a week later she went back to her daily routine of cooking and practicing driving.

One day, Mr. Sen takes Eliot and Mrs. Sen on a trip to the seaside. Mrs. Sen dresses up in a red sari and red lipstick. They go to the fish market and eat on a restaurant patio. Eliot notices that when they pose together for a picture, Mr. and Mrs. Sen are not touching or standing close together. On the way home, Mr. Sen stops the car and commands Mrs. Sen to drive the rest of the way despite her protestations. After getting flustered by traffic, Mrs. Sen pulls to the side of the road and says she hates driving.

After that, Mrs. Sen stops driving and instead takes Eliot on the bus. However, when a woman complains to the bus driver about the fish smell from Mrs. Sen’s bag from the fish market, Mrs. Sen feels rejected and doesn’t take the bus again. One day later that week when she needs fish to make a recipe, Mrs. Sen announces to Eliot that she will drive them to the fish market. Soon after Mrs. Sen starts driving, however, she gets into an accident. Neither Eliot nor Mrs. Sen is injured in the crash.

When Mr. Sen arrives at the scene, he speaks to the policeman and then Eliot but ignores Mrs. Sen. After they arrive home, Mrs. Sen retreats to her bedroom while Mr. Sen explains to Eliot’s mom about the accident and reimburses her payment. Eliot can hear Mrs. Sen crying in the other room. Eliot’s mom tells him that she is relieved he will not have to go to Mrs. Sen’s anymore and that he can watch himself after school. When she asks Eliot if he is okay, he stares out at the gray waves and says he is fine.