Stevenson Blog 6

 The short story, A Temporary Matter began with the couple receiving the news that they would be without power in the evenings for the next few days. Initially, the reader could assume this was a normal conversation between a married couple.  Rather quickly, however, we could tell that there was a strain on this marriage. The author gives us several details to infer this couple is nearing the end of their marriage, even before the reader learns of tragic loss of their baby. They use the lack of power as an opportunity to open the door to communication. They begin sharing things that they hadn't told each other. In a way they were airing out their secrets with one another while skirting around the major cause of disconnect. It appears that they are becoming closer to reconciling and possibly making their marriage work, but once the power returns, it is revealed that the wife is moving out and the husband confesses that he held their baby boy. He swore to himself that he would never tell her because it was when he still loved her and didn't want to hurt her. By telling this final secret,  it seems like he is acknowledging that the marriage is over. When the wife turns out the lights and sits back at the table, it makes it appear that there is hope for them and leaves the reader to wonder what their future will hold. 

The couple were both children of immigrants from India.  The wife has traveled to India significantly more than the husband and it is clear that they do not have equal connections to their heritage. He cooks food from their culture, but there is no discussion about any of the pregnancy traditions mentioned in the readings being done, which makes me wonder if they were performed. Being children of immigrants, I do not get the impression that there are many Indian immigrants in the community that would have participated in these rituals. They had friends nearby that came for birthday parties, but none came to visit after the birth while they were grieving.  However, after the birth, her mother came to stay as she would have if the baby survived. She prepared meals, washed clothes, and performed the chores so that her daughter could rest and heal. She followed the customs of Hindu rituals for her daughter. 

Reading the story first helped me to try to connect to their experiences without knowing what I was going to be asked to reflect on. The introduction of the characters' names led me to believe they were an Indian couple and as the story went on, this was confirmed. After reading the articles, I was able to look at the story through a different lens. I looked at their experiences as children of immigrants and how they must have felt isolated and alone during this difficult time when their heritage and customs should have provided comfort. The absence of a cultural community hindered their healing process. Going through the loss of a child and feeling as though you are alone in the process would be enough to sever any marriage. 

To connect the article by Goodwin, just as educators need to take different approaches with our immigrant population of students, health care professionals need to do the same. They need to be understanding of rituals, traditions, and beliefs surrounding health care and child birth. I know that one of my students made the difficult and traumatizing journey from El Salvador to Ankeny all alone as a 12 year old. He endured the elements and abuse all alone and the trauma obviously did not disappear the second he crossed the border. As teachers, we had to be responsive to this and when he informed us that his younger brother was taking that same journey, we created a plan to assist him, while still maintaining high standards of learning. A doctor delivering a still born baby of a Hindu couple needs to be responsive to that trauma and connect with the patients to guide them to the appropriate resources for their culture. 

BBC. (2009, August 24). Religions - hinduism: Baby rites. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ritesrituals/baby.shtml

Goodwin, A. L. (2016). Who is in the classroom now? teacher preparation and the education of Immigrant Children. Educational Studies, 53(5), 433–449. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2016.1261028

Lahiri, Jhumpa. A temporary matter. Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 1-21.