Every man Quote by Jhumpa Lahiri
““My wife's name was Mala. The marriage had been arranged by my older brother and his wife. I regarded the proposition with neither objection nor enthusiasm. It was a duty expected of me, as it was expected of every man. She was the daughter of a schoolteacher in Beleghata. I was told that she could cook, knit, embroider, sketch landscapes, and recite poems by Tagore, but these talents could not make up for the fact that she did not possess a fair complexion, and so a string of men had rejected her to her face. She was twenty-seven, an age when her parents had begun to fear that she would never marry, and so they were willing to ship their only child halfway across the world in order to save her from spinsterhood.””
About This Quote
Source Short story “A Temporary Matter” (or similar), collection The Namesake, 2003
Describes arranged marriage pressures, societal expectations, and personal sacrifice.
In simple terms: Arranged marriage can feel like duty over desire.
Key Takeaway
Consider personal agency in cultural expectations.
Themes
duty
family pressure
identity
gender roles
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
social commentary
When to use this quote
- marriage negotiations
- family expectations
- immigrant experiences
Key Concepts
Cultural tradition
individual autonomy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance duty and desire?
- What alternatives exist for such expectations?
A Different Perspective
May overlook personal happiness.
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