The Unthinkable

Communication is often said to be the key to any relationship, whether it be romantic or friendly. However, in many of these relationships there’s often misinterpretation and miscommunication. There is a strong difference between listening and understanding what someone is saying. Often people hear what’s being said, but don’t understand it resulting in other complications whatever they may be. In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemigway and “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri, the conversations being held are heard, but not fully understood amongst the characters. This concept is also found in a song named “Unthinkable.”

In “Hills Like White Elephants” a couple is having a discussion about their “situation.” Although the situation is never fully revealed, it’s assumed to be a discussion about abortion. Both are talking, but neither one seems to be listening or understanding the others point of view. This is seen when the girl says “If I do it you won’t ever worry?’ The man replied, “I won’t worry about that because it’s perfectly simple.” Then the girl says,“Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me.” To this comment the man said “What do you mean?”(62-65). It’s much more of a back and forth discussion. The girl is talking and pouring her heart out but, the guy doesn’t seem to be interested in the ideas that she is bringing forth. He's going along with everything that she’s saying but, he's not fully thinking about it. She’s contemplating the idea, looking at pros and cons, but he's just spilling out anything that will make her feel better and hopefully make the right choice on his behalf. When he says “I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and it’s all perfectly natural”, she responds by saying, “Then what will we do afterward?”  He responds by saying, “We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before. “What makes you think so” she responds (46-49).  He’s misinterpreting the whole situation and it’s a very serious matter. He’s agreeing to what she says but he's not thinking how the decision will benefit or burden him. At one point the girl [Jig] says, “And you think we’ll be alright and happy. He replies “I know we will. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it” (52-53). The man is obviously trying to reassure the girl that everything will be fine after the operation and they will be able to go back to how they were before.

Throughout “Interpreter of Maladies”, Mr. Kapasi, who is the tour guide of the Das family, has been misinterpreting several things that were said to him. From the start, Mr. Kapasi is very aware of the actions of the Das’s. He observed them and questions their behavior. However, as Mrs. Das began to show sudden interest in him, his judgment went away. In the car, she asked him about his life and seemed very interested. It was weird to see a more natural communication between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das than her own husband. He reveals to her that he had another job, which is interpreting for a doctor. Mr. Kapasi knew many languages and loved interpreting. Mrs. Das found this to be quite “romantic”, she said. From that moment, Mr. Kapasi was taken away by her. The story says “it flattered Mr. Kapasi that Mrs. Das was so intrigued by his job.” He went on to build this secret relationship of the two in his head simply because she referred to his job as romantic. The story reveals that “the feeling of intoxication grew” as he thought about her (53). This was all very new for him because his wife showed no interest in his job. However, he had misinterpreted Mrs. Das. In no way was she trying to hit on him or lead him on.  She was just expressing her feelings on his work.

Both stories show a great connection to the theme of miscommunication and misinterpretation. A song that fits well to the theme of both of them is “Unthinkable” by Alicia Keys. This song talks about taking the first step to do the unthinkable or impossible. Although this song seems to be about love, it portrays other aspects as well. In both stories, the lack of communication allowed each character to do the unthinkable. The song starts off with lyrics saying “Moment of honesty, someone’s gotta take the lead tonight, whose it gonna be?” Mr. Kapasi took the initiative of creating an ideal relationship between him and Mrs. Das. Also, in Hills Like White Elephants the guy was trying to help his mistress make this step into having an abortion that she is hesitant about. She doesn’t trust that his efforts are in her best interest. Another line from the song that relates to misinterpretation and miscommunication is “If you have something to say, you should say it right now.” The song promotes clearly confessing anything that one has to say. It’s about declaring your feelings or ideas, but making sure the other person understands you. People hear things and they hear them incorrectly which can cause a lot of drama. This song allows one to be open with their true feelings, but making sure that the other person is on the same page. Its amazingly written and has such a strong meaning.

In conclusion, both “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Interpreter of Maladies” show a strong theme of miscommunication and misinterpretation. The characters did not comprehend what was being said to them. They either overanalyzed or undermined what they were hearing. They took the ideas the wrong way, and in the song “Unthinkable” it expresses making yourself clear and saying what you have to say. This song is perfect fit for both of these stories.