Essay Questions:
1. What are Lahiri and Chopin’s ultimate messages about communication in marriage? What are their ideas regarding talking about difficult issues, such as the death of one’s child or a spouse’s racial discrimination? In addition, how do surrounding circumstances make communication particularly difficult in marriage?

2. How do Shoba and Shukumar communicate with one another? Why do they avoid talking about some of their most important issues? What is an example of this behavior? How does that affect their marriage?

3. How does Armand communicate his feelings about their marriage to Desiree? How does Desiree defend herself against Armand’s accusations? How would you characterize their communication style?

4. How do Shoba and Shukumar talk about the death of their loved ones? Why is grieving so difficult for this couple? What are some clues Lahiri provides as to why that’s the case? How does this issue affect their marriage?

5. What is the significance of the letter Armand’s mother had written to his father, particularly as it relates to marriage and communication? What information does the letter reveal about Armand’s identity? What is likely the motive behind his mother keeping this information hidden? How did her action have an impact on Armand? Did it hurt or benefit him in the end?

6. What is the significance of the truth-telling game Shoba and Shukumar play? What information do they discover about each other? How do they use this information against each other? How does this affect their marriage?

7. What do Chopin and Lahiri’s stories teach the reader about life, communication, and marriage? How do their characters reverberate those themes? What are some examples?