Symbols
Dark
The dark allows them talk to each other and reveal secrets they haven't told each other before.
Comes to stay with Shoba and Shukumar after the baby passes.
Shoba's Mom
What do they do when the lights go out?
Have dinner and tell each other things they've never told each other before.
Why wasn't Shukumar there for the birth of their child?
He was on a business trip/academic conference in Baltimore.
Food/Cooking
Represent their past as a happy couple/the good times and the present as Shukumar tries to recreate their happy life.
What is their reaction to the baby dying?
Shoba is very upset, becomes very quiet and depressed, can't be in the baby's room after. Shukumar is upset, but less so. He is able to think about it without over reacting.
What tragic event occurred?
Shoba & Shukumar's baby was born stillborn.
Light
The light exposes the flaws in their relationship and is the reason they can't speak to each other.
Importance of Shoba leaving.
Shows that their relationship is most likely coming to end.
What is Shukumar's last secret that he reveals to Shoba?
That he got to hold the baby, and that the baby was a boy.
Shoba's carelessness and not cleaning up her things
Shows her grief, and how after the baby dies, she doesn't care anymore.
Couple, happy neighbors
The Bradfords
The title "A Temporary Matter"
The power outage is temporary, and so is their grief as well as their marriage.
How many times has Shukumar been to India and what happened when he when he went?
Once when he was a baby and he got sick (amoebic dysentery).