Theme/Lens
What are the 2 main lenses in The Treatment of Bibi Haldar?
Feminist and psychological
What is Bibi's cousin's name?
Haldar
Bibi recorded inventory for her cousin's cosmetics shop.
Where does The Treatment of Bibi Haldar take place?
Urban India. Bibi specifically lives in a storage room throughout the story.
What is the narrator's relationship with Bibi?
The narrator is Bibi Haldar's neighbor/fellow community member.
What is the main theme of the story?
How people treat others with disabilities/illnesses (maladies) differently/worse. The story also points out the ignorance of many people surrounding mental health.
What was Bibi's father's job?
Bibi's father was a teacher. However, he gave up his career and started working at home to find a cure for Bibi's epilepsy.
What was the supposed cure to Bibi's epilepsy?
Bibi needed to marry a man.
What level of the apartment does Bibi's cousin/cousin's wife live on?
The second story
How do Bibi's community members view Bibi?
They feel bad for Bibi and try to help her, but they're also scared of her and are glad she isn't "their responsibility".
What lens is least present in the story?
Postcolonial Lens
Why does Bibi's cousin's wife dislike Bibi?
Beginning: Bibi is disliked because of her seizure and is considered a financial burden
Middle: Bibi's cousin's wife becomes pregnant. Bibi is forced to move to the storage room so she doesn't transmit her epilepsy to the baby.
What was the real cure for Bibi's epilepsy?
Having a child :D
Where was Bibi when she had a serious seizure? (The only one described in detail)
Bank of the fishpond near her apartment.
What is the narrator's name?
The narrator's name is not mentioned. Discuss why the narrator's identity is anonymous.
What societal standards are present in the story relating to marriage/gender?
That a woman's only job is to marry and provide for her husband by cooking, cleaning, and having kids. There is also a lot of stigma around chastity which Bibi gets slightly shunned for.
Who is the father of Bibi Haldar's child?
The father is unnamed. What is the significance of the father's absence.
What compensation did Bibi receive for her work at her cousin's store?
Although Bibi didn't receive income, she was given meals, provisions, and cotton at every October holiday to replenish her wardrobe at an inexpensive tailor.
How does Bibi renovate the storage room at the end of the story?
Bibi received donations from her neighbors, including a lamp. She replaces her entrance (that used to be a curtain) with a door. She added padlocks.
How does Bibi's identities affect the ignorance she experiences?
Gender: Social standards surrounding marriage
Mental health: stigma around disabilities
Social status: lack of medical care due to low income
How does the author's perspective/identity influence to the theme of the story?
Jhumpa Lahiri is:
-Indian-American (Feeling like an outsider, just like Bibi)
-A woman
-Western Education (progressive views on women's rights)
How does Bibi's attitude change throughout the story?
Bibi begins by feeling annoyed/sorry and complains about her malady. She then becomes determined, as she believes she needs to marry. She says that besides her epilepsy, she's perfectly healthy. Then, she becomes irritated that she's treated like an outsider, especially after Haldar's wife has a baby. She's somewhat upset when she's forced to sleep in the storage closet. Finally, when Bibi becomes pregnant, she becomes distant, but after her pregnancy, she's resilient, and is proactive to better her and her son's life.
Identify 5 of the prescribed cures for Bibi's epilepsy (besides the main one)
Injections; to gain/lose weight; headstands; chant Vedic versus; shun garlic; meditate; drink green coconut water; swallow raw duck eggs
How would Bibi be treated if her setting/community were different?
This is really open ended, but here are some examples:
-If Bibi was in an affluent neighborhood, her access to healthcare would be much better.
-If Bibi was a man in her community, the solutions to her epilepsy would be very different and her marriage expectations wouldn't be as strict.
Does The Treatment of Bibi Haldar have a first person, second person, or third person point of view?
It's a mix of first and third person. It uses "we", but also describes Bibi from an outsider perspective.