How different are families from the past? Lately there have been major changes in relationships, due to female domination or even no relationship at all. We also see that relationships are based purely on a reproductive basis and sometimes the child born from the relationship doesn't really matter. In Jhumpa Lahiri's A Temporary Matter, the reader can see how relationships with the rest of the world have developed into relationships of failure, relationshiplessness, and feminist relationships. A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri is a short story about how these short relationships can fall apart. so quickly. The couple Shukumar and Shoba have a very complicated relationship. Shukumar works at home on his thesis while Shoba works, getting up every morning and going to work. Previously, the couple lost a child right after birth, which hurt them. After this event, this couple hardly spoke anymore, became experts in the art of avoiding each other and moved away. They then have a problem that ends up forcing them to talk to each other more than before. They are reminded of what they were like and they begin to get closer, revealing things about themselves. But it all ends when Shoba tells her husband that she found an apartment. This prevents the couple from getting closer. Shukumar then reveals his secret about the baby and solves a mystery that Shoba wanted to keep secret. This story ends with the couple crying in the dark, but the reader can infer that the couple separates after this story. In this story, the reader can see how relationships evolved to become dominated by women. We see it in how Shoba is the one who will work, not Shukumar. While he works, he works at home and works at school. He...... middle of paper ......e same house, As a result, Shukumar loses work time when Shoba is at home. After the loss of their child, this couple truly fell apart. The reader can interpret this as if the pair came together to reproduce and when that failed they were left with nothing. Given how recent this is, it's surprising that the couple is already recovering from the child's death. The couple has not fully recovered from the child's death, but they are not yet in mourning and are only upset when it is talked about. This story is a great representation of how relationships have changed over the years. Whether it's female domination or relationships are abandoned. Shoba and Shukumar are excellent examples of this phenomenon. This couple can be linked to a typically American relationship. Jhumpa Lahiri details this failed relationship and explains how this couple broke up.