After reading the "Interpreter of Maladies" short story, I couldn't help but wonder what it's like to drive around all day listening to other people's conversations. I mean, really. Taxi drivers, chauffeurs, bus drivers - you name it. The drivers of public and private vehicles must meet some intersting people from time to time. Like in "Interpreter of Maladies" when Mr. Kapasi observes the personalities and behaviors of the family he is escorting, taxi drivers and so on must do the same thing. Sure, they can turn on music and separate themselves from the people behind them with a panel of some sort, but at the same time, who can help but wonder about the lives of the people they drive around? If I was a taxi driver, I would be immensely curious about the people I met. With nothing to do but drive and listen to the conversations taking place behind you, it just makes sense that your mind would wander off trying to imagine the lives of these people given the information you pull from their conversations.
It's like when you're standing in line next to someone who is talking on their cell phone. You hear little bits and pieces of their conversation and your mind automatically attempts to fit the pieces of the puzzle together and come up with an explanation that fills in the holes of their story. Sometimes, our imaginations run wild. Our brains are hard-wired into trying to resolve any hole-filled scenario. That's why we hate cliff-hangers - we just need to know what happens otherwise we don't feel complete. Therefore, when hearing bits and pieces of a person's conversation, we want to fill in those missing holes.
Mr. Kapasi did just this within his story. He took in the faces, the words, the actions, and the moods of the family riding in his car, and he made estimated guesses of what their lives encompassed. Although his imagination may have taken things slightly too far, he was intrigued by the family beside him and with the reflection of his many unspoken thoughts, he made calculations of what the family would do in the future. I really did enjoy the story! It was fun to think about being on the sideline of the main conversation, interpreting what you hear from person after person for hours on end.
I find it quite curious as to how taxi or bus drivers interpret the many things they hear. As passengers, we sometimes get lost in our conversations while the driver could easily be getting lost in their own world of thoughts. Intriguing, isn't it? Ha! Well, that's my random babbling of thoughts for the day! I hope you enjoyed it! :)
