"Interpreter of Maladies"-Jhumpa Lahiri

     "Their accents sounded just like the ones Mr. Kapasi hear on American television programs, though not like the ones on Dallas" (Lahiri).

      Lahiri points out a flaw within international society by making this allusion to American television programs.  Americans form an idea of foreigners through television.  People in other countries obtain their perception of Americans the exact same way.  They assume Americans are exactly as they are portrayed on-screen.  Most of time, television only presents the mere extremes of society while the majority rest somewhere in the middle.  These assumptions both Americans and the foreigners make about each other can be fatal.  Body language and speech can be easily misconstrued on both parts.  I think that the widely-accepted theory of Americans (produced by way of media), that they have low morals, causes trouble for Mr. Kapasi.  At one point, he just assumes he and Mrs. Das will eventually be together believing she would easily desert her husband and children.  Within this short story, Lahiri presents a small side message to take caution in how one makes himself known to others and how that one perceives others within the international society.