The End of A Temporary Matter A Temporary Matter is a story about guilt and secrecy. Shoba, the wife of Shukumar spends more and more time at work. Often leaves to work before Shukumar wakes up and comes home late. Shukumar had been having more time to work on his dissertation, but often finds he unable to work. He and his wife have mastered the art of avoiding each other and with time become strangers. Not only strangers with each other but strangers with friends. Each night Sukumar would prepare meals only for them to eat seperatly while Shoba showers. Shoba would take her plate and go into the living room, and Shukumar would take them to a room for him to work. After dinner Shoba would force herself into the room Shukumar was working and try to be a wife. Shukumar would often act busy and eventually knew that she forced herself to do it. That is clear when the narrator says, "It was the in the day she sought him out and yet he'd come to dread it. He knew it was something she forced herself to do. (Page 8)".
There were happier times, Shukumar often reminices about how the two of them use to be throughout the story. Friends and laughter wasn't so rare back then. He loved everything about Shoba and admired that she was so different. He loved that she would plan and prepare ahead and get groceries that never went to waste. Shukumar remembers when she would cook for guest and friends, "When friends dropped by, Shoba would throw together meals that appeared to have taken half a day to prepare, from things she had frozen and bottled (page 7)". The fact that Shoba and him even had guest and friends over made a favorable memory for Shukumar.
It is obvious that Shukumar was happier back then as he often reminisces a lot about things. That is clear when In the story it says "It felt good to remember her as she was than (Page 15)". He remembers when Shoba wanted him to go to a meeting to make connections with people in his job market. Shoba was pregnant at the time, and Shukumar really didn't want to just leave her. One can only imagine what it was like when the narrator says "Shoba stood waving good-bye in her robe, with her arm resting on the mount of her belly as if it were a perfectly natural part of her body (page 3)." That memory had an ever lasting impact on Shukumar for that was the last time he saw her pregnant. While Shukumar was gone, Shoba went into labor three weeks earlier. By the time Shukumar arrived at the hospital the baby was dead.
When the baby died is when the relationship died. The two avoided each other so much that they ultimately grew apart even though they lived in the same house. Because of the power outage the darkness stops Shoba and Shukumar from being occupied with work. Since they must go through five nights without power, Shoba suggest that they exchange secrets with each other each night. The first couple of nights they begin to share secrets that neither one would have guessed. The secrets showed truth in...
