Short Story Classics: The Third and Final Continent

“The Third a Final Continent” by Jhumpa Lahiri 

Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the most established and renowned contemporary writers.  She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her 1999 collection of short stories The Interpreter of Maladies.  The final story in the collection, “The Third and Final Continent”, ends the book on a note of hope, a shaky but encouraging look toward the future.  

In 1964, our unnamed narrator travels from India to London to study.  While finishing schooling, he receives a job offer in Boston.  At the same time his family is also in the process of making an arranged marriage for him.  

In America, he must navigate his own new world, adjusting to changes in currency, driving patterns, shopping, and diet.  He meets a mix of people who are alternately hostile and open-minded, some keeping him at a distance and some wanting to make him feel a sense of belonging.  These scenes are rendered in realistic detail, showing a young person eager to assume the customs and conventions of a new country, all while trying to preserve those of his own culture.  

This all takes place while he is adjusting to an arranged marriage with someone who is also new to America.  Together, they find support in one another, helping each other navigate the newness of their life together in a country in a supportive manner.  

At only 19 pages, this gem of a short story contains multitudes, depicting the ups and downs of a story of immigration in acute detail with characters that are worth rooting for.