Change is scary. No one knows for sure when a change in their life will occur or if they will like the change. Change seems so random that people may feel like they do not have control over their life like it is a game of Russian roulette. And sometimes, in an act of unadulterated fear, people can feel helpless and option less. They can feel they have nothing to lose and may resort to unhealthy thoughts and habits. In "Hell-Heaven" by Juhmpa Lahiri, Pranab is a privileged young man far from his Bengali home; and through manipulation and carelessness, he tries to create a better life for himself in the United States. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone is a young princess that has been metaphorically slapped in the face with the death and public …show more content…
After their first meeting, Pranab becomes a welcomed guest, but he never takes the initiative to call. He leaves his things around, and Usha tells the audience that Pranab was completely dependent on her mother in the beginning of their relationship. Usha also explains that her mother was indeed in love with him, and Pranab's visits were the highlight of Aparna's day, so much so that if Pranab failed to come by, she was in a terrible mood (Lahiri 624, 626-627). Aparna loved having someone to relate to; she loved to be needed and valued by someone. It can be discerned that Pranab is aware of this, and instead of thinking of Aparna's feelings for him, he exploits them in order to get what he wants: someone to take care of him. What Pranab wants is more important than how Aparna feels, and in the end, Aparna suffers a great deal, almost ending her life when Pranab focuses his attention on to someone else. He selfishly and thoughtlessly dehumanizes her through his manipulation. In his desperation for the life he once lived, Pranab decreases the value of Aparna's life as though she were a pawn to temporarily fill the void he left behind in