Suffering In Bharati Mukherjee's 'The Management'

Having a purpose to live with is one of the important things in life. It is significant because according to Viktor Frankl’s theory of logotherapy, he states that humans should be driven by the search of meanings. If one has a life purpose, it will motivate him or her to take actions, pursue dreams, and ultimately achieve success. Yet, there are circumstances wherein the search of meanings will disappear if an individual encounters feelings of pain, guilt, and death. These feelings will further add on to one’s suffering and impedes him or her to move on in life. Although suffering is what everyone will undergo in lives, one can cope with it if the search for a meaning becomes successful again. For instance, in Bharati Mukherjee’s “The Management

Here, Frankl is saying grief and anguish lead individual suffers and guilt is one of the factors that impact a person’s search of meanings. For instance, after Shaila realizes her husband and children had died in the plane crash, she gives people the impression that nothing has happened as she is acting calmly. According to Judith Templeton, who works in liaison with accident victims, she asks Shaila to work with her because she heard “all the people said, Mrs. Bhave is the strongest person of all” (Bharati 436). In fact, everyone receives a wrong perception of Shaila is coping well because there is evidence suggesting she suffers inwardly. That evidence is known when Shaila confesses to the readers that “I haven’t eaten in four days, haven’t brushed my teeth” (Bharati 437). From her neglection to clean herself and eat, it shows that Shaila is suffering terribly and only people who are close to her can examine these behaviors because nobody will purposely observe her unless he or she lives with Shaila or is accompanying with her all the time. By drawing a contrast between what is seen and unseen by others, the author convinces the readers to believe Shaila has lost her meaning of life and she is not as strong as others perceived. Instead, the reasons why she tries to hide her feelings can be explained by the guilt that encompasses around her. She feels remorseful because she realizes she has never told her husband that she loves him and she simply feels guilty to be the only one who is still alive. Correspondingly, Wallace’s description of the setting in which Lane meets his girlfriend gives people a wrong impression that Lane does not suffer at all. Wallace begins his essay with, “It was springtime, and the park’s grass was very green