In the story Interpreter of Maladies, we read about how throughout the trip Mr. Kapasi becomes attracted to Mrs. Das and daydreams about writing her letters and revealing his unhappy marriage. This is until he learns about how Mrs., Das had a sexual affair with another man and her son may not belong to her husband. It is as if Mr. Kapasi’s view of Mrs. Das completely changes after he learns about her affair. This could be because of a long-time law that India held making adultery a crime.
Up until 2018, India had a law that made adultery a punishable offence and could end in a fine or up to five years in prison for the man that was involved in the act and the woman could be punished as well. A petition to abolish the law brought forth in 2017 that stated the law treated the husband as the master of his wife and treated them as an “object” (Biswas, 2018). The petition created a stir and initially was shot down because there was fear that it would disrupt the sanctity of marriage in India. However, when heard at the level of the supreme court, the law was ruled unconstitutional, and all the supreme court justices agreed that women should be treated as equal (Biswas, 2018). Considering that the novel was written in 1999, it is understandable that Mr. Kapasi is offended by the idea of Mrs. Dases affair.
In India currently, there are many people that think that it is possible to love two people at once and their rate of adultery among women is very high. In fact, a recent study concluded that 49% of married people in India have had an intimate relationship outside of their marriage and women are as much as 53% (Jha,2020).
Biswas, S. (2018, September 27). Adultery no longer a criminal offence in India. Retrieved March 22, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45404927
Jha, L. (2020, February 26). 55% married Indians have cheated on their SPOUSES, most are women: Survey. Retrieved March 22, 2021, from https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/55-married-indians-have-cheated-on-their-spouses-most-are-women-survey-11582712240534.html
I honestly never knew that this was even a law in India, let alone many other major countries in the world. It is crazy that the culture went from being so focused on marriage being sacred to seeing such large percentages in the rate of adultery, especially seeing that women have a percentage of 53% of intimate relationships outside of their marriage. It is especially interesting because the original problem saw men as the master and able to take advantage of the situation, but now women have a majority of adultery rates.
I agree here, and it was very interesting to learn about the other cultures in the world. Seeing the terrible things happen in our country daily, it begins to be normalized and this is not right. Would anyone like to expand on the possibility of a chain of events? Do you think that because men had higher rates before that women began to follow in those footsteps or is it just a change of times? I think that adultery is wrong in all aspects and should not be done to anyone, but rather than following a moral compass, it may come down to making legislation in our country to prevent people from performing this hateful act.
It is really sad to hear that almost 50% of marriages have adultery in them, and those are just the people that admitted it. Why does this phenome so much more common in India the most. Is it because of the power imbalance between men and women? or a deep governmental issue? It is good the law was removed though, no one should be killed for consensual sex
Craig.583 I was also shocked and sadden by this adultery rate in marriage, 50% of these marriages have adultery is just unacceptable and for these women in these types of marriages it seems to me to be another type of power move over women yet again. Consensual sex should always be the conversation not committing adultery because someone doesn’t feel comfortable, this should go for all cultures as well or any part of the world.
I mean, I would be interested to know how many of the marriages that are including adultery also involve arrangement. I think it is easy to sit on the outside of the situation and as someone who get’s to “choose” a partner(s) and question why you cannot just end the relationship rather than cheat, but cultural factors need to be considered. If marriages are arranged and someone is unhappy in that marriage and yet the family of the couple is avidly against ending the relationship, there may be fear of repercussions of ending it. It may feel like getting emotional or physical needs met somewhere else is the only option.
I also would like to know the statistics of adultery in arranged marriages. I understand that in an arranged marriage, many of one’s emotional and/or physical needs could be sacrificed and might be sought out somewhere else. But I also understand that in a cultural sense, it is expected by those in that culture to respect marriages despite how unhappy they are in it. The idea of arranged marriage makes me really sad because the people involved are basically in a lose-lose situation. I have always believed that one should be able to choose who they love freely, and it is hard for me to shift my perspective in a way that such culture would force someone to marry someone they don’t love.
I never really looked into marriages outside of the United States believing they are all fairly the same but after reading your post I am completely wrong. It is extremely sad to see that adultery is so common in India. I do find it strange that women now holding equal rights to men as it should be show higher rates of committing adultery than men. Why is that the case?
I honestly never even heard of a law on a adultery before this presentation. This law is very concerning and not morally right because the government should have no involvement in peoples relationships. Your post did make it kind of seem like it is also kind of mixed in with their culture and the law. Since it is illegal to commit adultery, it seems that many of their citizens find it unappealing.
I wasn’t aware about the law in India that lasted up until 2018. I also didn’t know the statistics would be that high for married couples having intimate relationships outside of their marriage. I am wondering if people have done research on why these percentages are so high. Is it because women feel oppressed or trapped in their marriages? I am also wondering if people in India are aware of these statistics or the possibility of this happening in their marriage. This is a really interesting topic nonetheless. I never considered the dynamic in a marriage being so different compared to the United States or even laws being very involved in that aspect of life.
I find this super interesting since we don’t have any laws against adultery in the United States. I actually think affairs have become more popular over time and don’t seem as much of a “sin” as it used too. How do you think a law against adultery would go in the U.S.? Do you think people would respond well to being fined or having to go in prison?
If it were up to me, I don’t think the person who cheated should be thrown in jail because we are already running out of room for the true criminals.
It grieves me that adultery is so prevalent and ingrained in a country. To answer your question I honestly feel like if there was a law or a fine to punish adultery in the United States there would not be any change, meaning people wouldn’t cheat less. There are many people who are in relationships (dating & marriage) with people who are unfaithful. I think that people nowadays have a distorted view of covenant that’s why adultery is so common.
I learned a lot from your post that I was not aware of. I had no idea that the rate for adultery was so high and that is was “socially acceptable”. I don’t necessarily agree with this but I do enjoy learning about other countries and their cultures to gain a better insight about the world around me. It amazes me though that their were laws against this at one point because our government doesn’t involve itself with our personal relations. It is wild how many differences there can be between countries. I cant imagine going to prison for a personal relationship, I am sure that was very difficult to live with especially because of the mentality.
I really like how you mentioned the adultery law in the presentation and related it to the Interpreter of Maladies as this is a very interesting fact I did not know. This law just being revoked in 2018 shows how far we still have to go in order to achieve equal rights for men and more specifically women.
Before reading your presentation, I was not aware of this law in India. I do feel that adultery is very wrong and there are many different ways to go about an unhappy relationship than taking that route, but I also feel that the law is very excessive. I do not feel that someone should be punished with jail time, or maybe harsher consequences, for choosing to do this, rather something that they and their significant other will have to work out amongst themselves. I also found it very shocking that approximately half of married couples have committed adultery at some point. Overall, I found your post very informative and fascinating.
I was not aware of this law in India or how high of rates of adultery were either. I think that adultery is wrong and there are better ways to go about ending relationships because of other ones beginning. I think for when the short stories were written, the information about the law in India definitely explains a lot of how it was looked it. I think now, it is important that women are now considered equal to men in the eyes of this law. I think this post was super informational and I learned a lot about marriages and adultery in India and how people tend to look at the topic.
Thanks for your thread. I was unaware of the harsh laws that are imposed in India regarding adultery. Furthermore, I was surprised to hear about the significant rates of adultery that are performed as well. I would be curious to hear how their government defines the act of “adultery” and how it may vary the punishment depending on its severity. After reading all of this, it also made me wonder how divorce is perceived in comparison to the act of adultery.
I never thought that adultery was considered a crime in India until now. Even though adultery is extremely wrong, I believe a law as harsh as that is a little excessive. Also, it’s a little surprising that people find it alright to love more than 1 person at once. That can cause a lot of pain and suffering to someone who doesn’t deserve that type of treatment. Finding out that 49% of people have had an affair while being married was very saddening to learn. Great post!