In A Temporary Matter, Jhumpa Lahiri illustrates a temporary blackout that allows Shukumar and Shoba to reconnect only to discover that they have long been disconnected from each other. Shukumar and Shoba face four states of light, which metaphorically represent four phases of their relationship. Before the blackout, they are ambiguously distant as they avoid discussing their feelings. During the blackout, the couple seizes the opportunity for reconciliation. However, once the electricity is repaired, they realize that they can only speak in temporary darkness. They finally awaken from their ignorance when Shoba turns on the light and reveals the purpose of their secret "game". Through these stages, Shukumar and Shoba come to admit that they are not happy being together. Therefore, the temporary blackout ironically leads to the permanent end of their married life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Shukumar and Shoba's relationship is in an ambiguous phase before the blackout. They are uncertain about their feelings for each other, but they also avoid facing this uncertainty. As a result of finding their own ways to resolve the trauma of stillbirth, their lifestyles change as if there is a reversal in gender roles. Shukumar becomes passive in the house while Shoba interacts with the outside world. Shukumar cannot find the motivation to finish his homework or even brush his teeth regularly. “He would lie in their bed until he got bored, looking at his side of the closet” (4), while Shoba “already sipped her third cup of coffee, in her downtown office, where she looked for typographical errors in textbooks and I marked them” (4). The contrast in their lifestyles highlights the distance that has grown between them. For months, Shukumar and Shoba pretend to live their normal lives by becoming "experts at avoiding each other in their three-bedroom house, spending as much time as possible on separate floors" (4). Shoba's busy schedule allows her to get to work before Shukumar wakes up. Similarly, Shukumar pretends to write his article in the room prepared for their child because “it was a place Shoba avoided” (8). Before the blackout, the couple is in an unresolved phase of their relationship, living an unhappy life together but trying to ignore the fact that they are disconnected. During the blackout, Shukumar and Shoba seem to be able to reconcile their love. Since there is no electricity, Shukumar and Shoba have no excuse to carry dishes to each of their workshops and therefore must dine together by candlelight. When Shoba begins the secret game, the two begin to share secrets and memories of their passionate love: “something happened while the house was dark. They were able to talk to each other again” (19). They begin to reverse each of their life patterns; Shoba “came home earlier than usual” (14) and Shukumar finally has the motivation to go out “through the melting snow” (14) to buy candles to make dinner. However, this reconciliation in the darkness is sudden and unusual. Despite not knowing Shoba's intention to participate in the secret game, Shukumar responds without question to the possibility of reconciliation. He doesn't even know if he still loves Shoba, yet he is excited to reconnect with Shoba: “All day Shukumar anxiously waited for the lights to go out. He thought about what Shoba had said” (15). As they "walked carefully upstairs...making love with a desperation they had forgotten...in the darkness" (19-20), Shukumar and Shoba seem to be able to blindly reconnect their love. However, when electricity was.