Sanjeev.

[looks. job. education. family.]

Sanjeev is a Hindu man from India. He is 33 years old and described as having an average build and height. He works at a firm in Hartford, Connecticut, and holds a position high enough that he has “a secretary of his own and a dozen people working under his supervision.” He does well at work and is “being considered for the position of vice president.” He appears to be smart and well educated, having earned an engineering degree from MIT. In the story Sanjeev displays his college textbooks and we learn how much he enjoyed and values the years he spent in college. I get the feeling that he misses these days. Although the story doesn't state it clearly, I would guess he comes from a very traditional Indian background, based on his expectations of himself and his wife.

[personality.]

Sanjeev’s first words in the story (“Throw it away”) reveal the pessimistic side to his character. He is observant and detail-oriented (“. . . the fireplace mantel, which needed, Sanjeev observed, to be dusted”). He is orderly and meticulous—“[organized] his engineering texts from MIT in alphabetical order.” He likes things to be nice and clean—the mantel, the attic, the baseboard—and even picks up cigarette ashes off the floor. He is factual and likes things to be explained exactly as they happened (“he knew for a fact that she didn’t spend all day at her desk . . .”). He is somewhat self-conscious and definitely concerned with what others think. This concern can be seen throughout the story by his objection to the Christian objects because he is afraid people will think it means he and his wife are Christians. Sanjeev is also stubborn, uncharmed by the Christian paraphernalia that all the others seem to enjoy or appreciate.  

[behavior and influences.]

Sanjeev bases much of his actions out of what he thinks he is supposed to do. He doesn’t know if he’s really in love, but he got married “at the urging of their matchmakers” because he had plenty of money and didn’t want to be lonely. His behaviors are routine and somewhat predictable. He sticks to what he knows. He likes things to be done certain ways; he becomes irritated when Twinkle leaves her undergarments on the floor, and he cannot understand why she won’t write down a recipe for the yummy meal she made. His behavior may be influenced by some picture he has in his mind of how a learned, successful Indian man should live. He even goes through the trouble to cook Indian dishes every weekend.

He seems concerned with impressing people. He introduces Twinkle by her Indian name, Tanima. He worried that they wouldn’t have enough champagne. He dreaded what people would say about Twinkle’s findings. He used his fingers to eat chicken only when he thought no one was watching. He felt the duty to make sure people had enough to eat and drink all night. He wants others to be impressed by him, and this drives certain behaviors.

[self feelings.]

Sanjeev takes things personally and lets little things (such as his “girly” eyelashes) take away his confidence. He does not like his "plump" cheeks any more than those noticeable eyelashes. This insecurity continues throughout the story; he wishes he felt more manly and “distinguished.” He discourages his wife from wearing high heels so she isn’t equal to his height. He doesn’t “know what love [is]. He wishes he could get excited by the little things in life like Twinkle does, but he can’t; he doesn’t get it, and “it [makes] him feel stupid, as if the world contained hidden wonders he could not anticipate, or see.” 

[feelings towards Twinkle.]

Sanjeev really wants to love Twinkle, but he doesn’t know if he does. Little things about her bother him every day. He wants to feel manly next to her but he’s not tall enough. He wishes she could be the typical Hindu Indian woman that he had always envisioned, but she isn’t. She doesn’t know how to prepare Indian foods without recipes, and even then she never cooks them. She talks on the phone when the long-dsitance rates are most expensive. In the story Sanjeev’s character introduces these negative aspects about Twinkle (in ways such as, “Sanjeev observed . . . ”). He doesn’t like her interest in the objects or that she finds meaning in them. However, when he hurts her, he feels sick; he cares about her enough to end the fight rather than let her cry. 

[marriage expectations.]

In his marriage Sanjeev wants a typical Indian housewife by his side. He wants her to cook traditional meals, go by her traditional name, embrace her religion, and make him feel like a man. Because he is so concerned with this idea, he is held back from living fully instead of accepting who he is (and who she is) and making their own path together. He wants his marriage to show him what love is.

[obstacles.]

One obstacle Sanjeev faces is the fact that he does not seem to have any close friends. The people they invite over for their housewarming are colleagues or acquaintances. They don’t really have a close support system of friends or family. Another challenge is that they are Hindu but live in a Protestant community.  

[conflicts.]

Sanjeev struggles with being the person he's been taught that he should be. His mind is constantly going, always noticing the negative things and unable to loosen up. He thinks rigidly, but he wishes he could appreciate things in different ways. Another conflict is his struggle with love...its definition, behaviors, meaning. An external conflict is the struggle between his and Twinkle's views of the Christian objects. 

[attitude towards the world.]

On a larger scale Sanjeev often relies on others’ opinions to guide his thinking. Instead of approaching the world boldly, he often doubts. He wants to fall in line with the image he thinks he should live out. He forms his opinion on Mahler’s Fifth Symphony based on what he read about it. I think this is because he is ultimately worried about what people all around him think about him. He does not see the world as a huge opportunity or a place in which to grow. Instead, he sees it as ordered and expecting him to do certain things.