This Blessed House

 "[Sanjeev] studied the items on the mantel. It puzzled him that each was in its own way so silly. Clearly they lacked a sense of sacredness (1066)." This quote comes from This Blessed House, the short story from last week. The items Sanjeev is studying are Christian objects that he and his wife, Twinkle had found all over the house over the past week and which Twinkle insisted upon collecting and displaying on the mantel. Sanjeev's description of the objects as "silly" struck me as interesting because oftentimes many unbelievers view Christianity as being foolish and illogical. After all why would Jesus die to save the world which had treated Him with disdain? Why would He sacrifice Himself for the sake of those whom He knew would blasepheme His name?

 Something else I find rather interesting is the great personality gap between Sanjeev and Twinkle. Whereas, Sanjeev is mature and reserved, Twinkle is child-like and lively. During the housewarming party,
Twinkle is talking to the guests, showing them the house, and retelling the story of how they discovered Twinkle's zoo of Christian icons. Meanwhile, Sanjeev stayed busy with replenishing the samosas, getting ice for the guests' drinks, and opening champagne bottles. Sanjeev goes out to work while Twinkle works from  home and one day claims to be bored, but Sanjeev mentally notes that she could unpack boxes, sweep the attic, or retouch the paint on the bathroom windowsill.

 I believe that Sanjeev might be a little jealous of Twinkle. On page 1068 he notes, "[Twinkle] was like that, excited and delighted by little things...It was a quality he did not understand. It made him feel stupid, as if the world contained hidden wonders he could not anticipate, or see."  Sanjeev sees this lively young woman who takes much satisfaction from life's small joys be it a porcelain figure of Jesus or the hat belonging to one of the
party attendees. Then Sanjeev sees himself, an intelligent and resourceful man, but seemingly lacking in imagination and the ability to experience life to the fullest. Even though Sanjeev is oftentimes irritated by his wife's behavior, he could also be wishing he had her zest for the world and all it contains.