Human emotion is the final determinant in distinguishing a good work from a great work, so a good author will be able to stimulate the emotions of his readers while a great author is capable to take control and electrify the emotions of their readers. The way an author captures a reader's mind and heart while transporting them to a deeper understanding is often unique to that particular author. Jhumpa Lahiri is an expert who captivates her readers with complex and sympathetic character development. Each person he creates and chooses to develop in his stories, no matter how large or small his role, is extremely important in engaging his readers in a deep and empathetic consideration of the story's theme. The dividing line between what constitutes a major and minor character within the literary work is a narrow and often overlapping chalk plane, full of inconstancies. The division is largely based on the unpredictable, perhaps sometimes even random, nature of human emotions superimposed on the author's intent. Many authors such as Orson Scott Card of Writers Digest believe that minor characters are simply “irrelevant placeholders” ( ), objects that simply happen to be in the right place at the right time. Although these minor characters are necessary to add fullness to the literary work, more often than not minor characters share a limited and equal place in the setting: they are an extension of the background. Yet Lahiri manages to shape the small roles of these characters within his tales into something significant, intensely layered with thematic meaning, grand in substance. Jhumpa Lahiri is a very successful emerging author: winner of the Pulitzer Prize at the age of 32. She is known for her excellent author...... middle of paper ...... character flaws found in her main character characters. There is no doubt that this author has the ability to clearly recall childhood concerns with critical understanding and to have a solid focus on using this knowledge to fully develop and reveal the human flaws of adult characters who have somehow forgot how to do it yourself. While depicting both cultural differences and universal truths in the tales contained in "Interpreter of Maladies," Jhumpa Lahiri highlights the innocence found in childhood and uses this quality to essentially show the many facets of relationships and marriages that they sold out for a variety of reasons. Childhood is used as an important contributor to the plot, shedding light not on the failures of love but rather on the opportunities for healing and forgiveness that adults may not always be able to see..