When Mr. Pirzada Came To Dine

Who is the author?

Jhumpa Lahiri

What gifts did Mr. Pirzada bring for Lilia?

Candy

Why does Mr. Pirzada keep two watches?

One watch, on his wrist, has the New England time, which is where the story takes place. He keeps another watch without a wristband in his pocket that has the local time in Dacca, which is where his family lives. During every meal, Mr. Pirzada winds up this watch and sets at the table for the duration of the meal, and this helps him keep connected to his family in a way.

How does Lilia's father explain that Mr. Pirzada is not Indian?

Although Mr. Pirzada was originally Indian, the Partition in 1947 had split up India between Hindus and Muslims. Therefore, Mr. Pirzada was considered to be Bengali and from East Pakistan.

Dacca

Dacca is the capital of Bangladesh, but at the time was a part of Eastern Pakistan. This is where Mr. Pirzada's wife and 7 daughters lived while he was in the U.S., and at the time Dacca was in the midst of a civil war with the Pakistani army.

War

India had declared war on Pakistan, and the Pakistani army had surrendered 12 days later in Dacca.

Watching the News

Every night Mr. Pirzada came over to Lilia's house for dinner, and they would all eat in the living room in front of the TV. They would watch the national news in hopes of learning more about the situation in Dacca and the safety of Mr. Pirzada's family.

The Jack O' Lantern

For Halloween, Lilia's mother bought a Jack O'Lantern to carve out and place on their porch. Mr. Pirzada offered to carve it and was doing so while the news was on. However, Dacca and war was mentioned while he was carving, causing Mr. Pirzada's hand to slip and make a gash in the pumpkin. Lilia's dad fixed it, and when Lilia returned from trick or treating at night she found the pumpkin smashed into pieces in her frontyard.

Mr. Pirzada travels back to Dacca

A month after the war, Mr. Pirzada flew back to Dacca to discover what was left of his home. He sent a card months later to Lilia's family for Muslim New Year, and assured them that he reunited with his family and was safe. It was then that Lilia realized she would never see him again

Why did Lilia throw the candies away at the end of the story?

Since Mr. Pirzada's departure to Dacca, Lilia had been eating a piece of candy each night in the form of prayer for Mr. Pirzada and his family; after receiving his postcard, she no longer had the need to pray for their safety