View source for The Third and Final Continent (Lahiri)

{{written by AI}}

{{Summary
| Title = The Third and Final Continent
| Author = Jhumpa Lahiri
| Literary form = short story
| Year of publication = 1999
| Microsummary = A newly married man from India moves to America for a job, lives with a centenarian woman briefly before bringing his wife to live with him, ultimately adjusting to the American way of life.
}}

{{Start of text}}

In 1964, a man from India moved to England to continue his education after securing a job at a university library. He lived with other penniless Bengali bachelors in London. 

{{Character
| Name = Narrator
| Description = narrator; an Indian immigrant, educated, patient, respectful, missing his mother; initially struggles with adapting to Western culture but gradually adjusts
| Emoji = 👨‍🎓
}}

By 1969, he had received a job offer from a prestigious American university. Meanwhile, he had an arranged marriage. Taking his wife along, he moved to America. 

{{Character
| Name = Mala
| Description = the narrator's wife; becomes an immigrant after marriage, traditional, adjusting, caring
| Emoji = 👰
}}

On his very first day there, a lonely woman named Mrs. Croft offered him a room in her house. 

{{Character
| Name = Mrs. Croft
| Description = very old American woman, strong-willed, loud; landlord of the narrator, eccentric, fierce yet vulnerable
| Emoji = 👵
}}

In the evenings, he would sit and chat with this 100-year-old woman. 

{{Quote
| Text = There is an American flag on the moon! Isn't that splendid?
| Context = This is repeatedly asked by Mrs. Croft to the narrator. It signifies her amazement and pride in the achievement of the American space mission which was a significant event during that era.
}}

After a while, the man's wife joined him in America. They moved out of Mrs. Croft's house and started their life together. 

{{Quote
| Text = She is a perfect lady!
| Context = This is exclaimed by Mrs. Croft when she meets Mala for the first time. It is a critical moment in the story as it implies Mala's acceptance into the unfamiliar American culture.
}}

Decades later, while reminiscing about his life, he reflects on how ordinary his journey may seem, but there are times when it feels beyond his imagination. He is amazed at how he has managed to make a place for himself on three different continents. 

{{Quote
| Text = I have remained in this new world for nearly thirty years. I know that my achievement is quite ordinary.
| Context = The narrator reflects on his journey as a migrant in America towards the end of the story after he has established himself in the country.
}}

He instills the spirit of perseverance and ambition in his son by telling him about his life journey.

{{End of text}}