Lahiri

"Mr. Kapasi gathered Bobby in his arms and brought him back to where his parents and siblings were standing."  (p. 165)

In this enitre short story, Bobby is an important symbol even though he is totally unaware of the conflict he represents.  Only Mrs. Das is the only person in the family who knows what his meaning - disloyalty and conflict in marriage.  Bobby is the result of an affair Mrs. Das had with one of her husband's friends.  Mrs. Das admits this to Mr. Kapasi, their lowly tour guide; she tells him that she has been unhappy and uninterested in her marriage.  In addition, Mrs. Das even shows no interest in her children pushing them away whenever they desired attention.  However, Mr. Kapasi is able to pull the family together.  I would consider Mr. Kapasi an antihero - he does not contain the traditional qualities of a hero, put he is still able to save Mrs. Das' relationship with her family.  In a way, he serves as a person who is willing to listen and not criticize Mrs. Das' life.  Also, in the excerpt above, he saves Bobby from the attacking monkeys.  When everyone else stood helpless, Mr. Kapasi stepped in to save the day.  After this moment, Mrs. Das shows affection toward her children.  She even uses her own personal brush to comb Bobby's hair.  Although this is probably not what he needed at that moment, this sign of affection showed that Mrs. Das did truely love her children.  Maybe her marriage was not as ruined as she had thought.  Even though Mr. Kapasi had opposite intentions, he was able to help the American woman in many ways.  Mr. Kapasi's story does not end in such a positive way.  In fact, he saw the opportunity for a new life float away in the wind - literally.