In Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Lowland," the protagonist reflects on the passage of time and its impact on her surroundings. She is struck by how drastically the landscape has changed, leaving no reminders of an important night from her past, which occurred four decades earlier. This reveals a sense of loss and disconnection from her history.

The absence of familiar traces underscores her feelings of unpreparedness for the realities of change. The transformation of the landscape serves as a metaphor for her journey and the inevitable passage of time, emphasizing the theme of memory and the enduring impacts of the past on the present.