"I've seen novels that have grown out of one story in a collection. But it hasn't occurred to me to take any of those stories and build on them. They seem very finished for me, so I don't feel like going back and dredging them up"

This quote by Jhumpa Lahiri talks to the idea of taking a single story from a collection and broadening it into a novel. While she has actually seen this done prior to, she does not feel the need to do it herself. She believes that the stories she has composed are complete and completed, and does not feel the requirement to go back and "dredge them up" in order to expand them. This talks to the concept that each story she writes is a total masterpiece, and does not need to be expanded upon. It also speaks to the concept that she is content with the stories she has composed, and does not feel the need to go back and remodel them. This quote is a testimony to the concept that each story is its own unique work of art, and does not require to be expanded upon in order to be valued.