Page 68 - DENG503_INDIAN_WRITINGS_IN_LITERATURE

Indian Writings in Literature

Notes
Unit 7: Amitav Ghosh: Shadow Lines—Narrative Techniques

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
7.1 Narrative Techniques
7.2 Summary
7.3 Key-Words
7.4 Review Questions
7.5 Further Readings

Objectives

After reading this Unit students will be able to:
• Discuss Narrative Techniques of Shadow Line.
• Analyse the Shadow Lines.
Introduction

Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines deals with political freedom in the modern world, nationalism
and the shadow lines we people draw between us and nations. The line we have drawn is an
absurd illusion. It is also a source of terrifying violence like a partition of India into Pakistan and
Hindustan. The novel tells the story of the three generations of the narrator’s family spread over
Dhaka, Calcutta and London. He lines up characters from different nationalities, religions and
culture in a close knit, palpable world.

7.1 Narrative Techniques

The story revolves around the narrator’s search to find out about Tridib’s death which the family
wants to forget but the narrator cannot because Tridib was his mentor and had given him ‘words
to travel in’ and ‘eyes to see them with’. Through Tridib, the narrator learns using his imagination
with precision. The novel also gives us the views of the various characters like Tha’mma, Ila, May,
Jethamoshai and Robi and what boundaries mean to each of them.

Memory is the history that determines our perception of the present and our
identity. Since we cannot change the history, it depends on us to choose the
memory that suits our point of view.

But, the memories that we choose to forget are more important than the ones we choose to remember.
This is what Amitav Ghosh is trying to communicate to the readers through this novel. The language
used by the narrator is quite simple and easy to understand and the meaning of the text is beautifully
conveyed, wherein lies the strength of the novel. The narrator also uses the technique of going back
and forth in time which keeps the interest of the reader built in. Such moments are rare indeed these
days when one takes a book in the hand and is completely captivated by it after reading the first few
pages. That happened to me recently when I started reading “The Shadow Lines” by Amitav Ghosh.

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