Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry


Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey is one of remarkable confluences of astonishingly beautiful writing and fully developed characterization. There is no major crisis that takes place, no earth-shattering destruction of place or person, there is a sustained tension throughout the novel. The protagonist is Gustad Noble. The novel is set during the rule of Indira Gandhi, and is a damning indictment of both her government and American foreign policy of the time. The journey is both a physical and metaphorical one, of Gustad's bedside visitation of a friend he thought had betrayed him and of Gustad's eventual realization that there are few absolutes in life beyond that of death, that for every face there are a myriad of facets. There are several but subtle poignant metaphors woven, the most memorable being the character of Tehmul, who is a physically and mentally disabled man with the character of a boy and it is this pull of the innocent versus the carnal that mirrors much of the political and social turmoil of the novel. This book was shortlisted for the 1991 Booker Prize. It was pulled from the University of Mumbai's English Curriculum because of protests from the family of Hindu's nationalist- Bal Thackeray. Through this book, we come to know about the journey of Parsis and their culture and the problems they faced.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tughlaq By Girish Karnad

Image
 Plot: ‘Tughlaq’ is Karnad’s second play written in 1964 ; the play was originally written in Kannada and then translated in Kannada by Karnad himself. It is all about the life of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq who has ruled in India in 14 th  century. There is a lot of controversy among the historians about the character of Tughlaq but Karnad has presented this man as a man of opposites. The central theme of the play is the complexity in the character of Sultan Tughlaq, who has both the elements good as well as evil. He is a visionary man as well as man of action. Other characters also present Tughlaq’s dual personality; his close associates Barani and the scholarly historian Najib are practical politician like him.                 From the very first scene we come to know about the complex personality of Tughlaq, he can be considered as a learnt and an intelligent man. He has abilities to learn and curiosity to know and he is master in playing chess, he has the knowledge
Read more

The Old Woman- Joseph Campbell

Image
As a white candle In a holy place,  So is the beauty Of an aged face. As the spent radience Of the winter sun,  So is a woman With her travail done. Her brood gone from her, And her thoughts as still  As the waters Under a ruined mill.                   The poem 'The Old Woman' is written by Joseph Campbell. The poem is divided into 3 stanza. The meaning of the  poem is deeper than any romantic poem. The poem is very simple, realistic poem. The poet has given  the description  of old lady by different comparisons . It s very natural to see beauty in young women , but t is very understanding to describe the beauty of old woman.  It requires great imaginative power to see beauty in old age.                 In  the first stanza , the poet compares the old lady with the white candle . As the white candle in the holy place gives light and guided  the person who comes there. It is the symbol  of holy figure. Likewise the old lady's face  compared with the white c
Read more

The Hunt by Mahashweta Devi

Image
‘The Hunt’ forms part of a collection published as  Imaginary Maps: Three Stories by Mahasweta Devi in 1995. The other two stories in the collection are namely ‘ Douloti the Bountiful’ and ‘Pterodactyl, Puran Sahay, and Pirtha. ’ All three stories describe a fictional rendition of situations that are very real in the lives of the tribal people. While ‘The Hunt’   is about a half tribal girl’s bold attempt to put a violent end to her personal exploitation as well as to the threat of ecological devastation, ‘Douloti ’  deals with the problem of bonded labour, particularly the women who are exploited endlessly and mercilessly through the system. The heart wrenching image at the end of the story with Douloti’s rotting and bleeding body covering the map of India raises many disturbing questions and speaks volumes for what independent India has failed to do for one sixth of its population. In Devi’s words “Decolonization has not reached the poor. That is why these things happen. Wo
Read more