The Myths and Ways of the Seas/Rivers in Amitav Ghosh’s Novel ? Sea of Poppies (2008)

Abstract

<h3 data-fontsize="17" data-lineheight="23">Abstract</h3> <p>osh explores subjectively the people’s consciousness as regards culture, myths and existence. He embraces the fact that the myths and the ways of the seas/rivers purports the reality of culture, the creation of challenges, fabulation and skilful time shifts, sense of paranoia and hyper reality past the industrial age. His novels are reactions to the questions of the chaotic, pluralistic, or information-drenched aspects of postmodern society which depicts the theme of fragmentation and a metaphysically unfounded, chaotic universe of the people’s life on the banks of the holy river Ganges in Calcutta in context of trans-historical phenomena happened prior to the First Opium War/ Anglo-Chinese War during 1839-42. His novelexhaustively examines expeditions, encounters, exploitation and escapes of criminals/ indentured labourers/underclass off the coast of Canton, Hong Kong, Macao and Indian migrants travelling through ships to seek indentured labour for plantations in Mauritius and in British West Indies. The present study proposes to study the seas/river symbolism as the creative power of nature and time. The study deals with the question how the interior reality is marginalized by placing the </p>