The Hungry Tide Novel Analysis

proper light, which is fundamental to any postcolonial discourse. This is so because the voice of the subaltern is often appropriated by those who seek to represent them. Ghosh, however, treats their epistemology at par with and often even superior to the conventional Euro-centric methods of acquiring knowledge. So, Kanai’s or Piya’s representation of Fokir is not appropriated, because in their relationship with each other, there is an underlying sense of respect. Fokir in this regard can also be classified as an intellectual in the Gramscian sense of the term, since people like him can also make a significant contribution to knowledge:

There is no human activity from which every form of intellectual participation can be excluded: homo faber cannot be separated from homo sapiens.

The conflict between the oral and the written aspects of culture also surfaces as an issue in The Hungry Tide. The superiority of the

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if nature is called the chief protagonist of this work. The Hungry Tide, besides other concerns, is quite eloquent about the ecological concerns of the Sunderbans, the mangrove forests between the sea and the plains of Bengal, which is slowly being denuded of its biodiversity. The environmental balance in this piece of India, with a populace encompassing of the poorest of the poor, is seriously being endangered. As the scientist Mr Piddington warned against the establishment of town Canning, he said if the forest itself is endangered that is certainly to diminish the possibility of Calcutta being protected anymore against the devastating oceanic storms of Bay of Bengal. This concern for the ecological balance is visible throughout the novel. The ever practical Mashima is besotted with concerns for the dwindling aquatic life. Moyna tells Kanai how Nilima wanted to get the nylon nets