Ghosh’s fictional and non-fictional narratives are transnational in sweep, move restlessly (relentlessly) across countries, continents and oceans. His characters return to Calcutta (his birth place). It is aptly divided into two parts: Going Away and Coming Home. Ghosh elucidates appropriately what ‘home’ means to a refugee who is distanced from his home forcibly and who faces the existential crisis. The narrator’s grandmother Tha’mma is in dilemma whether she goes away from home or comes home in Dhaka. Major part of the novel is based on the accounts of memories, one memory automatically calls the other related ones, connecting all of them through subtle interconnections – the outward structure of the two parts is identical. The Shadow Lines portrays one Indian family and one English family with different nationalities, culture and religions. The line between the …show more content…
This novel is the work of an renowned author, whose dexterity is obvious on every page. The duration of the novel is four decades and the story begins in 1939 when the narrator was not born and historically significant due to the outbreak of World War II. Disturbances during the partition of Bengal and riots of Bengal are also significant events that form the backdrop of the novel which rebuild the effect of historical events in the past. These incidents of history are cited as newspaper clipping. Though the novel depicts the incidents of the past, it cannot be classified as historical novel. On the same view, Pallavi Gupta opines:
The only resources, the relies of the past, which narrator – historian possesses to graft his history are memories, photographs and Tridib’s stories which are difficult to discuss because they are factually correct yet set in a medium of fiction.
In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” there are many theories as to who Arnold Friend is and what his role. The story does not introduce Arnold till the middle and end of the story when Arnold Friend and Ellie Oscar, his friend, decides to pull up to Connie’s house trying to be gentle, but threatening at the same time. The tone sets the mood of the story, the way he talks is suave, so he doesn’t scare her as much but you could sense a little of annoyance in his voice when she refuses. He asks her to come ride with him, but then starts to threaten her family so she would get out the house and be with him.
Contention-As we know, Michael Gow’s ‘Away’ draws heavily from the lives of Australians after the Vietnam War. Coral and her journey to the Gold Coast after the loss of her son to the War is one major example of a transformational journey, physically and emotionally, and can be seen throughout the play as Michael Gow employs an abundant use stage props, movement and actions, and character intent to demonstrate the power of the journey she takes. The emotional and physical journey undertaken by Coral after the Vietnam war may be evident in her use of props in act 5 of the play, described as “Coral comes in carrying her hat upside down,” followed by “she digs her hands into the crown of the hat and lifts out a handful of shells,” may be perceived
The short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Is about a girl named Connie and her encounter with a strange man calling himself Arnold Friend. Connie is a young girl in high school who takes great pride in her looks. Her looks mean everything to her and gives her a sense of vanity. However, she does not have a good relationship with her family members.
Not experiencing war is a luxury many people unfortunately do not get; however, Ishmael Beah, the author of A Long Way Gone, lives and survives the war, though not without heartache. With war there is always fear, death, and hell. Ishmael Beah proves war is hell through the killing of civilians, the distrust, and the after effects of the war. Ishmael proves war is hell through the killing of civilians. Many innocent bystanders of the war are forced out of their homes, made to run for their lives.
All the Wrong Places I’m sure we’ve all heard about young and beautiful attention seeking girls who eventually end up in sticky situations. There are times where they may not ever get out of the situation but, if they do, they attempt to change their ways. In Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “ Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” , a character named Connie fits right in that category. Connie is very vain and loves attention. Connie’s attention seeking ways lands her in a predicament that she rather not be in.
Born to Bengali parents in July 1967,in London and with her family’s move to Rhode Island, Jhumpa Lahiri began life in the U.S.A. She grew up in the background of traditional Bengali culture. From childhood, she often accompanied her back to India-particularly to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata).. She observes that her parents retain a sense of emotional exile and she herself grew up with conflicting expectations. In her work, Lahiri, is a second-generation immigrant, reflects on the Indian diaspora and creates a narrative that reveals the inconsistency of the concept of identity and cultural difference in the space of diapora.
This essay will argue what is meant by the representation of the Other in the novels The Icarus Girl and Shadow Tag. The other is a representation of the questions surrounding identity that arise in these texts. The Icarus Girl focuses on the alternate identities of Jessamy Harrison and her struggle to find a fitting identity because of having a multi-national heritage. Shadow Tag takes a different approach to the question of identity, as Irene America attempts to escape her identity as a domestic abuse victim in the blue diary that she keeps hidden from her husband Gil. There is also the question about the identity of the narrative voice of the novel.
It might seem like “Great Lakes Ghost Ship” and “Fly Away Home” are different kinds of stories. One is a long book about kids that are in a ghost ship. The other story is a short story about a homeless kid. But if you look deeper into both stories, you will see that both stories share a common theme.
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was written by the author Joyce Carol Oates in 1966. Oates describes her idea for the story after briefly reading an article about the real-life murderer, Charles Schmid, who lured and murdered three teenage girls (Kirszner & Mandell 523). She uses this idea to create the character, Arnold Friend, and his victim, Connie. Connie is a typical teenage girl portrayed as naïve and self-centered. The short story appears realistic, given that the conflict in the story is based off of real events.
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is about a teenage girl named Connie who is in the mist of her adolescent rebellion. She wants to prove her maturity to others and herself. In the story, Oates describes that Connie always lets her mind flow freely in between her daydream. She even creates and keeps dreaming about her ideal male figure in her mind to make her happy and satisfied. Oates allows the reader to step into Connie’s “dream world” through the appearance of Arnold Friend.
In the non-fiction book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo chronicles the life in the Mumbai Slum of Annawadi in India and focuses on the character Abdul Husain. She describes the harsh living conditions of the slum, how the citizens of these areas live and try to survive and the actions of the corrupted government. The book tells the readers that the author traveled to these areas and conducted research and interviews with certain individuals and studied the history of the place in order to obtain knowledge and insight on how people in the slums in poverty go through. The book also contains messages of “survival of the fittest”, corrupted government and law systems, family life in a place with limited resources and help, and facing
Different kinds of credibility determines wether the historical narrative is fiction or not. This
Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan recounts the event of the Partition of India, which happened in 1947. Set in a fictional village of Mano Majra, the novel aims to depict the cultural and political clash between the Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims and, by following the development of the characters, unveil the moral of humanity. Throughout the novel, Singh portrays the experience of conflict that each character, including Juggut Singh, Iqbal Singh, and Hukum Chand, has to deal with. Based on the characters’ development, Singh’s goal is to present the idea that love always conquers the power of violence and ethnic antagonism. Singh starts off with a description of the Partition and of Mano Majra, a habitat for Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims.
Shadow theory is the understanding and analyzation of characteristics that the subject is unaware of: weaknesses, repressed ideas, desires, instincts, and shortcomings. The side of a any given personality which is not consciously displayed in public may have positive or negative qualities, and this is the Shadow self. When the Shadow remains unconscious, it causes problems for the person that holds that Shadow and the people that interact with them. Baker believes, “The Shadow self also embodies many darker aspects of the main character’s personality as well as deeply repressed impulses that aren’t always conspicuous to the reader” (1). When reading Hamlet, readers may not pick up on Hamlet’s Shadow.
“See you soon” is a common phrase used by people as a form of saying goodbye; some use this phrase to make a goodbye less sad. Saying goodbye to a person is difficult, especially when he or she is a loved one. In the story of Destino by Walt Disney and Salvador Dali, a loved one is lost and the story is told in a way of flashbacks. In the song “See You Again” by Charlie Puth, a loved one is lost, but the story is told as a way to say “thank you for all of the good times” waiting for the day where the two people can reconnect. Both the short story and the song analyze the idea of losing a person, but not the memories of the lost loved one.