Anil's Ghost Essay

Identity is important to everyone. It affects how others see you, as well as alters their judgement of you. In the novel Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje, identity and the character’s search for it both play a major role in the development of key characters and the plot. The identity of Sailor, the skeleton being studied throughout the novel by Anil and Sarath, plays a significant role in advancing the plot. The theme of identity is also apparent in Anil. She defies the identity that both her family and society attempt to place upon her. Her actions, both in the past and throughout the novel, display Anil’s distaste for roles and identities placed upon people, especially herself. Additionally, Anil’s decision to take her brother’s unused name,

plus her insistence on keeping it masculine, blatantly showcases her refusal to conform to stereotypical gender roles. The novel Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje displays a strong theme of identity; the character’s desire to discover their own identity is apparent, as well as Ondaatje’s use of identity as a device to further the plot.
The protagonists of Anil’s Ghost work throughout the novel to uncover the identity of the mysterious Sailor, a skeleton with suspected connections to the Sri Lankan government’s role in a string of murders. First and foremost, the initial belief that Sailor is simply the skeleton of an ancient human is destroyed when Anil discovers just how recently Sailor’s death occurred. When Anil and Sarath visit Ananda, they discover that Sailor is actually a miner named Ruwan

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Kumara, and that his death is very likely connected to the recent murders linked to the government.

“There was too much political turmoil, and it was unsafe. They were finding dead bodies daily, not even buried, in the adjoining fields” (Ondaatje 301). The discovery of Sailor’s true identity and his role in the investigation led to even more conflict in Sri Lanka… but justice had to be served. Furthermore, Sailor’s identity is used quite covertly by Ondaatje to represent the identities of the countless victims of the Sri Lankan civil war. This is used to help further the plot of the novel. “Who is he? The representative of all those lost voices. To give him a name would name the rest” (Ondaatje 55). This demonstrates how Anil views Sailor. She names him, an act that somewhat generalizes him. He no longer has his individual identity; instead, he is the same as all the others who perished in the war, and he represents them. Finally, Anil herself has a major effect on Sailor’s perceived identity. At one point, Anil displays guilt that the skeleton does not have a name, and takes it upon herself to give him one. Consequently, Anil is disregarding the fact that Sailor is no longer a living, animate being. Anil’s actions seem uncharacteristic; throughout the novel, she does everything in her power to avoid being labelled. Yet, when it comes to someone else, she apparently has no issue unnecessarily foisting names and labels upon others. Later, Anil is forced to accept that Sailor

is not whom she originally believed. Pieces of contradictory information discovered by Anil, Sarath, and Ananda force Anil to take a step back and reassess her initial interpretation of Sailor. This enables Anil to realize that “the other version of Sailor was different” (Ondaatje 178) from the Sailor she has studied and come to know. The act of naming Sailor creates a situation where Sailor has no say when it comes to his identity, and Anil has rather hypocritically taken control over his identity as an individual. This is the one thing that Anil refuses to allow happen to her, the one thing she

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despises the most. Anil’s reconstruction of Sailor’s identity contradicts her quest to discover and develop her own.
Anil’s identity is a major component of herself as a character, her development as a character, and her role in the novel. First of all, her clear disinterest in embracing, or even acknowledging, her Sri Lankan heritage is an obvious component of her individual identity as the novel’s protagonist. However, in the final pages of the book, Anil’s speech includes the phrase, “I think you killed hundreds of us” (Ondaatje 272), to which Sarath thinks to himself, “Hundreds of us. Fifteen years later and she is finally ‘us’” (Ondaatje 272). This shows that, as much as Anil distances herself from her birthplace, both literally and mentally, she finally recognizes that her identity and how others view her may not be something she can control. Furthermore, Anil’s iconic label as “The Swimmer” is rejected when Anil returns to Sri Lanka. She does not want that part of her former identity to continue to be associated with her adult self. Anil is filled with contempt when it comes to her past as a swimmer. “Anil had been an exceptional swimmer as a teenager, and the family never got over it. The talent was locked to her for life” Ondaatje 47). For many, “The Swimmer” may be a large part of Anil’s perceived identity. Anil, on the other hand, vehemently rejects this label and attempts to control her individual identity and how others see her. Finally, the most prominent proof of Anil’s lifelong identity crisis occurs before the events of the novel. When Anil was young, she decided to discard her given name and purchase her brother’s second name from him. Anil found herself fighting for claim to the name, and eventually came to an accord with her brother. She was forced to pay him a strange fee; “She gave her brother one hundred saved rupees, a pen he had been eyeing for some time, a tin of fifty Gold Leaf cigarettes she had found, and a sexual favour he had demanded in the last hours of the impasse” (Ondaatje, 68). Even as a child, Anil displays the intense desire to control

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her identity. The act of buying such a masculine name, plus the further effort she put in to keep the name in its masculine form, proves this. It is evident that Anil’s need for control over her identity is a significant factor in the events and plot of the novel.
Finally, many the significant events included in Anil’s Ghost are largely affected by Anil’s decisions concerning her own identity.

Firstly, Anil’s decision to divorce her controlling husband showcases her desire to spread her wings and develop her own identity. The man she was married to while she was living in London was a very jealous man, green with envy over her successes in her field, especially as a woman. She saw their relationship as “an attempt to limit her research and studies” (Ondaatje 144). Anil describes the marriage as a “handcuff”, and says that it “almost buried her” (Ondaatje 144). Anil is unwilling to allow someone to control her or force her to conform to gender stereotypes by making her “the perfect wife”. Furthermore, Anil’s relationship with her temporary lover, Cullis, ends in a similar fashion. Afraid of becoming attached, controlled, or trapped, Anil abandons Cullis. She cannot convince him that casual relationships are safer and easier, so she cuts him loose. “Anil leaves nothing of herself or him to hold on to” (Ondaatje 264). This further demonstrates Anil’s refusal to allow another any control over her life in the slightest. Lastly, Anil’s decision to follow her heart into the field of forensic anthropology, instead of becoming a doctor like her father, shows her desire to develop as an individual. Anil is constantly developing and changing her identity through her experiences. She travels everywhere for her work, and while in Arizona she

describes herself as “light years beyond the character she had been in London” (Ondaatje 147). Anil’s desire to control her identity changes continuously throughout the novel. By the end of the book, Anil accepts the fact that it is unreasonable for her to expect to have full control over her identity. In conclusion, it is
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evident that both Anil’s character development and the plot’s development rely on Anil’s personality and identity throughout the novel.
In the novel Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje, identity is clearly a significant and valued theme. As proven using examples of Anil’s struggle with identity, the race to uncover Sailor’s identity, and the author’s use of character identity as a plot device, Anil’s Ghost contains a strong theme of identity and its importance. Firstly, it is undeniable that the study of Sailor and his unknown identity, plus the character’s journey to prove that his death is the fault of the government, significantly affects the plot of the novel. Secondly, Anil’s identity throughout the book undoubtedly affects major decisions and events that alter the ending of the novel. Finally, key hints, allusions, and dramatic irony throughout the book affect many of Anil’s decisions. This is especially true when it comes to preserving and protecting her own identity. Identity is a crucial part of everyone’s lives. It affects almost everything in the world. As the famous Greek philosopher once said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”