Thematic Thinker The novel Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai is about the journey of living and reveals that life is not fair not to mention, it will always continue to advance with no pauses regardless of the situation. Early in the book, Amrith the main protagonist is introduced as a fourteen year old boy who lives without a mother and father due to a tragic incident. In regards to the father, Amrith dislikes his presence seeing as he is always drunk and arguing with Amrith’s
Novel Funny Boy by Syam Selvadurai Shyam Selvadurai, the author of Funny Boy, felt the necessity to write about this issue because it is kept in the dark, especially in Sri Lanka. In addition, Sri Lanka is faced with many cultural problems. The Tamils and Singhalese are in constant conflict because of their different moral values. Selvadurai grew up in this type of atmosphere, he was homosexual and was raised in an environment where fighting took place regularly. Selvadurai decided to write this
influence of our family is what shapes our culture and beliefs. Although our parents believe this is the best culture to follow, we often find ourselves questioning it. This creates complexity within the acceptance of being part of one’s culture. Shyam Selvadurai and Marjane Satrapi, use this theme within their respective novels, Funny Boy and Persepolis to demonstrate the transcendence from innocence to experience. Both main characters are introduced as children that go through an evolution to reach
Social contrasts and gender boundaries create oppression and injustice amongst the characters in Shyam Selvadurai's Funny Boy. This injustice affects the composure and behaviour of the characters throughout the novel and it appears in every aspect throughout Funny Boy. Oppression emerges within the Chelvaratnam family, who are displeased by Arjie's "tendencies", and the likelihood that he will grow up "funny." Oppression also surfaces between the Sinhalese and Tamils with ethnic riots in Sri Lanka's
Shyam Selvadurai Funny boy In the novel “Funny Boy” by Shyam Selvadurai the author explores many political issues in Sri Lanka, the main character Arji is a Tamil homosexual boy that experiences the violence and the suffering of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Similarly, in the “Science of Evil” by Simon Baron-Cohen explores how human treat other people as objects and how human can switch of their neutral feelings of sympathy for other human-being who is suffering. This theory and the author’s statement explains
child’s upbringing can severely affect who they are later in life. In particular, their transition into adulthood and the way they are initiated into this new stage of their lives is essential to their adult personalities. In “The Demoness Kali”, Shyam Selvadurai writes a story in which formal features of initiation are placed upon its main character, Shivan to demonstrate his coming of age. Through separation, mentors, and tests, Shivan is able to initiate into adulthood. Separation is a key and crucial
development due to experiences that have altered their mindsets. In The Hungry Ghosts by Shyam Selvadurai, Shivan struggles to be accepted by society due to his background and his sexual orientation. By the end of the novel, Shivan is no longer the same individual due to accepting his mistakes in his relationship, becoming aware that his fate will remain unchanged and resolving his conflicts. Shyam Selvadurai conveys the growth of Shivan in The Hungry Ghosts through the exploration of the Canadian
For Selvadurai, Namjoshi, Mootoo, questions of sexuality are as important as those of authenticity, for Boga, in Shahnaz (2000), emphasis falls on opportunities for women's education. Bisoondath challenges the 'divisiveness' of the idea of multiculturalism, as
Purpose and Form in Literature Gaganpal Sidhu During the examination of literature, there are certain aspects of written text that an author can dictate in order to allow readers to visualize and depict the meaning that is derived from the original text. Literature, throughout history, has been created to convey certain elements and provide a fictional or non-fictional image for readers to engage, understand, and create their own meaning from certain aspects that the world is aware of. Reasoning
Arjie’s Journey in Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy Growing up during a time of violent political upheaval in Sri Lanka, Arjie travels an especially bittersweet journey into maturation in Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy. The adults in Arjie’s extended family mostly belong to an older, more conservative generation that attempts to fit Arjie into society’s norms. The adults that Arjie meets in the community through his family are individuals who prompt him to see past the confines of his childhood
It was one evening, while I was reading the novel Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatjee that my ideas for a doctoral project took shape. Before reading the novel, I had heard from my Professor who taught me Post colonial studies (a course for which the novel had been prescribed) that Ondaatjee’s only novel about Sri Lanka has often been subjected to heavy criticism because of the fact that it fails to portray the island’s civil war in a credible manner. Literary scholars have subjected Anil’s Ghost
Patriarchy in Shyam Selvadurai’s Pigs Can’t Fly Woman is not born: she is made. She becomes the symbol of this and that: mother of the earth, slut of the universe and in the making, her humanity is destroyed. ~Andrea Dworkin Patriarchy is a universal system in which women are dominated. Women, in continents as diverse as Iran and China, have been subjugated through social measures such as female circumcision and bound feet. Yet as Andrea Dworkin so neatly stated, subjugation often takes more
tolerance in our societies, than all the wealth or knowledge we can ever garner. Bibliography Chatman, Seymour. "Narration: Narrator and Narratee." Reading Narrative Fiction. Ed. Seymour Chatman. New York: Macmillan, 1993. 130-141. Selvadurai, Shyam. "Pigs Can't Fly." Funny Boy. New York: Vintage, 1995. 1-40.