Decolonizing the Mind in Amitav Ghosh Writing: A Postcolonial Study of The Shadow Lines

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to explore the spirit of decolonization through the representation of the characters’ sensibility that creates the room in their mind for the sense of nationalism against the Eurocentric culture. Ghosh in The Shadow Lines has tried to restore the national identity of the characters with a sense of liberalism and universal brotherhood. Through the presentation of the characters with their sentiments, he obliquely satirizes the lines that create the gap among the nations. In this novel, Tha’mma, a major figure, tries to free her own nation from the despotic clutch of British rule by showing her earnest desire to contribute in the activities of national leaders, where as Tridib and the narrator believe in their intellectual imagination that is far beyond the grip of all kind of boundaries constructed by the imperialistic demand of the Eurocentric zeal. Again, Ila, another character of the novel, tends to adopt the western culture but is criticised by Tha’mma for her blindly following nature of western culture. However, the characters in their presentation bring forth the sense of nationality to strengthen the decolonizing spirit of mind.