Thinking Activity:Gun Island

Hello readers ! 

I am Daya Vaghani, a student of the Department of English in MK Bhavnagar University.As part of the syllabus, we are studying Contemporary Literature in Semester 4.In this blog, I will discuss the novel "Gun Island" by Amitav Ghosh. This thinking activity is assigned by our professor Dilip Barad sir.Click here to visit the teacher's blog on this novel. In his blog, you will find the video recording of the session on this particular novel.

Let’s look at the author of the novel “Gun Island”.

Amitav Ghosh

• Born  : Calcutta, IndiaJuly 11, 1956
• Website: http://www.amitavghosh.com
• Genre :Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Amitav Ghosh is a contemporary writer of the twentieth century. He is an Indian writer and the winner of the 54th Jnanpith award, India’s highest literary honour, best known for his work in English fiction. 

Ghosh's ambitious novels use complex narrative strategies to probe the nature of national and personal identity, particularly of the people of India and Southeast Asia. 

Gun Island:-

 

Amitav Ghosh’s latest novel, Gun Island, traces familiar crosscultural patterns evident in his earlier novels. There are journeys by land and water, diaspora and migration, experiences aboard ships, the world of animals and sea-creatures. Ghosh foregrounds environmental issues like climate change and the danger to fish from chemical waste dumped into rivers by factories, concerns that carry over from earlier books like The Hungry Tide and The Great Derangement.

Gun Island describes the quest of Deen, a scholar and collector of rare books, who returns from New York, his city of domicile, to the Sunderbans in West Bengal to unravel the mystery and legend of a seventeenth-century merchant, Bonduki Sada-gar, translated “The Gun Merchant,” and his persecution by Manasa Devi, mythical goddess of snakes. In a talk held in New Delhi after the release of the novel, Ghosh stated that the merchant “was a trope for trade.” The merchant and the goddess dramatize “the conflict between profit and the world.” In the novel, the goddess pursues the merchant to make him aware of other realities like the animal world: “Humans—driven, as was the Merchant, by the quest of profit—would recognize no restraint in relation to other living things.”

We learn that the old Arabic name for Venice was al-Bunduqevya, which is also the name for guns. Deen concludes that the name Bonduki Sadagar did not perhaps mean the Gun Merchant but the Merchant who went to Venice. When Deen travels to Venice to research further on the Gun Merchant, he discovers that many Bangladeshis are being employed as illegal migrant labor. Their hazardous journey across the Middle East and Africa and the strong, even militant opposition to their presence in the city by Italian authorities form a major segment of the second part of the novel, contrasting with the Gun Merchant’s past, prosperous journey to Venice.

Women are a stronger presence and force in the novel than in Ghosh’s earlier fiction. Cinta is a scholar from Venice working on the role of Venice in the medieval spice trade from India. Piya Roy, the cetologist from The Hungry Tide, reappears in this novel and offers the aging, lonely Deen hope of a romantic partner. Nilima Bose runs the Badabon Trust, an effective charitable organization, and Lubna is a Bangladeshi immigrant working for the cause of illegal immigrants.

In depicting a wide range of diverse characters from various countries and subtly invoking myth and history, fact and fiction, Ghosh has created a work that contrasts nostalgia for a lost past with concerns for the contemporaneous.(New York. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2019)

1. How does Amitav Ghosh use the myth of Gun Merchant 'Bonduki Sadagar' and Manasa Devi to initiate discussion on the issue of Climate Change and Migration/Refugee crisis / Human Trafficking?

In Gun Island with the use of myth, Ghosh wants to talk about the serious problem we are facing today: climate change and migration. Amitav Ghosh very intellectually used this myth of The Gun Merchant and Manasa Devi.The whole story is about the pilgrimage of Gun merchant as well as of Dinanath. Both characters and the events are connected with each other. It is a kind of similar story.With the use of myth Ghosh wants to n

Convey the message of climate change and migration to the world.

Climate change

Now let's discuss how Amitav Ghosh uses the myth of Gun Merchant 'Bonduki Sadagar' and Manasa Devi to initiate discussion on the issue of Climate Change and Migration/Refugee crisis / Human Trafficking.In this novel we can find many incidents that are talking about climate change.The incidents like the floods in Sundarban , tides in Venice and The wildfire in Los Angeles.While reading we can see that Nilima talked about the cyclone that came in Sundarban.Because of pollution and human disturbance many animals and various species are changing their places. Fertiliser and other chemicals create a dead zone in water and because of that dolphins have to change their place and path often.

While discussing the theme of climate change sir gave the current example of wildfires that happened in California it can be connected with The wildfire in Los Angeles. Click here to know more about it.

According to Trina Bose “This climate-induced human displacement from the Sundarbans in contemporary times resembles that of the Gun Merchant in the ancient legend of the Gun Merchant used in the text, who fled his homeland to save his life from the destructive forces of climate change symbolized by the fury and revenge of the Goddess Manasa whom the Merchant disrespected. Cinta who is an Italian historian in the text offers a pragmatic interpretation of the ancient legendary story of the Gun Merchant. The parallel journey of the climate-driven migrants of the past (the Gun Merchant) and the present (the underprivileged from the Sundarbans) elucidates that the legend is “an apocryphal record of a real journey to Venice” (Ghosh, 2019, p. 138). According to Cinta, the Merchant’s “homeland, in eastern India, is struck by drought and floods brought on by the climatic disturbances of the Little Ice Age; he loses everything including his family, and decides to go overseas to recoup his fortune” (Ghosh, 2019, p. 141). Pia despondently describes the present environmental condition of the Sundarbans and the world, “We’re in a new world. No one knows where they belong any more, neither humans nor animals” (Ghosh, 2019, p. 97). It is portrayed that the outcomes of anthropogenic environmental devastations like global warming, sea-level rise, and water pollution pose an existential threat to all living beings on earth during the climate apocalypse.”

Apart from this in this novel when Deen and all the other characters are going to see the blue boat, they face many problems like, tornado, heavy wind, hailstorm and rain. This is the upheaval in the cycle of the season.In India we also find similar situation of rain in winter.For examples….

Migration

“Gun Island’s juxtaposition of a pre-modern myth with ongoing anthropogenic climate change reframes contemporary discourses of climate change migration by pointing out our shared species history that is marked by both human and non-human migrations.”

Thus, Ghosh’s novel intervenes in mainstream discussions on the “migrant crisis” in two ways: by positing human migration as a continuum rather than an exceptional event, and by underscoring the agency of the migrants by showing how Rafi and Tipu carefully execute their plans against pressures from human traffickers and border security guards. Gun Island’s juxtaposition of a premodern myth with ongoing anthropogenic climate change reframes contemporary discourses of climate change migration by pointing out that our shared species history is marked by both human and non-human migrations. By so doing, one also recognizes how the environmental humanities can offer interventionist criticism of events such as the Poland-Belarus face-off by critiquing the utilitarian and sedentarist view of the nation-state, foregrounding an ethics of alterity by situating humans relationally with other non-human and geophysical agencies.(Tathagata Som )

In this novel we can find four main reasons for the migration.

Calamities :- Lubna Khala and her family members migrated because of the flood. Everything was destroyed in her village. So they have to migrate to other place. Many other people are also migrating because of drought, cyclone, flood etc. 

Communal violence :- Bilal was a kind of person who helped his friend's family. He and Kabir are friends. Kabir's land was grabbed by his uncle. 

Poverty :- Tipu and Rafi migrate because of poverty. Rafi hasn't enough money to pay the loan. Poverty can be the one of the reason of migration.

Socio-Economic Condition :- There is a character of Palash whose financial condition was good, he is not facing any violence nor calamities. But he has a kind of fantasy or dream to go Finland and for that he is migrating. But then he was not able to make his dream true. 

While discussing about migration in the classroom sir has shared one news connected with it.

Example of Migration :Gujarati family found dead in deadly cold while illegally entering USA.In this tragic incident we van read both the climate as deadly tool that kills human and human trafficing.

2. How does Amitav Ghosh make use of the 'etymology' of common words to sustain mystery and suspense in the narrative?

Etymology is the study of the history of words.By extension, the etymology of a word means its origin and development throughout history.In this novel Ghosh uses many words with it’s etymology.

1.Gun Island

2.Bhut - Ghost 

3.Possession 

4.Land of Palm Sugar Candy

5.Land of Kerchieves 

6.Island of Chains

 

1. Gun Island

 

When we read the title we thought there may be a reference to 'Gun' in the novel. But no, there is no direct reference to gun in the novel. There is 'Island within Island…' Gun here is refer as a reference of foundry.There is one foundry where armaments, including bullets, were cast. And the word used for foundry in Venetian dialect is "ghetto". And the world "ghetto" is derived from "getto" and it is connected with Jews.But again there is no reference of Jews in the novel. 

The other vocabulary for Venice is linked to three apparently unrelated things - hazelnuts, bullets and guns ! The shape of hazelnuts is similar to that of bullets which are, in turn, indispensable for guns ! Venice in Arabic language is "Banadiq" - the ancestor of the German and Swedish "Venedig". In Arabic "Banadiq" became "al-Bunduqeyya". So this gun is referred to as Venice, not gun ! So the ultimate meaning of the title is - a merchant who visited Venice and who found ghetto-foundry. 

2.Bhut - Ghost 

In part one of the novel in one of the chapters named Brooklyn, there is a conversation between Dinanath Datta and Tipu through email. Tipu asked Deen, ``What is the meaning of "Bhuta" ? Does it mean "ghost" or something else ? Deen explains that in Bangla bhoot/bhuta means according to Sanskrit root "bhu" means "to be" or "to manifest". So "bhuta" simply means "a being" or "an existing presence". This word "bhuta" also refers to the past, in the sense of "a past state of being". Like we use "bhuta-kala" or "times past". So this "bhuta" is not "ghost" but it is "memory". So it can be with you in the form of memory. 

3.Possession 

There is reference to the word possession in the novel. Possession is when someone is taken over by a demon. And the demon is nothing but it's just a metaphor for greed, an imaginary thing. So possession is not like someone's soul comes into our body and all things ! It's our greed that we have taken over that greed. It is a kind of awakening also, you are waking up to things that you had never imagined or sensed before. In other words we can say possession is consciousness of things. 

4.Land of Palm Sugar Candy

The Bengali word for this is "taal-misrir-dish". Desh = country, taal= kind of palm tree that produces a sugar syrup, Bengali word for sugar candy is misri. Cinta said that the Arabic word "Misr" is used for Egypt. So this place is referred to as Egypt. 

5.Land of Kerchieves 

Cinta asked for the Bengali translation of this word. Deen told her it was called Rumaali-desh. In Bengali Rumaal is a handkerchief. Chinta said it is about Rumelia, and this Rumeli-Hisari is located in Turkey. 

5.Island of Chains

The Bengali word for this is "shikol-dwip". And this is a reference to Sikelia and that is now Sicily. So the Island of Chains is used for Sicily. 

3. What are your views on the use of myth and history in the novel Gun Island to draw the attention of the reader towards contemporary issues like climate change and migration?

Yes, obviously this novel is written to draw the attention of the readers towards the problems like climate change and migration. Because nowadays we are facing many problems of climate change and migration. It is the writer's duty to make aware the people of the world through the work of art.

4.Is there any connection between 'The Great Derangement' and 'Gun Island'?

On the surface, Gun Island may seem like a fun, fast-paced adventure story, but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface that’s easy to miss on a first read. To really get the most out of this novel, it’s helpful to read it critically using Amitav Ghosh’s nonfiction book The Great Derangement as a guiding framework.

Published in 2017 by the University of Chicago Press, The Great Derangement is based on a series of four lectures Amitav Ghosh gave at the University of Chicago for the Berlin Family Lectures. In the book, Ghosh explores the hesitancy of literary fiction to address climate change and questions why books that do address climate change are often disregarded or looked down upon by the literati as pulp or science fiction.

"It certainly is my attempt at an answer. When I finished writing 'The Great Derangement', I said to myself, 'What the hell have I done?' Look at this book questioning how fiction approaches these subjects and now I have to think of an answer.”(Amitav Ghosh)

So Gun Island is a kind of example or explanation of those questions. With the help of literature we can understand serious problems like climate change and migration.

5. There are many Italian words in the novel. Have you tried to translate these words into English or Hindi with the help of google translate app ? If so, how is machine translation helping in proper translation of Italian words into English or Hindi ?

Yes,after the activity done by us in the class i tried to find Italian words from the novel and translated it with the help of google translator.Click here to view the spredsheet of the words.

Thank You....

Work Citated

• Ghosh, Amitav. The Gun Island. 2019.
• Tathagata, Som. “The Place of the Planet: Climate Change and Migration in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island.” NiCHE, 6 Dec. 2021, niche-canada.org/2021/12/06/the-place-of-the-planet-climate-change-and-migration-in-amitav-ghoshs-gun-island.
• Trina, Bose. “The Crisis of Climate and Immigration in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island.” Istanbul University Press, 2021, cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/9327DD382C4940C29C3AEFC47E4D9A2A.