In the novel, The Hungry Tide, by Amitav Ghosh we’re shown how important it is to Piya and Kanai that somebody around them is different then they are. in the first two chapters Kanai obsessively looks into how different Piya may be. He completely stares her down from the way that her hair looks, to how she walks, how she dresses, and how she speaks. “Kanai like to think that he had the true connoisseur ability to both praise, and praise women, and he was intrigued. By the way, she held herself, by the unaccustomed delineation of her stance. It occurred to him suddenly that, perhaps, despite her silver, ear stud, and the tints of her skin, she was not Indi except by the scent. And the moment the thought occurred to him, he was convinced of it.: she was a foreigner; it was stamped in her posture, and the way she stood, balancing on her heels, like a fly, weight boxer, with her feet planted apart.” In his head, he completely makes up a story about her assuming where she’s from, and how she’s raised, and why she’s here. All in all, he is completely taken by her,  and has completely invested himself into her. Even with himself Kanai likes to think that he is better because he speaks multiple languages. he also believes that he has so much depth to him and so much knowledge that people should look up to him and should see him as different. So much so that he believes him and Piya would go great together because of how different they both are.

While on the other hand, Piya meets Fokir and sees him as something so foreign and in a way reminiscent of her father. With small details such as the cloth, they use to wash up or the protective essence that he provides her with. Like giving her privacy to shower and get ready, warn her about the dangers of laying on one side of the boat, going into save her when she falls into the water, offering her food, and providing her with warmth when she is cold. throughout the whole time that they talk to each other, they aren’t able to fully communicate since they can’t use words due to the language barrier, which in a way provides Piya with something that she has never experienced before and she was able to feel a connection with someone that she can’t speak to then that is even more dreamy. overall I believe that a big part of the hungry tide is to show a humans craving for opposite to them. Something that they have not been able to experience before, something that makes them feel new and different.

In Amitav Ghosh’s novel, The Hungry Tide, the relationship between humans and animals in the Sundarbans is constantly at odds. Animals in the mangrove forest, lions, crocodiles, and snakes are regarded as dangerous because of their innate habit of killing humans for no particular reason. Unlike typical tigers that “attacked humans only in abnormal circumstances: if they happened to be crippled or were otherwise unable to hunt down any other kind of prey…Tide country’s tigers, even young and healthy animals were known to attack human beings” (199-200). The tigers’ propensity for killing humans simply out of habit has led to approximately “4,218 [deaths]… in lower Bengal in a six-year period – between the years 1860 and 1866” (199). These are just the deaths that have been accounted for. According to Nilima, there are likely many more, especially when you consider “the Indian part of the Sundarbans” (199). Due to this, the people consider killing the animals as their only solution to have some semblance of safety in their homes. One prime example is when a tiger breaks into a village to steal livestock and gets trapped and killed by the human settlers living there as revenge for previously killing two of their settlers and many of their livestock. Piya states that she could “hear the flames cackling in the distance and she smelled the reek of burning fur and flesh” (244). Unlike Piya and other environmentalists who believe the life of animals such as the tiger should be preserved at all costs, the villagers don’t see the value in the tiger’s life, all they see is a predator whom they have to kill before it kills them. 

The discourse between who’s right and wrong is complex and complicated. On one end of the argument are environmentalists, like Piya, who see value in the lives of tigers and other animals in the Sundarbans. For them, specifically Piya, populations such as the tigers should be preserved in their natural habitat, not kept in captivity or killed off because “it was what was intended… by the earth, by the planet that keeps us all alive” (249). Humans don’t own the earth, they were meant to share it with flora and fauna. It’s not the right of the human species to go around killing animals simply out of fear or revenge. Besides, when Daniel Hamilton first came to the region, “there was nothing but forest… no people, no embankment, no fields. Just kada ar bada, mud, and mangrove…tigers, crocodiles, sharks, leopard” (44). The animals occupied the region before the ancestors of the people living there came and started building settlements. They had made the Sundarbans their home until S’Daniel discovered the region and made it free for people to come and make settlements for themselves, all at the expense of the animals already living there. From Piya’s perspective, it could be argued that the animals only had the means and opportunity to kill that many people because they ventured into a habitat that was already occupied. 

Furthermore, on the other side of the argument are people like Fokir, Nirmal, and the other settlers that have lived in the area for most, if not all of their lives and see predatory animals like the crocodiles and tigers as a nuisance that shouldn’t be elevated above the life of a human. Fokir doesn’t necessarily believe in killing animals senselessly, he values their lives in the sense that they provide him and his family with sustenance. In addition, he also believes that “When a tiger comes into a human settlement, it’s because it wants to die” (244). Fokir’s relationship with the animals and nature is tied directly to his belief system. His belief system revolves around the idea that Bon Bibi, his god, has control over one-half of the Tide country which is safe for human settlement, while the other half is controlled by Dokkhin Rai and his demon hordes which are manifested through the animals. For him and many others who believe in Bon Bibi, the human settlers are under her protection and any animal that threads into her territory should be ready to face her wrath, whether directly or through the actions of the settlers themselves. Similarly, people like Nirmal and Nilima may not value the lives of predatory animals like crocodiles and tigers because they are aware of the damage they have caused to the lives of people living on islands in the Sundarbans. Nirmal started her organization because women were expected to be widowed by the age of twenty due to their husbands being killed off by predatory animals or nature itself. Not to mention, the people in the Sundarbans are mostly poor and instead of putting money towards helping these people, the government is focused on preserving the lives of animals which seems ludicrous to both Nirmal and Nilima. 

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer to who is more important or who has more ownership of the land. Each side has justifiable arguments for why they believe what they believe. It all boils down to a matter of perspective. 

Starting Amitav Ghosh’s Novel The Hungry Tide, I as a south asian myself understood a lot of  the references made in the novel, even though I don’t speak Bangla. The grunginess of the environment and the state that people live in, I am well aware of, so going into this novel I was not taken aback by the setting. However, the use of language or rather the lack thereof, made me realize how powerful the omission of language can be when done well. Specifically, Fokir and Piya’s time spent on the river allowed for more development in their relationship compared to Kanai’s and Piya’s, and that is what I am going to analyze in this post.

Throughout the novel, Kanai is seen as this figure that’s very self absorbed and in some instances tone deaf. He often thinks he is the smartest person in the room and it often leads to embarrassing situations when his personality flares. The interactions between Piya and Kanai are perfect examples of this. Many of Piya’s Interactions with Kanai have a slight uncomfortable undertone to them where Kanai would be inadvertently be flirting with Piya just ofr her to think that she wished the conversation would steer elsewhere. This constant uncomfortableness acts as a barrier between the two characters where it becomes somewhat clear to the readers that it would be a while before anything more comes out of their relationship. Switching to Piya and Fokir however, their relationship immediately seems to have more chemistry despite their lack of language use. The two characters barely speak to each other yet they (or rather Piya) seems to resonate with each other more.

Throughout the novel, you start to see similarities blossom between Piya and Fokir as their backstories are revealed. Both have lost a parent in some way and both have been criticized for what they choose to do. Fokir is criticized by his wife for continuing to fish and taking their son with him where Piya is also criticized just by society. A woman doing her work in a dangerous place. These two staples in their characters shape who they are and how they act. And going back to their lack of language use, none of them can truly judge each other. Aside from body language, at the end of the day all they could do was to make assumptions about each other based on their actions. Piya for example appreciated Fokir’s empathy and letting her have her own space on the boat. Furhtermore she also she grew closer to him especially when he sang, something that his own wife did not appreciate. One appreciated Fokir for who he was as he was and the other tried to change who he was despite his unwillingness.

With this post, I’d hoped to illustrate the mastery that Ghosh has over writing. To demonstrate the lack of communication between two characters and make them come closer together is not something many can do.

Both The Parable of the Sower and The Hungry Tide utilize love as an instrument to convey their stories and offer hope. These novels depict various forms of love, such as family and romantic love. Parable of the Sower highlights the importance of community and mutual dependence in the face of a changing world due to climate change. The families in Robledo exemplify this, relying on each other for protection and support. When the town is destroyed, Lauren leans on Harry and Zahra for help and comfort. The story also emphasizes the need to provide for those who are less fortunate and without shelter. Lauren puts this into practice by rescuing Allie and Jill, who are injured and stranded after an earthquake. Similarly, Bankole opens his home to the group, demonstrating the importance of hospitality and generosity.

Similarly, The Hungry Tide portrays family love, for instance, when Kanai visits Lusibari, despite his busy schedule, at his aunt’s request. Another example is the Women’s Trust, a community where women can share their grievances and receive comfort from other women. Another example of family love is when the villagers came together to kill the tiger. The villagers saw the tiger as an enemy and worked together to kill it (241). It reminded me of Nixon’s argument about how he wishes humans would put in the same effort to fight climate change as they do when terrorism, for example. Ghosh uses family love to urge his readers to unify and fight against climate change. The use of family love promotes solidarity and resistance against climate change. Butler and Ghosh could have opted to write a novel that only concentrates on the main character’s journey in combating or living in a climate-changed world; instead, they decided to illustrate family love, companionship, and mutual aid. They do this to teach readers that in order to survive a world impacted by climate change they will need to rely on each other.

In the Parable of the Sower and The Hungry Tide, the authors utilize romance as a narrative device to convey their story. I find incorporating romance into the plot makes it more captivating and engaging. However, I believe that the authors specifically chose romantic love and family love to educate their readers on how to survive in a world affected by climate change. In the Parable of the Sower, there are romantic relationships between characters such as Zahra and Harry, Lauren, and Curtis, and later on, Lauren and Bankole. Octavia Butler included these relationships because of the age gaps and races. Among these couples, Lauren and Curtis are considered socially acceptable. Zahra, previously married, and Harry are a mixed couple. Lauren and Bankole have a big age difference, with Bankole being 57 years old and Lauren being around 20 years old. Butler intended to demonstrate that love is limitless through the portrayal of these relationships. She aims to teach us that relationships and love can continue to flourish even when faced with adversity. By showcasing a diverse range of relationships, readers can connect with and see how their own love stories can endure in a challenging world.

While Butler explores the various shapes and colors of romantic love, Ghosh examines the dramatic twists and turns of love. So far from what we have read from The Hungry Tide, there is one love square and one love triangle. The Love Square: Kanai likes Piya. Piya likes Fokir, who is married to Moyna. Meanwhile, Kanai finds Moyna attractive. The Love Triangle: Nirmal and Nilima are married, but there are rumors of an affair between Kusum and Nirmal. I believe Ghosh incorporated complicated love stories into the narrative to make it more engaging and keep readers invested in the drama while also educating them about climate change. Some argue that romance distracts from the climate- change narrative, but I believe it enhances the story by making it more relatable and realistic for readers. Moreover, if someone decides to read the book because of the romance, they will still come away with the satisfaction of having romance and gaining new knowledge. The authors aim to inspire readers by showcasing what they have and reminding them that there’s a world worth fighting for, rather than just showing what they could lose.

When it comes to climate fiction, the portrayal of love and relationships can have a profound impact on the overall narrative. In my view, the presence or absence of love can shape the way characters interact with each other, and even influence the choices they make in the face of environmental challenges. For instance, a story that emphasizes the importance of love and connection in the face of climate change may inspire readers to take collective action to address the issue. On the other hand, a tale that depicts isolation and despair amid a changing climate could underscore the urgency of addressing the problem before it’s too late. Ultimately, the role of love in cli-fi is complex and multifaceted, but it’s clear that it has the power to drive the plot forward and inspire readers to think deeply about the impact of climate change on their lives.

 As I began reading the novel, “The Hungry Tide” the landscape of India seemed very foreign to me. I wanted to do some of my own research to better understand India’s landscape between the rural areas and the cities. India is one of the most populated places in the world with a population of 1.8 billion people. Some of its most populated cities are Mumbai, Bangalore, and Dehli. With the population being so high it began to make me think about how the impact of climate change will affect these areas the hardest. As resources become less available it will be hard to accommodate everyone in these densely populated areas.

India is known for its monsoon seasons, for those who are unfamiliar with monsoon season it occurs due to the temperature changes resulting in strong wind changes.  There are two different types wet monsoon seasons and dry monsoon seasons. The summer brings on a wet monsoon season producing rain from the warm humid air this lasts from June until September. In areas like India, this season is extremely intense due to the Himalayas preventing dry air into the humid region. From December until February, the winds move south in the Intertropical Convergence Zone bringing dry weather.

These seasons are crucial to agricultural output in India, these seasons are fairly consistent. However, with climate change, there are future climate simulations predicting 5-10% change in rainfall. This percentage is a significant amount and would greatly impact the production of crops due to droughts or flooding. With the overall temperature of the planet rising it will produce more moisture in the air. Particularly the moisture from the air from the Indian Ocean would create greater amounts of rainfall during the summer months. However, the people that live in India are familiar with flooding and droughts. These seasons it bring intense weather changes. However, scientists are predicting that global warming will only intensify these seasonal changes.

In addition to climate change causing intense flooding, the practices used for deforestation and urbanization are changing the land out of the land. Removing biodiversity around rivers, like the Hooghly River increases erosion in these areas. This increase in erosion is polluting the water supply. Disturbing the ecosystem of these bodies of water affects the aquatic life, the pH of the water, and the humans that are using it. This river is located close to the Bay of Bengal, which consists of salt water. The saltwater from the Bay of Bengal changes the natural characteristics of riverbed materials and sediment. Due to the increase in urbanization of the land, more flooding will occur. Causing intrusions from other bodies of water like the Bay of Bengal increasing the rate of change in the current river’s ecosystem.

By doing my own research I am able to better understand this novel. Additionally, it gave me insight into how climate change will affect people globally. Prior to my research, I was only familiar with the effects of global warming to the environment around me.

Sources

https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/10/3/71#:~:text=These%20changes%20have%20a%20direct,for%20various%20uses%2C%20including%20domestic. 

https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/indian-monsoon-changing-climate 

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/storms/monsoons