The story so far in The Hungry Tide is very confusing. At times it feels all over the place but sometimes pretty straight forward. The story leans into the history of characters rather than the present. The novel tells us the story of Nirmal and his journey to Morichjhãpi and Kanai questions Horen about the events that took place during that journey. But that’s not the only history talked about as we go to Kanai’s childhood and Piya’s. You have Nilima explaining the history of the jungle and all of the tiger attacks that have taken place throughout the years to Kanai. It seems that even if it’s something small like a childhood story or tiger attacks History is always an essential aspect of the novel. I feel like the novel is trying to show that even though they are in the present focused on the future, they still hold onto the past. The characters try to use the past so they can shape their future which makes sense in a way but doesn’t really work I their favor.

An example of this is the instance with the tiger in the village as Kanai and Horen want to run away as it can be dangerous for them. Fokir choses to help sharpen their weapons so that the village can kill the tiger. This is the history out there as tigers are known to kill people. But Piya Choses to run in to the village and snap the bamboo spear in front of the people which led them to become aggressive. Pita’s history especially with what she studies has her have this very strong love for animals. But Kanai, Horen and Fokir have their own history and while they might love animals, tigers and predators like that, as Fokir says “when a tiger comes into a human settlement, it’s because it wants to die.” (pg. 244) This is the peoples mindset as this is how they’ve had to live for years. Another instance of this is how Fokir spent his childhood on the sea with his father. Fishing trips are normal for the men in Lusibari and Moyna has said earlier in the novel. But as he grew up Fakir became used to being on a boat. It came to the point that as an adult he enjoys his life more while he’s on the boat. The history of these characters shaped who they are and because its all so vastly different that they tend to clash with one another.

While reading “The Hungry Tide” one can notice the rising tensions in what some would call a loved triangle between Kenai, Piya and Koshir. Kenai, as usual, puts himself on this pedestal. He believes that because he has a better job and is more modernised and successful it makes him a better man. He finds it hard to believe that Piya could ever choose Koshir over him. He also tends to belittle people when he disagrees with their lifestyle or work choices, which doesn’t exclude Piya, and he makes that extremely clear when he calls her job boring. He likes Piya but he is very self involved which really writes her off him. Meanwhile, Piya gets to know Koshir. She is intrigued by the way he loves the water and connects with it.She plans to continue working with him, which of course Kenai is confused by because he is so involved with what he has and why she should like him.

The theme of language is explored in Amitav Gosh’s The Hungry Tide through the interactions between the various characters and their interactions with one another and society. This book has a big emphasis on language because it’s not just about speaking Bengali, English, Hindi, etc.; it’s also about speaking a deeper language that allows you to understand, empathize, and connect. This deeper language is more difficult for anyone to understand because it’s more sincere and can connect emotionally rather than just verbally.

The primary characters of the book, Piya and Kanai, study various languages with natives in the Sundarbans. Kanai experiences language change more than the other characters because he can speak six different languages. He thinks this is the best for him and gives him a sense of superiority, but the locals make him realize that his six languages mean nothing if he can’t feel and connect with them or speak the language of the Sundarbans, which encourages people to come together and form sentimental connections. One instance of Kanai’s humility is with Moyan on page 132, when he was trying to flirt with her and asked her why she was still with Fokir. She replied that he wouldn’t understand, but he thought he could understand anything because he speaks six languages. However, he later learned that he doesn’t speak the most crucial language, which is the one that deals with feelings and emotions, or what some people refer to as the language of love.

Fokir is another character who deals with the issue of language. He is the antithesis of Kanai in that he is a man of few words and is frequently more silent, but he chooses to use his actions as a language and is more interested in what he can accomplish than what he can say. Piya also experiences this because she works in an area of India where not everyone can speak the same language as her. However, she discovers that she doesn’t need to understand what is being said in order to communicate with them because she can use the language of body language and visual cues, which can be more powerful than any other language.

This demonstrates how the various characters go through their own conflicts with the idea of language, which can be expressed in a variety of ways and is understood by people in a variety of ways, but they all learn that speaking one language or many languages is insufficient because you can always just stand and recite; however, nothing ensures that you are actually understanding the deeper meaning of it, which is a language everyone can eventually relate to.

            Through the Novel The Hungry Tide Language Plays An Important Role In Everyone’s Lives .For Kanai Language is a tool not only to communicate with others ,but to navigate the world .Piya On the other hand has to rely on a nonverbal communication with Fokir . The novel suggests that language can be an important tool to communicate but in some cases it is insufficient in some way.

       Language  plays an important role in kanai’s life as it is his way of  making a living. He is a well studied  man who has learned 6 languages .”I’m an interpreter  and a translator by profession –although right now I’m more of a businessman than anything else .I started a company some years ago when I discovered a  shortage  of language professionals in New Delhi. Now I provide translators for all kinds of organizations: businesses ,embassies ,the media ,aid organizations–in short,anyone who can pay”(pg 164). Because of his ability to communicate in different languages he was able to create a company to not only make money but to help  different kinds of organizations. Kanai Goes through a transformation as he realizes that knowing 6 different languages can’t really help him  communicate the real language of the Sundarbans . “The words he had been searching for, the euphemisms that were the source of his panic, had been replaced by the thing itself, except that without words it could not be apprehended or understood. It was an artifact of pure intuition, so real that the thing itself could not have dreamed of existing so intensely.”(pg ) Kanai learns the limits of written and spoken language. He learns the Emotional language of fear  which the locals are able to understand.

          In the other hand Piya is a young Cetologist  who speaks no Bengali or Hindi  works in rurals parts of India where little to no english.She embraces the idea that she doesn’t necessarily need a common spoken or written language in order to complete her work.” But tell me this “he said “ if you don’t know Bengali or hindi , how are you planning to find your way around over there?” I’ll do what I usually do, “ she said with a laugh.”(pg 9). Written and spoken language  is not an obstacle to piya , she instead relies on physical and emotional language to help her. We are also able to see this as she  communicates with Fokir  by  using physical and emotional language since they don’t speak the same spoken language.”The Idea that to “see’’ was also to “speak’’ to others of your kind ,where simply to exist was to communicate”(pg 132).  Piya wishes she was able to communicate the way dolphins do since she is not able to use language to communicate with Fokir. Written and spoken language can be insufficient in many ways . Piya had to use other means of communication and she realized thi was the only way she could communicate with Fokir .