(Sorry, my post is a bit late)
"The Ganges" by Julie Dunn discusses the Ganges River and its importance to India. "This river is life, purity, and a goddess to the people of India".
Key points:
- The Ganges River runs for 1,560 miles from the Himalayas to the bay of Bengal.
- Every morning, devout Hindus give offerings, such as flowers or food, to the river and drink the water and save some for their homes.
- Many surround the river, face towards the sun and recite prayers.
- Since the Ganges river is associated with the World of Ancestors, people bring their dead, either a body or ashes, to the river. If not, the dead are believed to be roaming in a state of limbo, causing trouble to those still alive.
- For the living, bathing in the Ganges is important because it is seen as a way to purify oneself and to get rid of sins.
- But the Ganges is polluted with waterborne diseases, such as hepatitis, dysentery and cholera. This is problematic for the people who use the river for cooking, cleaning and bathing.
This view on the Ganges River is mirrored in Ghosh's Sea of Poppies because of its symbolic nature. The characters that we are introduced to in the beginning (Deeti, Zachary, Kalua, etc.) all end up on the Ibis one way or another in order to escape burdens of their past. Being on the river is a form of rebirth, cleansing them of their previous lives and sins. As mentioned in class, Nob Kissim and Deeti are given a chance to escape the caste system, with Kissim boarding the Ibis and Deeti on Kalua's raft (also on the Ibis when she changed her name to Aditi and claimed she is a Chamars). "What's wrong wtih you, Munia? How does all that matter any more? We're all sisters now, aren't we?" (230). The river and the Ibis transcend caste systems and personal inflictions pertaining to caste society.
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