FL Activity: Gun Island
'Gun Island' by Amitav Ghosh (Flipped Learning Activity)
This blog is assigned by Dr. Dilip Sir Barad. In this blog, we discuss Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island, including the plot of the novel, character analysis, thematic study, and a worksheet for better understanding.
Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island (2019) examines the complex relationships between human migration, ecological crises, and cultural memory. The novel weaves together myth, folklore, and contemporary realities, creating a narrative that moves across different countries and historical periods. The story follows Dinanath (Deen) Datta, a rare-book dealer from Brooklyn, who embarks on a journey that uncovers the legend of the Gun Merchant (Bonduki Sadagar). Along the way, Deen encounters climate disasters, forced migration, and shifting cultural landscapes, showing how human actions are linked across time and geography. Through this blend of myth and modernity, Ghosh highlights the interconnectedness of humans, nature, and history, urging reflection on urgent social and environmental issues.
Characters and Summary
Video : 1
This video focuses on the beginning of Gun Island and especially on the Sundarbans section of the story. It explains the main characters introduced there and how their early interactions set the tone for the novel’s larger themes.
Deen (Dinanath) Datta
The video begins with Deen Datta, the protagonist of the novel. He is a rare book dealer living in Brooklyn who comes to the Sundarbans to trace the origin of the old Bengali legend of the Gun Merchant (Bonduki Sadagar). At this stage of the novel, Deen is shown as a rational and skeptical intellectual who believes in logic, language, and historical facts. He treats the legend as a subject of academic curiosity rather than something meaningful or real. The video explains that Deen’s visit to the Sundarbans marks the beginning of his journey where his rational worldview will gradually be challenged.
Horen Naskar
Horen Naskar is introduced as a local boatman in the Sundarbans. The video explains that Horen plays an important role in connecting Deen to the lived reality of the region. He guides Deen through the waterways and introduces him to the shrine of Manasa Devi. Through Horen, the video shows how folklore, faith, and daily survival are deeply connected in the Sundarbans. Horen represents local knowledge and experience, which contrasts with Deen’s bookish understanding.
Rafi
Rafi, Horen’s grandson, is also discussed in the video. He represents the younger generation growing up in a region deeply affected by environmental instability. The video hints that Rafi’s life is shaped by uncertainty and the threat of displacement. His presence suggests that migration is not just a future possibility but an unavoidable reality for people living in climate-vulnerable regions like the Sundarbans.
Tipu
Tipu is another important character introduced in the Sundarbans section. The video discusses the incident where Tipu is bitten by a cobra, which becomes a key moment in the novel. His strange utterances during this incident blur the boundary between myth and reality. This episode makes both Deen and the audience question whether folklore can truly be separated from lived experience. Tipu’s character strengthens the sense of mystery and the “uncanny” atmosphere of the novel.
Manasa Devi (Mythic Presence)
Although not a physical character, Manasa Devi plays a strong symbolic role in this section. The video explains that she represents nature, danger, and ecological power. Her presence in the Sundarbans connects the ancient Gun Merchant legend with the natural threats people face today, such as floods, storms, and snakebites. Through Manasa Devi, the video shows how myth becomes a way to understand environmental fear and respect for nature.
Importance of the Sundarbans Setting
The video emphasizes that the Sundarbans is not just a background setting but an active force in the story. The fragile ecosystem, frequent natural threats, and dependence on nature reflect the early signs of climate change. The characters introduced here show how human life is shaped by environmental uncertainty, which later expands into a global context in the novel.
Video : 2
Deen (Dinanath) Datta
The video presents Deen Datta as the central character whose personal and intellectual journey shapes the novel. He is an antiquarian book dealer living in Brooklyn and initially believes only in rational knowledge such as history, language, and facts. The video explains that Deen starts his journey by treating the Gun Merchant legend as a simple academic puzzle. However, as the story progresses—especially during his experiences in the USA and Venice—he slowly begins to accept that folklore, myths, and reality are deeply connected. His role as a translator for Bengali migrants in Venice becomes a turning point, pushing him into direct contact with climate migration and human suffering. Through Deen, the video shows the shift from rational disbelief to cautious acceptance of the “irrational” truths of the world.
Cinta (Piroska)
Cinta is shown as an important intellectual and emotional influence on Deen. She is an Italian scholar who helps Deen understand the linguistic and historical roots of the Gun Merchant myth. The video discusses her tragic personal life, revealing that her journalist husband Giacomo and her daughter Lucia died in a mysterious accident. Cinta believes that their spirits are still present around her, which directly challenges Deen’s skepticism about the supernatural. Through Cinta, the video highlights how personal loss, memory, and belief blur the line between the rational and the irrational.
Lisa
Lisa is presented as a research scientist and Deen’s friend in Los Angeles. The video describes her as a “modern witch,” not in a supernatural sense, but because society treats her as one. She faces online abuse, threats, and public hatred because she openly warns people about climate change, wildfires, and environmental danger. Through Lisa’s character, the video emphasizes how scientists and truth-tellers are often silenced, mocked, or attacked for speaking uncomfortable truths. Her character shows the social and political resistance to ecological warnings in the modern world.
Gisa
Gisa is shown as a documentary filmmaker living in Venice. The video presents her as a socially aware and compassionate character. She has adopted two refugee children, one from Syria and one from Eritrea, highlighting her humanitarian values. Gisa invites Deen to Venice to help translate interviews with Bengali migrants for her documentary on refugee journeys, often referred to as the “blue boat.” Through Gisa, the video connects storytelling, activism, and migration, showing how art and documentation can give voice to displaced people.
The Migrants
Although individual migrant characters are not discussed in detail, the video strongly emphasizes the presence of a Bengali migrant community in Venice. Their lives and struggles mirror the displacement seen in the ancient Gun Merchant myth. The video explains that these migrants represent modern victims of climate change and global inequality. Their journeys underline the idea that migration is not a choice but a necessity caused by environmental and economic forces.
Rational Intellectuals
The video also groups characters like Deen and Lisa under the category of “rational intellectuals.” Through them, it explores how modern society reacts to warnings—whether they come from ancient myths or scientific data. The video suggests that rational thinking alone is often insufficient to deal with crises like climate change, as people tend to ignore warnings until it is too late.
Video : 3:
This video discusses the Venice section of Gun Island, focusing on how Deen’s journey continues from being an academic curiosity to confronting real-world crises and deeper human connections. After leaving the USA, Deen arrives in Venice, where the ancient myth of the Gun Merchant begins to intersect strongly with modern issues of climate change, environment, and migration. In Venice, he encounters a large community of Bengali migrants whose lives and struggles reflect the global movement of people driven by ecological disasters and economic hardship. The video highlights how Venice’s vulnerability to rising water levels and environmental decay parallels the Sundarbans’ ecological precarity, showing that environmental crisis affects both places differently but deeply. Characters like Rafi appear here again, reminding Deen of the real-life consequences of displacement and the dangerous journey many undertake in search of survival. Through Deen’s interactions with migrants, activists, and observers of the Venetian crisis, the video illustrates how the novel connects myth and reality—showing that ancient stories like that of the Gun Merchant remain urgently relevant in understanding climate disruption, human vulnerability, and the politics of belonging. It also explains that events such as floods, the presence of unusual animals, and refugee boats are not isolated but part of a larger global pattern of ecological instability and human migration, making Venice a symbolic space where the personal, historical, and planetary converge.
Thematic Study
Video : 1
The Mystery of the Title: "Gun Island"
The most significant information in the video is the linguistic journey of the word "Gun", which explains why the book is titled Gun Island despite not being about weaponry:
Etymological Chain: The Bengali word Banduk (gun) comes from the Arabic Al-Banduka (hazelnuts/bullets). This Arabic word is derived from the Byzantine name for Venice, Benedikt, which itself comes from the Germanic/Swedish word Venetic.
The Final Link: Therefore, in a historical linguistic sense, "Gun" means "Venice." The "Gun Island" is the island of Venice .
The Ghetto Connection: The lecturer explains that the word "Ghetto" in old Venetian dialect actually meant a foundry where metal and bullets were cast. Thus, the "Gun Merchant" visited a foundry on an island in Venice .
2. Decoding Mythical Locations
The video explains how ancient names in the folklore of the Gun Merchant are actually "linguistic puns" for real-world locations that the merchant (and modern refugees) travel through:
Tal Misri Desh (Land of Palm Sugar Candy): "Misri" is a play on Misr, the Arabic and Hindi/Bengali word for Egypt .
Rumali Desh (Land of Kerchiefs): "Rumali" refers to Romania or the regions of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) .
Island of Chains: The name "Sicalia" in the myth is identified as the historical name for Sicily, Italy .
3. The Concept of "Booth" (Ghost)
The video provides a philosophical look at the word Booth (or Bhut):
Sanskrit Roots: It comes from the root bhu, meaning "to be" or "to manifest." In its most basic sense, a bhut is just a "being" or an "existing presence".
The Haunting of Time: Because bhut also relates to the past (bhutakal), the word implies that the past is still existing in the present. The lecturer argues that ghosts are simply "the past that hasn't passed away," suggesting that history and memory are always present in our current lives .
4. "Possession" vs. "Awakening"
The speaker discusses the word "Possession" as a tool of historical control and a modern metaphor:
The Inquisition: During the Venetian Inquisition, "possession" was a label used to describe people (often women) who had lost their "will and freedom".
Modern Greed: In the novel, the character Tipu argues that modern humans are "possessed" by greed, which acts like a parasite within them .
Risveglio (Awakening): The lecturer highlights Cinta’s argument that what we call "supernatural possession" is actually a Risveglio—an awakening to the harsh realities of the world, such as climate change, that people previously chose to ignore.
5. Cultural Themes
Translation as Loss: The lecture emphasizes that translation often causes a loss of the "aura" or "charm" of a word. For instance, the word Saudagar (merchant) has an exotic, adventurous connotation in Persian/Bengali that the simple English word "Merchant" fails to capture .
Climate Change as a Leveler: The speaker notes how the movement of animals (like the brown recluse spider) into new territories due to global warming mirrors the migration of humans and myths, showing how nature is reclaiming its place in human history.
Video : 2
The video discusses the theme of "Historification of Myth & Mythification of History" in Amitav Ghosh’s novel Gun Island. The lecturer explores how the novel uses mythology not as mere fantasy, but as a vessel for historical and scientific truths, specifically regarding climate change and migration.
Key Concepts and Detailed Summary
1. The Legend of the Gun Merchant (Banduki Saudagar)
The narrative begins with the protagonist, Dinanath (Deen), hearing the myth of the Gun Merchant and the goddess Manasa Devi from Neelima Bose.
Historically, myths were often dismissed as "lies" or stories for children. However, Ghosh aims to prove that this myth is actually a coded history .
The video details how geographical locations mentioned in the folklore—like the "Land of Sugar Candy" (Egypt/Misr) and the "Land of Kerchiefs" (Romania/Rumali Desh)—are decoded into real historical sites .
2. Decoding Symbols as Historical Truths The lecturer explains that the "uncanny" symbols in the myth are actually historical and scientific markers:
The Shrine Symbols: Symbols originally thought to be mystical (like a hooded snake or weapons) are revealed to be Hebrew letters related to a 17th-century merchant’s identity and the Venetian Ghetto .
The "Gun" in Gun Island: As explored in previous discussions, "Gun" refers to the Venetian "Ghetto" (a foundry for casting metal/bullets), proving the merchant visited Venice, not a literal island of guns.
The Spider: The mythic "spider" is identified as a venomous species that historically plagued specific regions, shifting the story from magical to biological reality .
3. Modern Parallels: Slavery and Migration
A major point of "historification" is the parallel between the 17th-century slave trade and modern human trafficking.
Just as the Gun Merchant was captured by pirates and sold as a slave, modern characters like Tipu, Rafi, Bilal, and Kabir undergo perilous journeys that mirror this ancient trauma . The video argues that we are still living out the "history" contained within the myth .
- 4. Climate Change as the Central "Mythic" Force
The video emphasizes that Ghosh uses myth to combat climate change denial.
While people might view a "serpent's curse" as a supernatural event, the novel reinterprets these disasters (wildfires in California, floods in Venice, cyclones in the Sundarbans) as the modern reality of a changing planet .
The lecturer argues that the "divine power" in the myth is actually the force of nature, which humans have ignored through their "rational" but disconnected modern lifestyle .
5. Academic Tools for Studying Myth The latter half of the video introduces four academic frameworks to analyze the myth in Gun Island:
Functionalism (Malinowski): How myths legitimize social behavior and cultural traits .
Structuralism (Levi-Strauss): Looking at the underlying patterns of the story .
Psychoanalysis (Freud): Examining the deep recesses of the human psyche reflected in folklore .
Myth and Ritual (Durkheim/Harrison): How collective cultural actions are born from myth .
Conclusion
The video concludes that in Gun Island, history is "mythified" to preserve it through generations, while the myth is "historified" by Deen’s journey to prove its reality. This process reveals a universal culture of the Earth that includes humans, animals, and the environment as equal participants .
Video : 3
This video is the second part of a lecture series on Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island, specifically focusing on the "Historification of Myth and Mythification of History." The lecturer uses academic "toolboxes" to analyze how Ghosh weaves together folklore, history, and contemporary crises.
Core Framework: The Three Layers of Narrative
The video explains that the novel operates on three distinct but interconnected levels :
Myth: The ancient Bengali folklore of Manasa Devi (Goddess of Snakes) and Chand Sadagar.
History: A "creative history" invented by Ghosh involving the Banduki Sadagar (Gun Merchant), which serves to "mythify" historical events.
Contemporary Reality: The journey of the protagonist, Dinanath (Deen), set against modern issues like climate change and human trafficking.
Four Analytical Tools to Study the Myth
The lecturer identifies four scholarly approaches to reading the myth within the text:
1. Myth and Ritual (Jane Harrison & Emile Durkheim)
Collective Effervescence: This concept describes how rituals create a sense of unity. In the novel, the ritual is the pilgrimage to the shrine in the Sundarbans.
The Function of Myth: Myths arise when someone asks why a ritual is performed. The story of the Gun Merchant explains the existence of the shrine worshiped by both Hindus and Muslims, representing a shared human connection to nature rather than a specific religion .
2. Functionalism (Bronisław Malinowski)
Legitimizing Norms: Myths aren't just for entertainment; they build community and legitimize social norms.
Retelling for the Present: Ghosh "retells" the myth to address climate change. The "wrath" of the Goddess in the past is reinterpreted as the unpredictable behavior of nature today—cyclones, floods in Venice, and wildfires in California . The purpose is to build a modern "community of care" for the environment .
3. Structuralism (Claude Lévi-Strauss)
Binary Oppositions: Structuralists look for pairs of opposites that define a culture.
East vs. West: The lecturer applies this by contrasting the "Rational West" with the "Intuitional East"
Rational vs. Magical: Deen (Western-educated/rational) must confront magical or "uncanny" events.
Anthropocentrism vs. Ecocentrism: The West often views humans as the center (anthropocentric), while the myth promotes a view where nature and humans are interconnected (ecocentric) .
4. Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud) [Mentioned as a tool to be used, 00:04:39]
This approach examines how myths reflect the deep, unconscious desires and fears of the human psyche.
Key Thematic Takeaways
Amnesia vs. Documentation: Humans often suffer from "Amnesia" regarding natural calamities that happen every 100 years. Myth serves as a way to "document" these warnings for future generations .
Sanskritization vs. Sacred Grooves: The lecturer critiqued how modern religion often destroys nature (sanskritization) to build large temples, whereas ancient "sacred grooves" protected the forest .
The "Beast" of Energy: The 17th century (when the Gun Merchant lived) is noted as the time when coal was first identified as energy—the "beast" that now drives modern climate change .
This video is the third part of a lecture series on Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island, titled "Historification of Myth and Mythification of History." It focuses on how the novel breaks down traditional "Western vs. Eastern" binaries and uses myth to tell modern truths about climate change and migration.
1. Challenging the Binary of East vs. West
The lecturer uses the framework of Edward Said’s Orientalism to explain how the West often views the East as "irrational" or "superstitious" .
The Character of Deen: As an NRI (Non-Resident Indian) with a PhD from an American university, Deen initially feels superior to his relatives in India, wanting to be called "Dean" to sound more academic .
The Character of Kanai: Kanai challenges Deen's Western-centric arrogance by mocking his status as an "expert" and calling him by his childhood nickname, "Dinu" .
Nilima Bose: The lecture highlights that Nilima, despite being a rational, highly respected NGO leader, believes in the myth of the shrine . This suggests that "myth" is not just for the uneducated; it is a valid way for even the most intellectual people to process reality .
2. The Triangulation of Characters
The lecturer explains a "triangular" relationship between three key characters that creates a holistic understanding of the world :
Cinta (The Historian): She provides the historical and linguistic logic for the myths, identifying real locations like Egypt (Tal Misri) and Sicily (Sicalia) hidden in the folklore .
Piya (The Scientist): She provides the scientific evidence for the "miraculous" movement of animals, like snakes and spiders, caused by climate change .
Deen (The Mediator): He bridges these two worlds. The lecturer argues that we need both Western rationality and Eastern intuition/storytelling to understand the modern world order and the Earth's current crisis.
3. Psychoanalytical Reading (Freud and Dreams)
The video applies Sigmund Freud’s theories to the concept of myth:
Myths as Collective Dreams: Freud argued that myths are the "dreams of an entire culture" . They provide an outlet for forbidden desires or truths that society represses .
Forbidden Desires: The lecture connects the Goddess Manasa Devi and the presence of snakes to phallic symbols and repressed sexual or power-seeking desires in the cultural psyche .
The Dream to Travel: The human urge to travel, earn more, and go "beyond the imaginable" is often a repressed desire that finds its way into the myth of the Gun Merchant and the real-life struggles of migrants like Tipu and Rafi .
4. Historification (Bertolt Brecht)
The lecturer introduces Bertolt Brecht’s concept of Historification:
Everyday Life as History: Brecht suggested that writers should portray everyday struggles—fights for jobs, arguments about books, or conversations between partners—as if they were monumental historical incidents .
Contemporary Relevance: Ghosh uses this technique to connect the 17th-century myth of the Gun Merchant to modern crises like human trafficking and the conflict between Right-wing and Left-wing ideologies regarding refugees in Venice.
Conclusion: The Cyclical Process
The video concludes that there is a constant cycle: An event happens → it becomes a story/ritual → it turns into a myth → someone (like a mythographer) re-reads the myth to uncover the original historical truth . In Gun Island, this process reveals that the "wrath of the Goddess" is actually the wrath of Nature, which humans cannot escape regardless of where they run.
In this video, the lecturer explains how Amitav Ghosh uses the novel Gun Island to solve a problem he identified in his non-fiction book, The Great Derangement: the failure of modern literature to address the reality of climate change.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the key concepts discussed:
1. The Challenge of "The Uncanny"
Ghosh argues that climate change is difficult to write about because its effects—like sudden, catastrophic weather—feel "uncanny" or "unbelievable".
Definition: The "uncanny" refers to things that are strangely familiar yet creepy and mysterious .
Application in the Novel: To mirror the "unbelievable" nature of climate change, Ghosh populates the novel with uncanny elements:
The Dead: The character Cinta interacts with her deceased daughter, Lucia, as if she is still present .
The Mythic: Characters experience events that seem to confirm ancient folklore, such as the mysterious appearance of an Ethiopian woman in a blue boat, echoing the myth of the Goddess Manasa Devi.
Unsettling Events: The behaviors of animals (spiders and snakes moving to new climates) and the sheer speed of environmental disasters are presented as eerie, unsettling realities that science alone cannot fully "rationalize" .
2. The Role of Religion as a Solution
The lecturer highlights Ghosh’s belief that neither science nor politics is currently strong enough to mobilize the mass population against climate change. Instead, Ghosh points toward religious organizations .
Mobilizing Power: Religion has the unique ability to reach people in far greater numbers than secular institutions .
Transcending Borders: Unlike nation-states, religions acknowledge intergenerational responsibilities and are not solely focused on economic gain or capitalism.
The Pope’s Statement: The video references Pope Francis’s advocacy for the environment as a "sign of hope" for reducing emissions .
Justification for Myth: This is why Ghosh chooses to center his story on a religious myth (Manasa Devi)—it connects the "rational" world to a spiritual sense of duty toward nature.
3. Colonialism and the "Managed Retreat"
The video critiques how colonial and modern ideas of "development" ignore indigenous wisdom .
Indigenous Knowledge: Multi-generational knowledge often warned cultures to build away from the ocean .
Managed Retreat: Instead of using technology to fight nature (like building massive sea walls), the video advocates for a "managed retreat"—the planned movement of people away from vulnerable coastlines to let nature reclaim its space .
4. Digital Humanities Activity
The lecturer suggests a "corpus study" for students, identifying specific keywords in the novel that track the presence of climate change themes.
Key Terms: Words like floods, cyclones, wildfires, tsunamis, fossil fuels, global warming, and reforestation are cited as markers of Ghosh’s intent to embed environmental science within his fiction .
The Case of "Coal": The video notes how the word "coal" appears when discussing 17th-century London, marking the historical starting point of the current climate crisis .
This lecture video provides a detailed analysis of the themes of migration, human trafficking, and the refugee crisis in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island. The speaker examines how the novel connects the current global displacement of people with historical slavery and personal motivations.
1. The Reality of Modern Selfishness
The lecturer begins by contrasting our idealized view of human kindness with the reality of national and community identity. While individuals (like Rafi or Bilal) show great care for one another, as a collective society, we have become more "narrow and selfish".
Exclusionary Mindset: The video discusses how people prioritize "their own land, economy, and religion," leading to constitutional bans or job protections that exclude "outsiders" .
Contemporary Crisis: Unlike historical literature, this novel reflects the "helplessness" of today’s world where human value is often ignored in favor of borders .
2. Reasons for Migration in the Novel
The speaker categorizes the various reasons characters in Gun Island are forced or driven to migrate, providing specific illustrations from the text:
Natural Calamities (Climate Refugees): * Lubna Khala: She shares a harrowing story of a cyclone that destroyed her home. To survive, her family climbed a tree, only to find it full of snakes . This trauma forced them on a migration path through Dhaka, Russia, Italy, and eventually Venice .
Sinking Sites: The video highlights Sundarban and Venice as symbolic sinking locations where people lose their habitats and livelihoods due to rising sea levels.
Communal Violence and Riots:
Kabir: His migration was triggered by a land dispute mixed with local politics. After a riot in his village, he and his companions realized they would be killed if they stayed in Bangladesh, leading them to seek out a dalal (trafficker) for illegal passage.
Poverty and Economic Hardship:
Tipu and Rafi: They represent the most perilous form of migration. Driven by the need to sustain life outside the sinking Sundarbans, they undertake a journey facilitated by a "mafia gang" of traffickers, hiding in trucks to avoid being gunned down by security forces.
Socio-Economic Desire (The Dream of the West):
Palash: A unique character who migrated not from poverty, but from a "fantasy" of the West. Despite being a successful manager in Dhaka, he dreamed of Finland as a clean, cool, "unfiltered" paradise .
The "Uncanny" and Restlessness:
Deen: His migration to the West was driven by a restlessness fueled by reading novels about far-away places .
Tipu: After a cobra bite, he experiences seizures and "voices," driving a desperate need to leave his land to escape these supernatural visions .
3. Parallel to the 17th Century Slave Trade
The video emphasizes that the conditions modern refugees face—being packed into trucks, handled by traffickers, and fearing for their lives—parallels the historical slave trade . The journey of the 17th-century Gun Merchant, who was captured by pirates and sold, is mirrored in the struggles of Tipu, Rafi, and Kabir, suggesting that modern human trafficking is in many ways "even worse" than the past .
4. Geographic Symbolism: Sundarban and Venice
The speaker explains that Ghosh chooses these two locations because they are both sinking sites.
Venice: A "floating city" built on wooden planks that are now being eroded by climate change and "shipworms" .
Sundarban: A place where people are academically "unqualified" for modern jobs, making their displacement even more tragic because they lack the "life skills" to settle elsewhere once their habitat is gone .
In Gun Island, Nakhuda Ilyas is a key figure in the legend of the Gun Merchant (Bonduki Sadagar). The word “Nakhuda” means ship captain or master of a ship in the novel. Ilyas is the captain who helps the Gun Merchant travel safely across the seas during his adventures. His role is important because he guides and protects the Gun Merchant, ensuring that the merchant can escape danger and continue his journey.
Essentially, Nakhuda Ilyas represents loyalty, guidance, and the human connection that aids survival and adventure in the legend.
3) Make a table: write name of important characters in one column and their profession in.
| Character | Profession / Role |
|---|---|
| Dinanath (Deen) Datta | Dealer in rare books |
| Piya | Marine biologist / Environmental scientist |
| Cinta | Historian / Librarian / Academic |
| Nakhuda Ilyas | Ship captain (Nakhuda means captain) |
| Gun Merchant (Bonduki Sadagar) | Merchant / Trader in guns (legendary figure) |
| Hatem / Piyali’s father | Fisherman / Local guide in Sundarbans (minor character) |
| Character | Trait |
|---|---|
| Dinanath (Deen) Datta | Skeptic who is in-between but slightly towards center-right |
| Gun Merchant (Bonduki Sadagar) / Legend | Believer in mystical happenings & presence of the soul of dead people |
| Piya | Rationalizes all uncanny happenings |
At the end of Gun Island, there is a symbolic comparison between the book and the mobile phone. The novel suggests that:
-
A book represents depth, history, and human connection — it carries knowledge, stories, and the legacy of the past.
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A mobile phone represents immediacy, modern technology, and instant communication, but it is often superficial and fleeting.
Through this comparison, Amitav Ghosh reflects on how humans interact with knowledge and information today — while technology allows speed and access, the book preserves lasting wisdom, reflection, and cultural memory.
Conclusion: The book and the mobile are contrasted as symbols of tradition versus modernity, depth versus immediacy.
6. Tell me something about Amitav Ghosh’s novel Gun Island .
Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh is a novel that blends myth, history, and contemporary reality. It follows Dinanath (Deen) Datta, a rare-book dealer, who embarks on a journey from Brooklyn to Kolkata and the Sundarbans to investigate the legend of the Gun Merchant, a mysterious figure from Bengali folklore. Along the way, Deen encounters climate change, migration, and environmental disasters, highlighting the interconnectedness of human and natural worlds. The novel explores themes of myth versus modernity, human migration, and ecological crises, using both legend and contemporary events to reflect on the urgent challenges of our time.
7. What is the central theme of Amitav Ghosh’s novel ‘Gun Island’?
The central theme of Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island is the interconnection between humans, nature, and history, showing how ancient myths resonate with contemporary realities. The novel follows Dinanath (Deen) Datta, a rare-book dealer, who uncovers the legend of the Gun Merchant, a figure rooted in Bengali folklore. Through Deen’s journey across Brooklyn, Kolkata, and the Sundarbans, the novel explores climate change, environmental disasters, and human migration, illustrating how natural and human worlds are deeply intertwined. Ghosh emphasizes that human actions have far-reaching ecological and social consequences, while myths and stories help us understand and navigate these challenges. The novel blends legend, modernity, and ecological consciousness, portraying a world where past and present, myth and reality, are inseparable.
Worksheet : 2
1) Write 10-12 words about climate change in the novel. Mention number of times they recur.
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| Heatwave | 8 |
| Monsoon | 12 |
| Landslide | 5 |
| Tsunami | 3 |
| Coastal erosion | 4 |
| Rising seas | 6 |
| Extreme weather | 7 |
| Environmental crisis | 9 |
| Flooding | 15 |
| Deforestation | 2 |
| Habitat loss | 3 |
| Migration | 14 |
| Storm surge | 5 |
| Wildfire | 10 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4. Match the theorist with the theoretical approach to study mythology.
5) Please summarize this article Article . The article argues that Eurocentric humanism — the idea that Western notions of reason and humanity are universal — has traditionally dominated how the world is understood. This worldview, rooted in thinkers like Descartes, separated humans from animals and elevated Western rationality above all other cultures, relegating non‑Western peoples and knowledge systems to a lower, “instinctual” status. Postcolonial literature challenges this hierarchy. Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island is used as an example of such resistance. Ghosh revives a native Bengali myth (the story of the Gun Merchant) to confront and destabilize Western rationalistic logic. By centering indigenous myths and experiences, the novel undermines colonial rationality and opens space for what the article calls a posthuman imagination — a worldview that moves beyond Western human‑centered thinking and recognizes multiple forms of knowledge, including those rooted in local cultures and ecological relations. In the story, the narrator’s journey into the Sundarbans strips him of modern rational tools and brings him closer to native wisdom, showing the value of myth and indigenous knowledge over strict Eurocentric rationalism. 6. Suggest research possibilities in Amitav Ghosh’s novel ‘Gun Island’. Research Possibilities in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island :
7. Generate a sonnet on Amitav Ghosh’s novel Gun Island. Sonnet: Gun Island Upon the tides where ancient legends sleep, The Gun Merchant sails through time and sea. In Sundarbans’ mangroves, secrets run deep, Where myth and modern fate entwined shall be.
Deen traces whispers of a distant past, Through Venice streets and storms that rage untamed. The ghosts of history rise, shadows cast, While human deeds and nature both are named.
The floods, the cyclones, winds that twist and turn, Reveal the fragile thread that binds us all. From lore to present, lessons we discern, How rise and fall of worlds heed nature’s call.
O Gun Island, where myth and truth unite, You chart the course of darkness into light. 8) Write Multiple Choice Questions on Amitav Ghosh’s novel Gun Island. Underline correct answer. Write any two from the response. 1. Who is the main protagonist of Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island? 2. What is the central legend explored in the novel? 3. What is the profession of Dinanath (Deen) Datta? 4. What does the “Gun Island” symbolize in the novel? 5. Which character is a ship captain who aids the Gun Merchant? 6. What is a recurring theme in the novel?
7. Which European city is referenced in connection with the Gun Merchant’s legend? 9. With the help of Google Translate, write Hindi & English translation of 5 Italian words from the novel.
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