The Contribution of Identity in Loyalty and Betrayal Determination (Research Paper Sample)

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The Contribution of Identity in Loyalty and Betrayal Determination
Introduction
The sea of poppies is a renowned Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh. The book is set in a period that was prior to the first Opium War and life in colonial Indian prior before the war. In the novel, Ghosh used imagery and symbolism to support the narrative. The sea of poppies, for instance, illustrates different characters in the novel that similarly exemplify people living in India during the European colonization. Different characters are used in the novel to draw a clear picture of the themes that the writer of the Ghosh uses the theme of uncertainty to explain the future and the actions of the characters. This essay will discuss the role of identity with the aim of establishing betrayal and loyalty.
Sea of Poppies considered as one of the first publications in Ghosh’s Ibis trilogy. It follows a myriad of characters with different experiences and personal struggles as they all converge in the Ibis, a schooner used by its owners to trade opium. All the characters in the Ibis travel across the Indian Ocean to a land unknown where they would have to rebuild their lives again after leaving their home and settling in this new land. From this section alone, it is apparent that each character represents the different kinds of people in varying situations confronted with issues regarding their identity. Therefore, they would have to share the challenges in an unfamiliar environment as they rebuild their lives. It is based on this reason that identity becomes one of the major and well-discussed themes of the novel. This then creates the point of reference for the following analysis of other themes in the novel, including loyalty and betrayal (Ghosh 43).
Although Sea of Poppies explores various themes such as culture, identity, individuality, and freedom among others. The need to confine the scope of discussion brings us to focus on the theme of identity in the novel. The discussion would also focus on two overlapping themes – loyalty and betrayal in relation to the theme of identity. Hence, the following discussion explores aspects of the novel that illustrate incidences of loyalty and betrayal in relation to identity and what these mean in the narrative and the meaning or significance that readers would gain from reading the novel.
Role of Identity in Determining One’s Loyalty and Betrayal
The characters in Sea of Poppies aboard the Ibis belonged to different socioeconomic groups in their former lives. The socioeconomic conditions and lived experiences of the characters shaped their identities, including their beliefs, views, perspectives, and actions and behavior. Overall, identity is a result of various external factors such as culture, beliefs and traditions. Interactions with other people including the family, friends, and individuals in the community, social expectations, history, and other environmental forces. Prior to going aboard the Ibis, the characters in Sea of Poppies all exhibit pre-established identities. Nonetheless, when they went aboard the Ibis, the characters get engaged into a state where they had to make adjustments or changes in their identities so they could move forward with their own goals or plans (Ghosh 65). All the characters that went aboard the Ibis, for instance, took on different identities after running away from their old lives by either changing their names, making up stories about their lives, and impersonating people. This shows the first situation that people are not loyal to their identities. Instead of keeping their identities they choose to drop and adopt new names.
In some cultures, people believe that some events are premonitions that are intended to predict the future and allow people to see what will happen next in their lives. Consequently, culture is tied to personal growth and development, and therefore influences behavior and identity. In the novel, culture nourished believes in premonition, which is why Deeti interpreted the vision of a gigantic shipping vessel as a sign that someone will come and change her life. Furthermore, Deeti believes in fate or destiny, which is why she was open to anything that could happen after she saw the shipping vessel. Days later, Deeti’s husband dies and later on, she finds an opportunity to leave Ghazipur with Kalua. As a result of her belief in premonitions and fate, Deeti believed that she was meant to elope with Kalua to Calcutta. Since then, Deeti remained loyal to her husband, which illustrates the influence of identity to one’s loyalty, in her case, Deeti’s loyalty to her second husband (Ghosh 74).
Overall, Deeti’s story illustrates the impact of culture on identity, particularly in terms of the character’s beliefs. Due to the culture, Deeti believed in premonitions and destiny, such that the things that are about to happen constituted those destined to happen to her. Hence, when Deeti saw the shipping vessel, she believed that her life was about to change. Consequently, when opportunities arose for her to change her life, she went on believing that meeting and eloping with Kalua, for instance, was destined to happen for her. Deeti believe in predetermined life where she just needs to survive since her life is already predetermined by the supernatural powers. Within this context, Deeti remained loyal to Kalua as a result of her identity tied to culture. Due to Deeti’s belief as part of her identity and the influence of the premonition, she married Kalua and remained loyal to him believing they were destined to be together. Furthermore, when Deeti embarked on a journey aboard the Ibis, she believed that something new and good was about to happen to her because she believed that she was destined to change in her life (Choudhury 56). The believe on predetermined life also contributes in making her loyal to his husband kalua whom they spend much time together.
During the Ibis’ journey, Deeti takes on a new persona. Deeti changed her name to Aditi, which is an important aspect of the narrative when we are studying and exploring identity. “Aditi” is the name of a female Hindu deity who is known for her wisdom, independence, and ability to lead. When Deeti changed her name to Aditi, the symbols and values attached to the name consequently illustrated the changes that she went through (Ghosh 82). Throughout the journey, Deeti imbibed and developed traits and characteristics that changed who she was as an individual. Hence, by taking on a new identity as Aditi, the significance of the name influenced Deeti’s growth throughout the story.
In the Ibis, Aditi formed close relations with other people aboard the shipping vessel. As Aditi, Deeti adopted admirable traits and characteristics that reflect Aditi as the Hindu deity. The two shared many things in common. For instance, Deeti was too trustworthy to the extent that she became the source of support for the rest of the women on board. Her Aditi’s role was manifested on the ship since she became a source of help to other women on the ship. The majority of the characters, including Heeru, Munia, and Sarju considered her as their best friend. In return, she pledged her loyalty to these individuals who showed much trust in her (Ghosh 132).
During the period that the novel which are much attributed to the days of the Opium War in India. The novel focuses on exploring the language and nature of live of the minority groups in the society made up of merchants, business persons, runaway girls, sailors, pirates, among other dignitaries. This group eventually came together and settled in the popular Ibis, the American schooner. This novel focuses on the opium tale as well as other themes such as love and cruelty. However, at its best, it is much of a celebration of the language diversity characterized by its prejudice, humor, freedom, generosity, and idiosyncrasies (Choudhury 77). Deeti, who happens to have never been close to any sea vessel, shows bigger vision of large water vessels having double triangular sails and are curved-beaked bird in appearance. The lady rushes home from the river to the shrine at goes ahead to start imaging in a drawing the look of the ship. She then adds the drawing to her family collections of ornaments.
The title of this book describes the sparkling flower fields that were common in India during the 19th century. The residences, including Deeti are compelled by the ruling colonial government of the British East and the Indian companies owned by them to take part in the planting of poppies to serve their trade interests, particularly opium trade. The business hit the mark in 1838 following the illegal trade partnership between the British and Chinese authorities, when over opium 1400 tons got sold annually between the two parties (Chitra 45). However, the cultivation, harvesting, and packing of these tradable goods took place in India. It was after this that they were shipped to other trade partner countries like China through water/sea transport systems. In particular, the Ibis was the preferred mode of transportation for the commodities (Ghosh 98).
Loyalty unpredictability
The trading partnership between China and the Britain colonies in India turned the two regions into mass producers and addict buyers of opium. This marked the onset of the two regions becoming the leaders in drug dealings and illegal trades globally. Notably, the British traders remained loyal to their authorities. On the contrary, the China suffered a major setback in the process as its culture got eroded and completely rendered valueless. Acting on the fear of further being affected by the opium trade, some Chinese authorities opposed the trade, leading to the Opium Wars of the nineteenth-century. With the illegal trade benefiting many merchants, ...