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Part 1: The Trust
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Hungry Tide, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Language
Man vs. Nature
The Human Cost of Environmental Conservation
Idealism and Theory vs. Practicality and Action
Summary
Analysis
As Piya relaxes, she starts experiencing shock. Tutul puts his arms around her to warm her as she shivers. When she finally stops shivering, Fokir introduces himself and Tutul to her. Tutul brings Piya her flashcard and squeezes her fingers as he hands it over. It makes Piya feel aware of her own vulnerability, and she hugs Tutul in thanks for making her feel safer trusting Fokir. Suddenly feeling guilty, Piya begins to count out money to pay Fokir. Both Fokir and Tutul are entranced; Piya thinks they've probably never seen that much money before. Fokir declines the money, but Piya tucks a roll of bills under an arm bracelet he wears. Fokir pulls one note out and gives the rest back, saying "Lusibari" as he does. She understands he'll accept payment there.
Tutul's kind actions in particular show Piya that these people can be trusted to treat her like a person worthy of caring for and communicating with. It's also worth noting that though it takes some time, Piya and Fokir are certainly able to communicate despite not sharing a language. This again shows that a desire to communicate and a desire to recognize someone else's humanity is more than enough to foster effective communication.
Themes
