Previous
Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Lord Mountbatten:
In Chapter 1, while Ashima convalesces in the hospital, she notes an odd similarity between her obstetrician, Dr. Ashley, and one "Lord Mountbatten." This comparison is an allusion to Indian history, specifically the period of time spent under British occupation:
[Ashima's] obstetrician, Dr. Ashley, gauntly handsome in a Lord Mountbatten sort of way, with fine sand-colored hair swept back from his temples, arrives to examine her progress.
This passage directly references the Earl of Mountbatten, a British official who served as the last viceroy of India before the subcontinent was liberated from British colonial rule. The comparison is an apt one: just as Mountbatten held power over India, so does this doctor hold power and determination over Ashima as her designated medical care provider. He is a White man, and she is scared of him and the power he both consciously (as a doctor) and subconsciously (as a White American) possesses. Furthermore, she is in a vulnerable position and has grown to expect a lack of understanding at best and violence at worst from White people in power. Her discomfort derives not only from her vulnerability as a patient in need of care but from a long and storied history of colonial violence, as the allusion makes clear.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Authors and Gods:
In Chapter 1, Lahiri alludes to both Marx and Gogol, using the writers as a framework upon which to base Ashoke's characterization. He is an atheist, contrary to Bengali tradition, and reveres Western writers more than he does religious figures. In the following passage, Lahiri uses metaphor to unpack Ashoke's worldview:
[Ashoke] does not thank God; he openly reveres Marx and quietly refuses religion. But there is one more dead soul he has to thank. [...] Instead of thanking God he thanks Gogol, the Russian writer who saved his life, when Patty enters the waiting room.
Employing indirect metaphor, Lahiri compares writers and ideologues to gods (through the eyes of Ashoke). Ashoke maintains some of his Bengali cultural ties after moving to America, but religion is not one of them. He reveres Marx, Gogol, and other Western intellectuals as replacement "gods" for the divine ones that no longer resonate with him. It is perhaps this religious reverence for Western intellectualism that leads Ashoke to move to America, to pursue a career as an American professor—even to encourage Gogol along a similar path. While Ashoke undoubtedly values Bengali culture, he is not a traditionalist, nor does he push Gogol to be. The phrase "dead soul" in the above passage is also an allusion to Nikolai Gogol's 1842 novel Dead Souls.
Related Themes:
