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Dramatic Irony
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Born Again:
In a flashback in Chapter 1, Ashoke reveals that he narrowly survived death as a young man in India, riding a train that derailed. One of the only survivors of the incident, Ashoke approaches this tragedy as one would a new lease on life. Inspired by Ghosh, the man on the train who told him to travel and see more of the world, Ashoke pursues an engineering degree in America. In a passage from Chapter 1, the narrator uses metaphor to characterize Ashoke's changed outlook on life:
None of this was supposed to happen. But no, [Ashoke] had survived it. He was born twice in India, and then a third time, in America. Three lives by thirty.
In this excerpt, the narrator compares various important events or turning points in Ashoke's life to "births." According to Ashoke himself, he has been born a total of three times: the first, his biological birth; the second, his train accident; and the third, his move to America. Each of these non-biological births has been as significant in Ashoke's life as his biological birth—hence the metaphor. A mental or intellectual "birth" can often be just as important as the physical act, pushing a person to make significant life changes.
Related Themes:
