“Giant Of A Man, and Two-Legged Beast”
Amitav Gosh writes, “It was said that on taking Kalua to Benares, the three young landlords, being seized by the licentious atmosphere of the city, had decided that it would be excellent sport to couple Kalua with a woman. They had invited some friends and taken bets: could a woman be found who would bed this giant of a man, this two-legged beast?” These twin metaphors depict Kalua as an extremely huge man who would evoke dread in a woman. The landlords utilize the metaphors to underscore the repulsion and disgust of Kalua’s appearance. Although Kalua is extremely strong, he is not sexually appealing due to his giant-like form that is disparate to the orthodox masculinity.
“A Plea for Retribution”
Gosh explains, “She put out a hand to touch his chest, but only to snatch it back: to think of touching a naked man was bad enough – and when that man was of Kalua's station, wasn't it almost a plea for retribution? She cast a furtive glance around her, and then, in defiance of the world's unseen presence, she put out a finger and allowed it to fall on Kalua's chest.” The allegorical plea renders Deeti’s attempts to have contact with Kalua a taboo that would elicit adverse penalties should the community be aware that it ensued. The culture does not permit her to have such contact with a man who belong to a caste because it is equivalent to uncleanliness.
Volcanic
Gosh explicates, “Jodu, too, was a boatman's son, and he was, by his own reckoning, no longer a boy, his chin having become suddenly so fecund in its crop of hair as to require a weekly visit to the barber. But the changes in his physique were so recent and so volcanic that he had yet to grow accustomed to them: it was as if his body were a smoking crater that had just risen from the ocean and was still waiting to be explored.” The emblematic volcanicity renders the manifestation of Jodu’s manliness speedy and astonishing. Elements of machismo manifest in Jodu’s form to affirm his corporeal development.
“Clumsy Affair”
Gosh expounds, “Jodu's boat, inherited years before from his father, was a clumsy affair, a dinghy made from hollowed-out logs and bound together with hemp ropes: within hours of his mother's burial, Jodu had loaded it with his few remaining possessions and was ready to leave for Calcutta.” The rhetorical ‘ clumsy affair’ depicts the boat as denigrated and old school. Nevertheless, Jodu must exploit it because it is the only prime asset which he can use to launch his sailing career.
