The Irony of Sailor’s Reconstructed Head
There is a great deal of irony in the act of Ananda’s superimposition of a tranquil clay face over Sailor’s charred skull as well as in the selection of Ananda as their artist. Sailor’s skull is the result of a grisly murder and elaborate government conspiracy cover-up buried under layers of lies. He is a victim through and through and great pains were taken to hide his body. It is highly ironic therefore that after all their efforts Sailor’s skeleton ends up as an attraction for an archeological dig by a forensics specialist team no less. It is also ironic that the man selected to help the forensics team with the facial reconstruction process is himself a victim of a violent military regime much like Sailor. When the clay is applied and his facial features reconstructed the artist gives him a serene expression, almost like a buddhist sage; a stark contrast to the circumstances leading up to his death as there is great evidence of violence on his remains.
The Irony of Sarath
Sarath works hard to conceal his loyalties to all to allow him the most advantageous position to enact his plan to get back at Sri Lankan authorities and give justice to the countless victims of wartime violence. Having lived through most of the tumult and having experienced the horrors of war firsthand he is also painfully aware that any action that can be interpreted as a retaliation against the government merits serious punishment he goes about and does it anything. He knows that it will cost him his life and freedom but the irony lies in this realization of his: what can they do to a man who in reality has nothing more to live for?
The Irony of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is a nation that has a large Buddhist population. One of the major tenets of their faith is pacifism and yet this was not enough to keep violence from erupting between the two biggest ethnic groups in the country. It is also ironic that the violence was sparked from racial tensions from the two largest ethnic groups within the country over their cultural identities that have been largely tampered by colonial rulers.
The Irony of the Diyasena Brother’s Love Life
The two brothers Sarath and Gamini are bound by the love for one woman. Although both men are successful in their own respective fields of expertise their lives ironically go down the drain when Sarath’s wife commits suicide. Sarath, deeply heartbroken, becomes cynical and all but nihilistic of his own life. Gamini on the other hand allows himself to be fully consumed by the demands of his work as an emergency doctor, practically living in the hospital, subsisting of very little sleep as he is addicted to amphetamines.
The Irony of Anil
The heroine of the novel is Anil, who for are intents and purposes, is barely Sri Lankan. She is an outsider looking in having spent most of her formative years abroad in the US or in Europe. She barely understands the culture of her native country and finds herself extremely impatient with what she sees and encounters, especially in dealing with her countrymen. She was given an opportunity to study abroad as she was a talented swimmer and those that do remember her know her primarily as an athlete. When she returns to Sri Lanka as a professional however, she isn’t taken seriously by her people as a forensic scientist as they still regard her as Anil, the swimming prodigy, and not Anil, the forensic specialist.
