The Gurkha's Daughter Literary Elements

Short Stories, Short Fiction

Nepal, or its neighboring nations, with the exception of one story that is set in Manhattan, New York

The narrators vary but the common thread between them is the point of view of each story is that of the Nepalese character in it.

The tone is one of injustice and inequality, for example, in several of the stories, the inequality between men and women is emphasized. There is also an element of frustration. The mood is one of resigned hopefulness, in that each character has become resigned to the fact that they will have to leave their homeland in order to get a better life, but this brings them hope.

Each of the stories has a defined protagonist, but the antagonist is more often than not, their situation. For example, in "The Cleft", the protagonist is the girl with the cleft palate, and the antagonist is Nepalese culture.

There is conflict between the Gurkha and his daughter in that she cannot understand his complaints about his life and grows impatient with him before trying to comprehend his feelings.

The girl in "The Cleft" realizes that she will need to leave the east and head to the west if she is to make anything out of her life at all.

In "Passing Fancy" the woman's retirement foreshadows her growing boredom and temptation to have an affair to alleviate her tedium.

The stories all suggest an unfairness within Nepalese society and the fact that it is incredibly difficult to make a life there, but also understate how difficult it is by weaving a story around each character that draws the reader in, thereby taking their attention away from the hardships each character is suffering.

The story "The Gurkha's Daughter" alludes to the respected military service of the Gurkhas and their incredible contribution to the British Empire's military efforts.

The imagery in the book conveys the vastness of the land, but also compares this vastness with the narrowness of opportunities. The author also paints a picture of the landscape of the mountains, and the neighboring countries in a way that enables the reader to imagine not just the way that it looks, but the way the air feels, the sounds and the smells as well.

The refugee girl in "No Land Is Her Land' left Nepal for Bhutan dreaming of a better life, but in reality she got the same life in a different place.

There is a parallel between the servant girl in "The Cleft" and the refugee girl in "No Land Is Her Land" in that both realize they will need to run to the west if they have any chance of a future.

N/A

N/A