The Inheritance of Loss

The Inheritance of Loss Literary Elements

Director

N/A

Leading Actors/Actresses

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Supporting Actors/Actresses

N/A

Genre

Inter-generational Family Saga

Language

English

Awards

Book Prize 2006, Vodafone Crossword Book Award 2006, National Book Critics Award for Fiction 2007,

Date of Release

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Producer

N/A

Setting and Context

Kalimpong, India and New York City, USA in 1986

Narrator and Point of View

Third Person Omniscient

Tone and Mood

The novel contrasts a reflective, melancholy tone with moments of comedic satire and graphic violence.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The main protagonists are Sai and Biju

Major Conflict

Though the text follows multiple characters, the major conflict throughout the text is the struggle to find identity and belonging in a post-colonial world.

Climax

The story's climax comes when Judge Patel beats the cook while Biju struggles to reach Cho Oyu. The disparate storylines intersect at the end of the text when the cook and Biju reunite.

Foreshadowing

The boarding school children beheading chickens foreshadows the beheadings during the Indo-Nepal Treaty burning.

The monsoon season shuts down access to Kalimpong and separates Sai and Gyan. This foreshadows how the GNLF movement isolates Kalimpong from the rest of India and sours Gyan and Sai's relationship.

Understatement

Lola calls the first Gorkhaland protests "just noise," dismissing them as "no-gooders hanging around with nothing to do." This is an understatement, as the Gorkhaland movement destroys Lola's way of life and results in countless deaths.

On Nimi and Jemu's wedding night, she begs Jemu to "save" her, and Jemu's uncles encourage him to "not let her behave badly." These interactions are an understatement, as Jemu brutally abuses Nimi for "behaving badly" and indirectly causes her murder.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

N/A

Allusions

During his dinner with Judge Patel, Gyan recites "Where the mind is without fear" by Rabindranath Tagore

During his Cambridge examinations, Judge Patel recites "Lochinvar" by Sir Walter Scott

Sai and Judge Patel often read National Geographic, a magazine about science and exploration

Lola and Noni borrow British books from the library. Some authors include Anthony Trollope, Agatha Christie, and Emily Brontë

Nimi witnesses Jawaharlal Nehru, an anti-colonial Indian nationalist who became prime minister. The text also alludes to Indira Gandhi's assassination

Paradox

Judge Patel embraces British culture and supports colonial politics, though the British rejected and abused him during his time abroad.

Biju initially harbors prejudice against people of color and admiration for white people, though white colonialists were the only ones who damaged India

Gyan accuses Sai of being unprincipled and cowardly, yet quickly abandons his political ideals to embrace an easier life

Parallelism

Judge Patel's abuse of Nimi parallels Gyan's mistreatment of Sai. Both men take out their insecurities and grief on their romantic partners, who they believe represent the forces oppressing them