The Three-Dimensional Implications Of “Water”:A Material Ecocritical Analysis Of The Hungry Tide

Amitav Ghosh is one of the most brilliant Indian writers in English writing.His novel The Hungry Tide published in 2005 employs double narratives with a plot intersected with a subplot.The plot narrates how Piya,an American scientist with Indian descent,encountered Fokir,a local fisherman and Kanai,a translator,and what they have experienced in their search for dolphins on the sea.The subplot assigns Nirmal,the uncle of Kanai,as the narrator to narrate the historical trauma of Bangladesh Hindu refugees who were slaughtered by the Indian government in the 1970 s.The existing studies of The Hungry Tide mainly focus on the relationship between humanity and nature under the framework of ecocriticism as well as the postcolonial ecocritical analysis of such issues as identity crisis,historical trauma and environmental protection.However,the layered meanings of “water” in the novel remain a topic that lacks a systematic study.Therefore,the present thesis attempts to probe into the meanings of “water” from the perspective of material ecocriticism whose assumptions on matter prove to be a strong theoretical foundation for the analysis.A study of The Hungry Tide from the perspective of material ecocriticism indicates that “water” has three-dimensional implications: agency,meaning generation and narrativity.First,its agency is manifested in shaping the geography,influencing the behaviors of the living beings and destroying the life forms.The tides almost reshape the geographical contours daily.Under the power of “water”,the humanity learn to observe the law of nature with awe.Influenced by currents,dolphins move in a pattern which is consistent with the pattern of the ebbs and flows of tides.Water further demonstrates its overwhelming agency by causing heavy casualties to life forms.Secondly,the matter “water” generates two layers of meanings: the ecosystem and “hunger”.As the symbol of ecosystem,“water” provides nutrition and habitat for both human and nonhuman species.As the symbol of “hunger”,“hungry water” interconnects with the land,food,tiger and residents together to constitute a dangerous and dynamic material world in which human and nonhuman matters interact with each other.Finally,“water” also becomes a text that transcends the limits of time and space.It narrates how human beings understand and respect nature in the mythical space;it represents the historical memory on the historical trauma of the slaughtering of the disadvantaged refugees as well as the relationship between humanity and the nonhuman nature in the past;it is also the textual representation of interactions between humanity and “water” for the protection of the contemporary world.Meanwhile,the “water” narratives contribute to three material ethical implications.There are prevailing entanglements among all matters in the material world;recognition of material ethics contributes to turn ecological value into action;the humanity should be responsible for representation of material ethics through material ethics.The above analysis of the three-dimensional implications of “water” in The Hungry Tide proves that the novel is a typical material narrative in which nature and culture are intertwined and inseparable,and which presents “water” with its powerful vitality and the great potential of creating culture.