The Hungry Tide

by Amitav Ghosh

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Student Question

Can The Hungry Tide be read as an environmental novel?

Quick answer:

The Hungry Tide can be read as an environmental novel due to its focus on themes like wildlife protection, land understanding, and environmental awareness. It explores the contrast between characters who revere nature and governmental entities that might not. The sensitive portrayal of the Sundarbans' natural settings and the narrative's development through understanding natural conditions contribute to its environmental consciousness.

Expert Answers

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Ghosh's work can be seen as possessing environmental themes. The idea of the search for an animal, seeking to protect it from predators, and gaining a better understanding of and for the land are all elements featured in the book.  There is analysis present that suggests elements of the government might not share the same reverence for the environment as the characters display.  The writing style is also sensitive to the natural settings in the Sundarbans and this might allow it to be seen as a work of environmental awareness.  The manner in which the narratives are developed do so through an understanding of the natural conditions, also feeding its environmental consciousness.

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