Estha And Rahou Analysis

As seven year olds, Estha and Rahel’s view of the river were simple, and partially misinterpreted, however, when they get older, they became more aware and knowledgeable, and experienced. During the time that Rahel was gone in school, her family dynamic had completely changed; people died and people changed. Over time, Estha and Rahel see the river, as a boundary, become weaker and smaller both physically and between them and their family and their history.

When Estha and Rahel were young, they saw the river as a barrier between themselves and their history. “Strong and vibrant, the physical boundary of the river became a metaphoric representation of their strong relationship between them, their history and their family. While Estha and Rahel

. . Once it had had the power to evoke fear. To change lives. But now its teeth were drawn, its spirit spent. It was just a slow, sludging green ribbon lawn that ferried fetid garbage to the sea. Bright plastic bags blew across its viscous, weedy surface like subtropical flying-flowers.” The river used to have “power”: the ability to “evoke fear” and “change lives”. By declaring that the “spirit” of the river is “spent”, the author describes the river as lifeless. By comparing the spirit that the river used to have with spirit it lacks now, the author highlights the change in the river as a boundary and as a representation of the relationship between Estha, Rahel and the famil. During the time Rahel was gone, her brother Estha had disappeared and then turned mute, her mother, Ammu had died, and Sophie mol died also, showing that while she was away, Rahel and Estha’s relationship with their family had dwindled. While Estha and Rahel’s relationship with their family had withered, so did the river, leading us to believe that the river metaphorically represents Estha and Rahel’s relationship with their family. During Rahel’s first visit back in twenty years, she noticed that “The History House (where map-breath’d ancestors with tough toe-nails once whispered) could no longer be approached from the river. It had turned its back on Ayemenem. The hotel guests were ferried across the backwaters, straight from Cochin. They arrived by speedboat, opening up a V of foam on the water, leaving behind a rainbow film of gasoline.” By having guests “arrive by speedboat,” and “ferried across