How Does The Boat People Relate To Belonging

The Struggle for Belonging and Identity in The Boat People

Introduction: In The Boat People by Sharon Bala, the characters navigate the emotional and social challenges of immigration, struggling to belong in a new country. The novel follows refugees, such as Mahindan, who fled Sri Lanka’s civil war, and immigrants like Priya, revealing how trauma, systemic prejudice, and conflicting cultural identities make it difficult to create a sense of belonging. Bala emphasizes that the search for belonging requires more than a change of location—it demands a reckoning with both internal trauma and external societal barriers. This essay will explore how The Boat People develops the theme of the struggle for belonging and identity by analyzing Mahindan’s

Early in the novel, the author illustrates his attempt to wash away the horrors of war: “He rubbed the soap into his skin, working up a lather of small bubbles, months of blood and war all sloughing off in a black river running to the drain in the centre of the room. Sri Lankan horrors washing away in Canadian waters, disappearing down Canadian drains.” (p. 26) The imagery of the “black river” symbolizes the emotional burden of Mahindan’s past, while the reference to “Canadian waters” suggests his desperate hope that relocation will free him from these burdens. However, the use of contrasting imagery—Sri Lankan trauma lingering despite being washed away in a new land—implies that trauma is not so easily shed. This struggle illustrates that belonging requires not just a change of geography but a process of emotional healing, which remains incomplete for many

Priya’s relationship with her family reveals these tensions: “In Priya’s family, there has always been a tacit discouragement against fraternizing with other Sri Lankans. When Priya mentioned her university’s Tamil Students’ Association in passing, her father had said, ‘Don’t get mixed up in all of that.’” (p. 55) This quote shows how immigrants may face pressure to distance themselves from their cultural roots to focus on integration. Priya’s father’s warning reflects a belief that engaging with their ethnic community might hinder their chances of success in Canada. However, this creates a new conflict for Priya, forcing her to choose between her cultural identity and the expectations of her family. Bala uses this tension to demonstrate that belonging is not only shaped by external factors but also influenced by internal community dynamics, making the process of identity formation even more