Revolutionary Insurgency and its Aftermath: A Close Reading of Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland

Abstract

Abstract

The paper deals with the intensity and aftermath of an armed revolutionary insurgency around the country of India, especially in West Bengal, in late 1960s and early 1970s. In this postcolonial novel The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri captures the tension and political ‘richness’ of a certain period which influenced lakhs of people to join a movement in order to change the society and establish socialism in the country. Although the movement failed to achieve its desired target, it spread among the mass like wild fire and continues to be a topic of discussion even today. The paper, subsequently, attempts to depict the journey of a family during this turmoil and their disillusionment.