Repetition is the central theme of the novel ,"The Hungry Tide" written by Amitav Gosh winner of the Gnanpeeth award

1. THE THEME OF REPETITION
In the novel of Amitav Gosh’s
THE HUNGRY TIDE

4. Repetition is one of the most important themes of The
Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. In the tide country of the
Sunderbans tide and ebb tends to occur frequently and
this repetition determines everything for the people of
the tide country. Even their life and death are decided by
it. Chance and coincidence make Nirmal, Nilima, Kusum
and Horen face each other. It is the tide country that
finally resolves their fate.
Many years later when Kanai, Piya, Moyna and Fokir are
at the same place, incidents and circumstances reiterate
themselves making repetitions one of the central
deciding factor.

5. The nature and setting of the tide country is the very soul
of it that influences the fate of every character in the
novel. At one point of time, they all become equal in the
setting, and are equally affected.
In the tide country of Amitav Ghosh’s novel, The Hungry
Tide, like the ebb and the tide in the rivers which
surround the tide country islands, the incidents and the
characters, the motifs and the actions, even the
happenings are controlled solely by nature appear to be
repetitive.

6. It begins at Dhakuria railway station in Kolkata and the
journey leads to the tide country of the Sunderbans and
then continues through past and present proceeding.
Ghosh himself has divided the novel into two parts such
as ‘the ebb’ and ‘the tide’.
From another perspective the novel can be divided into
two sections i.e, the past narratives and the present
proceedings. The novel revolves around eight characters
from two generations. Nirmal, Nilima, Horen and Kusum
belong to a specific span of time and Kanai, Piya, Fakir
and Moyna belong to another, but like the tide and the
ebb, relations incidents and situations continue to repeat
for both the generations.

7. In the tide country repetition is a regular phenomenon.
The tide and the ebb come at regular intervals and
regulate the livelihood of the dwellers who depend on
gathering wood, honey and wax from the forest and by
catching fishes and crabs from the rivers as well.
Like the tide and the ebb they return in the context, as if
repetition is a part of the texture of the whole thing.
Inspite of all these, the humans continue to survive with
their aims and dreams, death takes its toll at regular
intervals but life continues to exist.

8. The time frame is expanded to a great
extent. However, through accounts of past
events, sometimes presented by the
characters and at times by the narrator
through a journal written thirty years ago
and through a myth which was actually
originated in a far distant past.

10. REFERENCE READINGS
https://www.academia.edu/37042598/THE_THEME_OF_REPETITION_IN_AMITAV
GHOSHS_THE_HUNGRY_TIDE
THE THEME OF REPETITION IN AMITAVGHOSH'S THE HUNGRY TIDE, Ebong
Prantik, 2018
https://www.enotes.com/topics/hungry-tide