5. Discuss the terms globalization and colonialism

[Jen]

Discuss the terms globalization and colonialism as they apply to this novel. What does it mean to introduce an element of the West into a country that is not of the West, a person from a poor nation into a wealthy one? What are examples of this in the novel? Discuss them in political and economic terms.

[[deleted user]]

The British came and introduced a way of life that was totally different from the India way in terms of status and religion they had different standards and the native people were expected to meet those standards. A new language was introduced, English, and a new social sphere, those who adapted and became westernised rose higher and tended to look down on others.

When Biju goes to America to earn money he is looked down upon as an immigrant the only work he can get is unskilled and underpaid he is not accepted except by other immigrants. Biju also finds himself in conflict with the American way of life, the consumerism and the abundant and wasted food. He also learns that there are 2 tiers of society and that he will always be treated as second class. This is not helped by the fact that he is working illegally and so cant actually progress without being discovered.

[Pip]

One of the evils of colonialisation is the arbitrary way the colonialists divide areas into countries without consideration for the traditional inhabitants. The Nepalis want their own state, Gurkhaland instead of being part of the state of West Bengal. The judge thought he would be successful by being the first native judge in the Indian Civil Service, but he found that he lost his individuality in his desperation to conform. The plight of Biju is both general and specific. People who become "aliens" in another culture, particularly if they are there illegally, are victims of exploitation. (I always get a jolt when I hear illegal immigrants being referred to as aliens. To me, an alien is a being from another planet, so I find the term quite shocking).