International Journal of English Literature and Culture
 

International Journal of English Literature and Culture

Vol. 5(6), pp. 188-197, November, 2017

 ISSN: 2360-7831

DOI: 10.14662/IJELC2017.051

Review paper

Rohinton Mistry was a novelist who presented the stark reality of our society and politics which helped him to turn out in the form of a no- nonsense author on the map of world literature. His early residence in Bombay gave a lot of help to him in presenting the life led by the Parsees in India as well as aided him in painting the picture of his beloved city in a pitiable condition as it was engulfed in the fire of corruption during the twentieth century. Even though the author continued to reside and composed his novels mainly in Canada, India always enjoyed a special place in many of his works. He has forged a strong relationship filled with feelings and emotions for his country and also increased the awareness of the readers towards his motherland. His first novel ‘Such a Long Journey’ gifted him name and fame both nationally and internationally. It described the fortunes and misfortunes faced by a Parsee family in Bombay. It dealt with serious issues which were bound to affect the lives of the people. The author  has presented the sordid and sad story of the protagonist Gustad Noble who was the father of three children, two sons named Sohrab and Darius as well as  a daughter, Roshan. He led a happy family life with his wife and children in Khodadad Building. His two best friends namely Major Jimmy Bilimoria and Dinshawji who acted as shields against the misfortunes suffered by him stayed in the same building. Gustad did not expect much from life. He always believed that a person should strive for such things which he can attain without much difficulty. Misfortunes were always after him and he realized that he was helpless against them. The author has employed the narrative technique of facts. Both the narratives of the first and the third person were present in the novel. In ‘Such a Long Journey’, Mistry ably constructed the plot by simply mixing the secondary plot with the primary plot.           The protagonist was a man of modest means and led an ordinary life. The story originated and ended in Bombay. The important events post- independence found a prime place in the plot of the book. The primary plot involved Gustad Noble while the secondary put forward the story of Miss Kutpitia and his wife Dilnavaz. The plot was simple and easy to understand. We can safely conclude by saying that ‘Such a Long Journey’ was a celebration of life and the determination of the people to lead their lives in their own terms, come what may.

Keywords: Reality, engulfed, journey, misfortunes, facts, celebration.

Cite This Article As: Mukherjee A (2017). ‘SUCH A LONG JOURNEY’. Inter. J. Eng. Lit. Cult. 5(6): 189-197

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