Flow, Stagnation, and Renewal: Understanding the Symbolic Dimensions of Water in Anuradha Roy’s ‘An Atlas of Impossible Longing’

Authors

  • Revathy Janarthanan

    Department of English, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600062, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Murugavel Sundaramoorthy

    Department of English, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600062, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Aravind Banumathi Rajamanickam

    Department of English, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Krishankoil 626126, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Pitchaimani Amudha

    Department of English, S.A. Engineering College, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i5.7158
Received: 29 August 2024 | Revised: 18 September 2024 | Accepted: 20 September 2024 | Published Online: 12 November 2024

Abstract

Water is one of nature's gifts to the earth, carrying a multitude of meanings and interpretations based on its context. Water in literature is studied from a variety of theoretical perspectives due to its rich symbolism and different narrative roles. This paper aims to explore Indian writer Anuradha Roy’s novel, "An Atlas of Impossible Longing," through Gaston Bachelad’s water symbolism theory and investigates how numerous types of water bodies, including rivers, ponds, and rain, each with its own meanings and thematic importance, with the river playing a central part in the novel. This study explores the symbolism of water through three key themes: "Flow and Transformation," "Stagnation and Reflection," and "Renewal and Destruction." It examines how water functions as both a healing and destructive force in human life. Using a qualitative approach, the study combines textual analysis with theoretical interpretation based on Gaston Bachelard’s symbolism theory from Water and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Matter. Through a close reading of the novel, it highlights how water serves as a metaphorical device, reflecting characters’ emotional states, personal growth, and existential challenges. This research stands out by providing a comprehensive analysis of how Anuradha Roy integrates water symbolism in contemporary Indian Literature through her narrative structure and highlights its multidimensional role in the story. The novelty lies in its comparative analysis of Roy’s water imagery with broader literary traditions, creating new insights into how water symbolism functions both as an ecological signifier and a transformative metaphor in the human experience.

Keywords:

Symbolism; Water Bodies; Transformation; Imagination; Reflection; Destruction; Multidimensional; Ecology

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How to Cite

Revathy Janarthanan, Murugavel Sundaramoorthy, Aravind Banumathi Rajamanickam, & Pitchaimani Amudha. (2024). Flow, Stagnation, and Renewal: Understanding the Symbolic Dimensions of Water in Anuradha Roy’s ‘An Atlas of Impossible Longing’. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(5), 419–432. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i5.7158

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Vol. 6 , Iss. 5 (November 2024)

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