70 pages • 2-hour read
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
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Symbols & Motifs
Loneliness
Loneliness is the novel’s prevailing motif for displacement. Even many of the novel’s supporting characters register their loneliness in different ways, from Mina Foi’s contemplation on the emptiness of her life in the novel’s opening chapter to Satya’s desire to marry to overcome the loneliness he experiences as an immigrant. As the novel’s title suggests, this loneliness is most clearly embodied in Sonia and Sunny’s character arcs.
Sunny’s loneliness is a symptom of his self-alienation. He is conscious of his participation in the exploitative social dynamics of the United States, which require him to betray other people of color to earn his residency. Since he cannot share these feelings with Ulla, who exoticizes his Indian identity, he feels his life is empty. This experience endears him to Sonia, who is similarly displaced by her need for direction and, later, her desire to move past Ilan’s impact on her. In confronting the strife he feels through loneliness, Sunny eventually reclaims his Indian identity and returns home.
Sonia’s loneliness persists beyond her return to India because she cannot share the truth of her relationship with anyone, including Sunny. Her overdependence on Ilan has made her cautious of depending on anyone else for emotional release, even as she fears that her soul already belongs to Ilan. When Sonia and Babita reconcile at the end of the novel, Sonia identifies loneliness as the natural state of an intentionally evil universe, which they must work together to overcome. Desai thus suggests that love is the remedy to evil and loneliness.
Ghost Hound
The ghost hound is a prominent symbol for The Role of Strife in Personal Growth. It first appears in Part 9, Chapter 40 when Sunny and Sonia are emerging from the Goan beach. They mistake it for being innocuous until the hound tries to attack Sonia, forcing Sunny to intervene. Its sudden disappearance causes them to suspect that the nature of the dog is not corporeal, but spectral.
Symbolically, the ghost hound represents Ilan’s sustained power over Sonia’s thoughts. In Part 12, Chapter 49, the ghost hound features in Ilan’s painting of Sonia, implying that he had predicted her encounter with it and has intimate knowledge of its movements. Later in Part 20, Chapter 71, Sunny recognizes Ilan’s eyes as the eyes of the ghost hound. The ghost hound’s presence thus represents Ilan’s abuse and its ongoing impact on Sonia’s emotional well-being.
The ghost hound plays a major role in driving Sonia’s resolution forward. Shortly after her return to India, Sonia learns that her grandfather, Siegfried Barbier, was similarly plagued by an elusive snow leopard, who appears in a photograph of Sonia’s mother, Seher, and her sister. Since Sonia draws inspiration from Siegfried’s artistic journey, this parallel suggests that the ghost hound’s presence is something she must inevitably contend with. In Part 20, Chapter 69, Darius suggests facing the ghost hound will help her overcome her fear of Ilan. By the end of the chapter, Sonia confronts the ghost hound, which vanishes into her. In confronting the ghost hound instead of fleeing from it, Sonia asserts herself and shows how she is now strong and confident enough to overcome Ilan’s negative influence in her life.
Badal Baba Amulet
The Badal Baba amulet is a major symbol that represents family legacy and its influence on individual identity. Seher bequeaths Badal Baba to Sonia to protect her during her time in the United States. For Sonia, the amulet functions as a defense against bad fortune. After she uses the amulet to placate Ilan’s belligerence, his luck suddenly improves, allowing him to succeed as an artist. Conversely, when Sonia is kicked out by Ilan’s wife, she starts to blame her own ill fortune on the sin of giving her protective avatar away.
Sonia gradually becomes disillusioned with the amulet’s power when she realizes that her grandfather, Siegfried Barbier, mythologized its discovery and existence. This discovery culminates in the revelation that Badal Baba is not a protective deity, but a transformative one in Part 20, Chapter 66. Seher sequesters herself in response to this discovery because she cannot accept its implications on the fate of her family. Sonia, on the other hand, comes to accept that Badal Baba expedited her development, bringing her closer to Ilan and her displacement. She can therefore let go of her guilt over losing the amulet, understanding that she, not Badal Baba, has control over her and her family’s fate.
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