The Village by the Sea

‘The Village by the Sea’ is a novel, which is a backdrop to the lives of the people in the village located in the western cost of India, Thul. It is a novel which is presented from an Indian boy, Hari’s point of view. The Indian culture and tradition can be seen throughout the novel. Desai uses concise descriptions to deliver the contents to the readers. Desai also uses various languages to make the novel more active.

The religious aspect of the residents in Thul is introduced through the actions of the characters. Lila, eldest child among the four, is first introduced in the story, making the story evolve in the character of Lila. Lila wades into the water to reach the ‘sacred rock’. The symbolism of the rock is a pagan God. It is also a symbol of faith and hope for the poor people of Thul. Thus, it shows us the importance of the rock. Lila ‘took the flowers from her basket and scattered them about the rock, then folded her hands and bowed.’ This shows how she respects to the rock. She approaches the rock with respect which shows her strong will and faith with the continuity of religion and conventional beliefs. This tells the reader that the attitudes of the children towards faith are positive. Not only did Lila show respect to the rock, the women in the village also pay their respect and worship to the rock. The women approach the rock in different ways. ‘Some move towards the rock with purpose needing reassurance while others approach it for the sake of it through habit.’ All women approach the rock with respect for religion and tradition.

The importance of the temple of the book is showed through the concise description by Desai. It is considered as holy. ‘It had four bricks pillars supporting a tiled roof, an unwalled court and small alcove that housed an idol.’ Later, Hari, Lila’s younger brother, hears that the temple and the hill will be cut down, and that factories will be built on top. ‘Hari laughed, not believing a word.’ This shows the strong beliefs in religion and ranking religion as important.

Magic and superstition also forms an importance of the beliefs in Indian culture. Villagers would go to the medicine man before they went to the doctor. This tells the reader that the people’s attitudes towards superstition are deep-rooted. Villagers are brought up believing in superstition. It will take a long time before this changed. The medicine man is ‘known to perform special puja for those who were too ill to benefit from his powders…All this gave him the air of a magician, of witchcraft.’ Despite the fact that what the medicine