Sea of Poppies: Analysis of Major Characters
"Sea of Poppies" features a diverse cast of characters whose lives interweave amidst the backdrop of opium production and the complexities of colonial India. Deeti, a resilient woman, struggles with the oppressive expectations of widowhood after her husband’s death and seeks a new life, aided by Kalua, a strong ox-cart driver from a low caste who rescues her from a tragic fate. Their journey reflects themes of survival and transformation as they escape to Calcutta and eventually join a group of indentured migrants aboard the ship Ibis.
Other key figures include Chandan Singh, Deeti's opportunistic brother-in-law, who aims to capitalize on her misfortunes, and Zachary Reid, a mixed-race carpenter who climbs the ranks on the Ibis while learning about the harsh realities of maritime life. The narrative also introduces figures like Benjamin Burnham, a wealthy British merchant benefiting from the opium trade, and Raja Neel Rattan Halder, a high-caste man stripped of his fortune and dignity due to colonial manipulation. Each character embodies different societal roles and perspectives, contributing to a rich, multifaceted exploration of identity, power, and resistance in a tumultuous era.
Sea of Poppies: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Amitav Ghosh
First published: 2008
Genre: Novel
Locale: Port Louis, Mauritius; Calcutta, Benares, Ghazipur, Patna, Bakhtiyarpur, Barauni, Bhagalpur, and Pirpainti, India
Plot: Adventure; historical
Time: Late 1830s
Deeti, also known as Aditi, a determined young woman who grows opium poppies to supplement the family income. She is the wife of Hukam Singh, a sickly British Army veteran who works in an opium factory and is addicted to opium. She is also the mother of a six-year-old child. When her husband dies, she is expected to commit suicide on Hukam's funeral pyre, but she is reluctant to do so.
Kalua, also known as Madhu, a tall, powerful, silent ox-cart-driver and occasional wrestler of low caste. He often transports Deeti to market and carries her dying husband home from the opium factory. Kalua rescues Deeti from the pyre and escapes with her on a makeshift raft downriver to Calcutta. During the journey, Kalua and Deeti bond and she becomes pregnant by him before they join a party of indentured migrants bound for Mauritius aboard the Ibis.
Chandan Singh, the brother of Deeti's late husband. Venal and lustful, he has sired numerous children by his own wife and is the true father of Deeti's child, who was conceived while she and Hukam were intoxicated with opium. He hopes to acquire the widow's plot of land and add it to his own property.
Zachary Reid, also known as Zikri Malum, an intelligent, educated mixed-race son of an American salve. A carpenter who sails east to India aboard the Ibis, Zachary is in his early twenties. With the help of Serang Ali, he learns to be a sailor after several ship officers die, and he advances in position in the vessel's hierarchy. After the ship is refitted in Calcutta, he sails west as second mate with a human cargo of migrants and prisoners.
Serang Ali, leader of mercenary lascar sailors aboard the Ibis. Of unknown nationality and indeterminate age, he has black eyes, a sparse mustache, and a furtive manner. Serang Ali chews betel nuts, speaks pidgin, and may have been a pirate. He is a great help to Zachary in teaching him about sailing.
Benjamin Brightwell Burnham, English owner of Burnham Bros. Shipping Company. He is a wealthy, aristocratic individual who owns a vast estate built upon the enormous profits of his opium factory. He is a staunch defender of the drug, which is exchanged in China for tea and silk, and he is eager for a Chinese-Anglo war to continue the lucrative opium trade. Burnham adds to his fortune by bringing Neel Halder to trial for nonpayment of debt, and he acquires the Raja's estates through manipulation of the British legal system that is in effect in India.
Raja Neel Rattan Halder, landed royalty. In his late twenties, the high-caste, orthodox Hindu Neel is married and the father of an eight-year-old boy. Though he resides in a palatial estate, he is deeply in debt after borrowing money from Burnham. Following a trial rigged against him, Neel loses not only his property and possessions, but also his freedom and his dignity. Branded a criminal, he is ordered to serve a long sentence of hard labor, and he is being transported aboard the Ibis to be taken to a penal colony.
Elokeshi, Neel's slightly older, sensual mistress, a former dancer.
Rani Malati, Neel's wife and mother of their child.
Parimal, Neel's faithful retainer from childhood.
Lei Leong Fatt, also known as Ah Fatt and Aafat, a Chinese opium addict. Neel's cellmate aboard the Ibis, he is in sad shape before Neel cleans him up and nurses him back to health, and the two prisoners become friends. He vows revenge against Crowle for the first mate's abuse and successfully carries out his threat.
Azad Naskar, also known as Jodu, a carefree teenage boatman. A longtime friend of Paulette, the orphaned Jodu carries a facial scar from a childhood accident. He ferries passengers back and forth across the Hooghly River near Calcutta until the Ibis inadvertently runs down his boat, destroying his livelihood. After the incident, as compensation Jodu is taken aboard the ship as launderer and crewman.
Paulette Lambert, also known as Putli and Puggly, orphaned seventeen-year-old daughter of a French botanist. The tall, pale, dark-haired young woman has lived with the Burnham family for more than a year. Though not formally educated, Paulette knows Latin, French, Bengali, and Sanskrit. She works to complete her late father's manuscript on native Indian plants. Restless in the stuffy environment of her adoptive home and unwilling to become the wife of an older Englishman, Paulette runs away and becomes part of a group of indentured migrants aboard the Ibis.
James Doughty, ship's pilot in Calcutta, a large, red-faced, loud Englishman. He greets all vessels entering the city's harbor and speaks in a language that is part English, part sailor slang, and part native dialect.
Mr. Chillingworth, captain of the Ibis, a stickler for proper nautical law.
Jack Crowle, bulky, cruel first mate of the Ibis. He and Bhyro Singh humiliate prisoners Neel and Ah Fatt, and Crowle pays for his action with his life.
Bhyro Singh, a sadistic, wide-bodied overseer in his mid-fifties. He was present on Deeti's wedding night and helped hold her when Chandan raped her while she was high on opium. Bhyro attempts to assault Deeti aboard the Ibis, but Kalua intervenes. Thwarted in his attempt to lynch his assailant, Bhyro eagerly flogs Kalua. Kalua later bites through the ropes binding him and breaks Bhyro's neck.
Baboo Nobokrishna Panda, Burnham's agent, responsible for shipping indentured migrants. A stout, middle-aged man, he feels he is changing into a woman in the shape of his spiritual advisor. Baboo treats the shipboard prisoners with respect in the name of his mentor, Ma Taramony, to whom he wishes to build and dedicate a shrine.
Ma Taramony, Baboo's late spiritual advisor.
Munia, Heeru, Sarju, Champa, Ratna, and Dookhanee, female indentured migrants aboard the Ibis. Runaway Paulette, in disguise as Puggly, joins them.