Memory and Identity in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island: A Critical Study

Abstract

This article examines how Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island (2019) explores the interrelated concepts of memory and identity. Drawing on the novel’s one of the principal characters, Deen's experiences, the study highlights how personal and cultural memories shape an individual’s identity in a world marked by displacement and global migration. Including this character, other characters and incidents are also considered for analysis. The novel offers a powerful literary exploration of how memory—both individual and collective—serves as a repository for traditions, traumas, and aspirations, providing characters with a means to negotiate their sense of self in an ever-shifting landscape. Using insights from cultural memory theorists such as Jan Assmann, Pierre Nora, and Stuart Hall, this paper argues that Deen’s journey is guided by revived memories, myths, and cultural roots that reconnect him to his origins. Furthermore, this study argues that the text demonstrates how memory acts as a vital agent in shaping identity.