Shyam Selvadurai

by Shyam Selvadurai. Throughout the novel characters such as Radha Aunty, Jegan, and Arjie are ostracized, and belittled by society due to the hatred that lies within Sri Lanka at the time. When the characters are antagonized, they are taught to hate themselves, and often feel the need to change, because this is what was taught to them. The characters didn’t hate others or themselves prior to this knowledge,…

Shyam Selvadurai’s 1994 Funny Boy is a coming of age novel that tells the story of Arjie, a young boy like any another, enduring the vicissitudes of life. Throughout his journey of self-discovery, Arjie experiences the trials and joys of love in all its forms. Shyam Selvadurai himself is a homosexual Sri Lankan Canadian novelist born in Colombo, Sri Lanka to a Sinhalese mother and a Tamil father. In 1983, the family emigrated to Canada due to ethnic riots that were severely damaging the country.…

of our life, the clearer we should see through it.” - Niccolo Machiavelli This quote has a significant meaning towards the question, to what extent is literature like an hourglass. The quote means as time goes by and the sand lessens, the clearer we should start to see things, both literally and metaphorically. This reflects greatly in the two books I read, Funny boy by Shyam Selvadurai and anthem by Ayn Rand. In these two books, I was able to see how each character runs out of time…

Since the beginning of time, humans have struggled to decide if we should follow our inclinations, society’s wave of customs or our parents’ expectations. It is a decision that happens to an extent subconsciously; however instances occur that we, as humans, naturally follow our instincts. Society has existed since the first civilization -- the Mesopotamians -- and rules, written or not, were meant to be obeyed with no objection. The precedents initiated by the previous generation are to an…