How Does Subhash Overcome The Loss Of Family In The Lowland

The loss of family is undoubtedly one of the greatest struggles in a person’s life as it is remarkably difficult to move on in life, or to try and live one’s life normally, knowing that one will never see his/her loved one again. This notion is examined in The Lowland through Subhash as he loses his brother to the Naxalite movement. Soon after Subhash moves to America, he receives a telegram from his parents telling him “Udayan killed. Come back if you can.” (83) Subhash immediately returns to Calcutta, his home town, where he soon learns that his parents have been transformed by Udayan’s death as they seem to have lost their will to live. “His parents asked no questions about America. They avoided looking Subhash in the eye. He wondered whether
Subhash struggles to accept that not only has he lost his brother, but also, he has lost his parents as they no longer care about him and his life. Feeling like his presence is not desired and like he is a constant reminder of Udayan’s brutal death is not an easy obstacle for Subhash to overcome, as it forces him to move back to America, leaving him without family, without love in his life. It is difficult for Subhash to live a normal life as he has become forever separated from his brother who inspired Subhash, pushed him to grow and shaped his life. “Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the task which it constantly sets for each individual.” (44) To simply remember and grieve Udayan’s death would suggest merely surviving, but for Subhash to take something from Udayan’s death and make something meaningful and beautiful out of it would suggest he is moving on and renewing his life. Yet Subhash is not the only one who experiences such
After Subhash brings Udayan’s pregnant wife, Gauri, over to America to give her an opportunity at a new life, she chooses to abandon Subhash, leaving her daughter Bela with him who is only twelve years old. After living alone for twenty-five years, Gauri finally decides to try and repair her relationship with her daughter, only to be rejected, causing Gauri to feel worthless as she starts to have frequent thoughts of taking her own life to rid the world of the burden she believes she causes. “She imagined swinging one leg over, then the other. It would take only a few seconds. Her time would end, it was as simple as that.”5 Gauri is left feeling worthless and without love as she loses everyone she’s ever loved. Since she has lived more than twenty-five years without any love, she has convinced herself that she does nothing but damage other people’s lives, a burden that no person should have to live with as it makes survival nearly impossible. “We all experience trauma and we all take a very personal path to healing on our own terms. But we’re also alike in what we need most. Love...” (2) Without love life is not worth living, but love is not the only aspect that is essential in everyone’s