LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 21:7 July 2021
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Mob Violence in the Novels of Amitav Ghosh

Md Samiul Azim

Abstract

Mob mentality had always been discordant with the peaceful law and order situation in a state and nature. To the behaviour theorists, mob mentality had remained as a riddle. But if we trace the mob violence it has been existing right from the ancient times. In Greek literature also there has been mentions of mob violence. In the novels of Amitav Ghosh mob violence plays an important role and. in some novels, it is the catalyst. But in this paper, I have tried to present the impact of mob violence on human being as well as on nature. How nature has been the victim of greedy mob who in the name of settlement and livelihood has played havoc on nature. Violent mob by jeopardizing the flora and fauna of earth has violated the sanctity and equilibrium of ecosystem. This chapter examines the representation of collective violence in some fictions by Amitav Ghosh. The fictions narrate rioting in post-partition India and Pakistan in close relationship to nationalism and communalism, and in exploring this relationship, I will first examine the way in which the problem of the simultaneous national and communal divide caused by Partition is treated in the novels. My argument here is that the novels of Amitav Ghosh are an example of the kind of narration that does not write violence into a dramatized spectacle—instead, it avoids overt dramatization and attempts to balance collective violence with representation of the individual response to it.

Keywords: Amitav Ghosh, Novels, Mob, Crowd, Violence, Behaviourists, Hypnotize, Colonial.

Introduction

What is the difference between mob and crowd? Simply put, a crowd is a group of people with or without a common goal. (Gelles, Richard A. and Levine, Ann) A group waiting for boarding a bus, lining up or listening to a concert is a crowd. This is usually temporary and usually does not look monotonous. On the other hand, the mob has several meanings. The term mob implies many implicit judgments. In fact, the word “mob” comes from the Latin “moving vulva,” which literally means “ordinary people on the move” and should indicate the contradiction or inconsistency of the crowd. In these unfair images, we see that crowds are often associated with the lower classes, disorder, and disregard for the law.

Why do people often behave differently in a crowd than when they are alone? Several theories of crowd behaviour have been proposed, most of which began with the work of Gustave LeBon, who is also called the "grandfather of the theory of group behavior." (Berk-20) 16 To be fair, LeBon is not the first to make observations about crowd behaviour. Solon, an ancient Greek lawmaker, and poet felt that the Athenians were as clever as foxes when it came to operating their businesses, but that when they banded together, they would go insane. Aristophanes, the playwright, depicted the Athenian citizens as smart and stupid parents in the council. LeBon, on the other hand, was the first business to do a comprehensive research of crowd behaviour. He tries to explain how clever individuals become people in the mob, who appear to be limitless and harsh.

The mob, according to LeBon, develops its own psyche, and people become extremely susceptible and preoccupied with the collective group's will. Crowd behaviour, according to LeBon, is intrinsically contagious. As a result, when someone gets irritated, furious, or violent, others will become aware of their sentiments and actions almost instantly. On the one hand, he claims that individuals in a crowd may readily affect a collector's attitude and conduct. Because we have been pre-programmed. The individual's conscious personality disappears and is replaced by the collective spirit. According to Le Bon, they are violent, impulsive, emotional, morally responsible, less intelligent than humans, and blindly obey charismatic leaders who "hypnotize" and mobilize the masses.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Md Samiul Azim
Assistant Professor
Gazole Mahavidyalaya
NH12, Gazole, Malda, West Bengal 732124, India
azimpremji40@gmail.com
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