The use of Literary Devices in Gopinath Mohanty’s Paraja

Abstract

The classic Odia novel Paraja is concerned with the representation of the Paraja tribe inhabiting the hinterlands of Odisha. The word ‘Paraja’ originates from the term ‘Praja’ which means the ‘subjects of a country’. The novel is not just a sociological document; its philosophical aspects acquire great significance and deserve academic scrutiny. Written in 1945, Paraja’s sociological concerns still remain contemporary. In the words of the translator who rendered it in English, the social is lifted to the level of the metaphysical in the hands of Gopinath Mohanty who is the author of this novel. Paraja might be labelled as an ethnographic document, but the novelist does not compromise on its literary aspects. The language, according to the translator, is colloquial at one point and lyrical, at the next; it becomes forthright at one moment and effervescent, at the next. Therefore, it becomes difficult to distinguish the borderline between prose and poetry in the novel. While the prose narrates the tragic tale of a tribal family, the lyrical style alleviates the serious mood of the novel. In the process, the narrator makes profuse use of symbols and images in the depiction of the social and cultural modes of the Paraja tribe. He mentions that words are inadequate symbols to express an experience. Considering the limitation of words, he finds images and symbols useful to convey human experiences and emotions in a much intense way.