SURVIVAL THROUGH ADAPTATION IN THE NOVEL 'THE VILLAGE BY THE SEA' BY ANITA DESAI (Pages 79-89) by Dr. B.S. Arun in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

Anita Desai’s seventh novel, The Village by the Sea is a departure from her familiar preoccupation with the problems of human psyche. In a special introductory note, she states that the story is based entirely on fact. It is basically related to a real village, Thul which is situated on the western coast of India. The question raised by the author is of earning one’s living by the farmers and fishermen in a village which is beside the sea. Even after 30 years of writing this fiction, the scene has not changed for India, the fate of the poor remains the same. The saying rightly implies here that Indian farmers are born in debt, live in debt, and die in debt. The chief reason depicted is of their addiction to drinking toddy and lying drunk under the coconut trees. In this novel, Lila- the main protagonist shows her courage and perseverance to cope amidst misery. Hari, the only brother of three sisters, craves to go to Bombay to earn his livelihood. The present novel revolves round the story of a rural family in India which struggles tooth and nail to make ends meet and enjoys a delightful reunion in the end, thanks to the undaunted courage of the two children, Hari and Lila. The theme of survival and adaptation is the paramount aspect of the thematic concerns in the novel. Also, Desai focuses on several other debatable issues pertaining to the contemporary Indian society through her novel, The Village by the Sea.Lila. The theme of survival and adaptation is the paramount aspect of the thematic concerns in the novel. Also, Desai focuses on several other debatable issues pertaining to the contemporary Indian society through her novel, The Village by the Sea.Keywords: departure, human psyche, livelihood, poor, fate, survival, adapted.