Social Realism and Hypocrisies in Kiran Desai’s Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

Social realism is a mode of writing that reflects an actual way of life. The last quarter of the twentieth century witnessed the emergence of a large number of women novelists in Indian Fiction in English who have attracted a great deal of favorable comments. Kiran Desai presumably refuses to accept the traditional and idealistic approach in her work; rather she excavates the disturbed psyche of modern Indians. Certain socio-political issues like multiculturalism, cultural interaction, riots, immigration, identity crisis, deprivation and discrimination are commonly found in Kiran Desai‟s novels. Kiran Desai uses a different set of language to depict the inner crisis in the lives of the characters with a focus extensively on helplessness, agony, struggle and submission. Her style is apparent in her deft usage of the third person narrative, and hyperbolic expressions, as well as the use of images, symbols and metaphors. It is her modem sensibility which lays stress on both style and theme with an emphasis on structure. However, the research concentrates on the use of language by Kiran Desai in relation to analyze various stylistic features. Kiran Desai‟s first novel Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard (1998) speaks about various outlooks of life. And the second novel, The Inheritance of Loss (2006) presents some main concepts and functions of modern civilisation. On the other hand, the present article aims to assess the themes and techniques of Kiran Desai‟s fictions.