Identity in the Indian Ink - Essay Example

Identity in the Indian Ink Just as is with most of the plays written by Stoppard, many questions can arise regardingwhat is Indian Ink is all about. The plays tackle a few themes as well as issues surrounding culture, which is a basis for identity. The play is set in India and connects the past to the present; the scenes are set in the 1930s as well as in the 1980s running in parallel. Tom Stoppard uses the love affair existing between a British poet, Flora and an Indian painter, Nirad Das as it canvas to discover the dynamics of re-establishing Indian identity in the wake of British imperialism. The novel teams up with ideas that are fascinating as well as characters that revolve around an English woman who was visiting the subcontinent during the years that were yearning in the British Empire dominance (Davis 33). British and Indian definition of Identity The British people define Indian identity in terms of the behavior and culture the Indians display. For instance, the nude picture is a representation of Indian culture as evidenced by Flora when she says, “this one is for yourself…I’m pleased” (Stoppard 74). The picture is nude to represent Nirad’s tradition as well as a revelation that he had stopped aping the English. However, Nirad meant to please Flora who had always told him to stick up for himself and stop doing everything the English do (Stoppard 43). This causes a cultural clash because Flora wants Nirad to be himself. Nirad wants to impress Flora using his knowledge of English culture and of England. Using oils in painting was English and not Indian; therefore, Nirad had to make the painting nude in order to be Indian. Thus, the British defined Indian culture based on following Indian roots and keeping away from English culture. Traditionally, Fosters which is a passage to Scotts and India the Raj quarter, the play examines experience in the colonial field by focusing on the relationship between given couples. Throughout the play, Flora’s and Nirad’s relationship changes from being a formal one to being an intimate one. Their relation brings in major points of culture clash and tension too. Identity as displayed by the Characters Identity is given much attention throughout the play, especially as can be traced in different levels but it is clear in the relationship between Flora and Nirad. Stoppard chose an original way of presenting the identity in their relationship because he represents them using the art. In this respect, his idea of “skill without imagination,” is craftsmanship and offers numerous helpful objects, e.g., wickerwork, picnic, and baskets. Imaginations devoid of skill yield modern art. This is interesting because it reveals his view on the art as well as power of the human imagination, which should interpret and perceive the arts as it was done by the main characters (Kelly 50). The British as well as Indian perceptions during the colonial past are depicted in close parallel with the perceptions of the refashioned post-colonial. The reflection of Stoppard on the Anglo-Indian hybrid identity as well as combined cultures, i.e, Anglo and Indian in nature are traceable in the vastly Anglicized contemporary nature of Anish who opposes Mrs. Swan concerning imperial history topics and articulates the dominance of Indian culture, although he states, “England is my home now…I have spent half my life here" (Stoppard 18). His spouse is an English lady who is a contemporary deconstructive style painter, not like his father. Among the most conflicting viewpoint regarding the Empire’s past start to arise when Anish states, "The first War of Independence" or "The Rising of 1857", which Mrs Swan calls "The Mutiny" ( Stoppard 17). The author offers a similar voice to the two viewpoints as a somewhat heated contest on imperial history follows. An exemplar regarding Mrs Swan’s opinions is, "We were your Romans, you know. ...We might have been your Normans" (Stoppard 17), after which Anish persuasively puts forth his viewpoint. Contrarily, the manner Mrs Swan interprets the Empire’s politics is founded on pragmatism as she notes, "We made you a proper country! And when we left you fell straight to pieces like Humpty Dumpty! Look at the map! You should feel nothing but shame!" (Stoppard 18).  In the meantime, Pike, is undertaking his research in London and in Jummapur" (Hunter 88) to discover Flora’s life in order to compose her bibliography. While in India, Pike depends on an Indian English literature professor known as Dilip. Pike does not see outside his prejudices as well as perceptions. Dilip provides the contradiction of Anglo-Indian persisting in the post-independent India during the mid 1980s when he says, “Yes, it’s a disaster for us! Fifty years of Independence and we are still hypnotized! Jackets and ties must be worn! English-model public schools for the children of the elite and the voice of Bush House is heard in the land. Gandhi would fast again, I think. Only, this time he’d die” (Stoppard 58-9). Generally talking about the problem of identity, it should be noted that the author juxtaposes two philosophies that are different and other two in very different worlds, i.e., Western and Indian world. The major characters in the play tend to be searching permanently for their identity because they are split between India and West. In such a context, the search for identity tends to be very problematic because of the differences in cultural practices among the main characters, for example, Flora and Nirad, are annihilated by their love. The way in which the writer brings out their love, is not only the love between a man and a woman, but also love for art because art becomes the strongest power that eliminates the moral, cultural, ethical as well as other barriers (Kelly 50). On the other hand, Anish, Das’s son, is seen to struggle with an identity, which is influenced by British and Indian cultures. According to Das, the institution of English being a common national language assists in formulating the Indian national identity. Resulting Cultural Differences and why the Relationships Fail With such situations, major characters normally face problems that are serious in shaping their identity because they live in a world that is changing, as the relationship among the representatives is different in terms of culture as well as their mutual love, which led to the inability of the major characters to identify themselves with a given culture. They attempt to obtain their cultural only to feel that they are different. This results to a feeling of not accepting any of their identities. In such a context, art ends up becoming the uniting power helping the major characters to find a common interest, values and believes. Based on the art, the characters tend to be in a position to construct their own identity, which is unique. They even construct the way a skillful person does it. However, the new identity is a product of imagination because it does not have any another cultural background, which can be viewed as common for the major characters. As a result, they are forced to their imaginations in shaping their identity or in finding it, to be more precise. May be this is the reason why they tend to feel otherness when they are in a society relatively homogenous; either in India or Western where both cannot satisfy their needs hence the feeling of otherness (Kelly 50). In conclusion, life is a culturally environment that is diverse and can lead to loss of identity; however, every individual needs to shape up his or her identity. If not so, he or she will end up becoming an outcast as well as be deprived identity and their own society which share the same identity with you. The writer believes that art can contribute to the formation of a new identity. He uses the love affair existing between a British poet and an Indian painter as it canvas to discover the dynamics of re-establishing Indian identity in the wake of British imperialism. The painter is in denial of his culture and tries to identify with the English. He paints using oil, which is an English material, but is changed by the love for Flora, which prompts him to paint the nude picture. The nudity is a representative of the Indian culture, which Nirad ought to have identified with. Therefore, the characters form identity through aping foreign cultures but are changed by circumstances. If Flora welcomed the aped paintings, Indian culture could have been lost. This reveals that the British define Indian identity with regard to conformation with their culture as opposed to aping the English culture. On the other hand, the Indians define British culture in terms of their culture, which the Indians give much esteem instead of their own. Works Cited Davis, Gabriel. Theater Review. 2002. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. Kelly, Katherine. The Cambridge Companion to Tom Stoppard. Cambridge University Press, 2001. Print Stoppard, Tom. The Indian Ink: A Play. Faber & Faber, 1995. Print Read More