AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF (DIS)INTEGRATING CULTURE AND ETHNICITY IN NAYOMI MUNWEERA’S ISLAND OF THOUSAND MIRRORS

Abstract

The present study examines the factors contributing to the breakdown of ethnic and cultural identities among two groups, Tamils and Sinhala, in Nayomi Munweera’s novel Island of A Thousand Mirrors (2013). The work is authored by a Sri Lankan-American diasporic writer who portrays stories from both America and Sri Lanka, both impacted by civil conflict. After gaining independence, Sri Lanka was plunged into a civil conflict rooted in ethnic tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamil Tigers. The research aims to emphasize disillusionment, brutality, conflict, and various other disruptions in the novel that led to the breakdown of ethnicity. The research has utilized a qualitative approach and chosen close textual analysis as the method, which involves analyzing the text and offering justification using secondary resources. The research indicates that Munweera’s story portrays disillusionment through explicit depictions of killing, robbery, smuggling, looting, and rapping by both Tamils and Sinhala groups, leading to a breakdown of their ethical standing. The novel is replete with exploitation and pain, rooted in savagery. Sympathy is now absent even in language. After gaining independence from British rule, the Sri Lankan people faced a civil war that led to more disappointment. Disillusionment persists in their life even after the civil war ends, as they fear the possibility of terrorism resurfacing. Additionally, they had challenges when establishing themselves in Sri Lanka following the civil war, a common occurrence post-conflict. The research findings indicate that the topic of ethnicity is persistent and dynamic rather than static.