Keywords
natural disaster, survival, storytelling, humane values, diaspora, identity.
Abstract
The celebrated Indian-American author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has chosen different subjects for her novels but none so interesting as One Amazing Thing in which she puts the characters in a dangerous even life-threatening situation and makes them overcome this crisis especially by means of storytelling. It follows the path laid by several literary classics like One Thousand and One Nights, The Decameron, Panchatantra and most importantly The Canterbury Tales. Trapped in the underground office of an Indian consulate the characters connect with each other and forge a group which actually helps them to survive the crisis until they are finally rescued. The narrative thus provides us with invaluable lessons on empathy and the insignificance of societal prejudices based on caste, creed, gender and the riches which amount to absolutely nothing while facing a crisis. Therefore, the novel not only entertains and educates the reader but psychologically prepares us to embrace the notion of universal humanity. This paper probes how the author successfully makes us aware of the limitations in life even for the affluent and how genuine care for each other can help us tide over such nearly unimaginable difficulties.
