Blunted Sensibilities in Arun Joshi’s ‘The Strange Case of Billy Biswas

Abstract

Arun Joshi writes for expounding his ideas vis-à-vis understanding his own true self; for he essentially attempts towards a better understanding of the world and of himself. His statement echoes the influence of Albert Camus, Sartre and Kierkegaard. The trio of the existentialists mentioned above has given new dimensions even to alienation. The strange case of
Billy Biswas is an attempt to depict blunted sensibilities, find out viable alternatives for the most futile cry of man in smart society; the predicament of an alienated personality of the modern world. Romi (Romesh Sahai) the narrator puts it in the following words at the very opening of the
novel: ‘As I grow old, I realize that the most futile cry of man is his impossible wish to be understood. The attempt to understand is probably even more futile.’1 The idea of being “understood” is directly related to a person being rooted in a place and traditions. Billy’s predicament become a special case when the reader comes to know that Billy’s
was a split personality-split between “primitive” and “civilized”. Tuula Lindgren who is getting advanced training in psychiatric social work at Columbia gives it an expression when she ruminates: “Billy feels something inside him, but he is not sure. Sometimes he is afraid of it and
tries to suppress it. … A great force, urkraft, a… a primitive force … it is very strong in him, …  It can explode any time.”2 Such is the struggle of the man who finds his identity lost in the so called civilized world.