Gun Island

Snakes are a recurring symbol throughout the book. They are directly connected to the Gun Merchant’s legend, as Manasa Devi is the goddess of snakes and other venomous creatures. Within the context of both the legend and the main plotline of the novel, they are implied to be her minions and the vehicles for her wrath in the physical world. This pattern becomes evident when the Gun Merchant’s family dies of snakebite, and he, too, is bit by a venomous creature on Gun Island; similarly, Deen and his companions have frequent encounters with venomous creatures during their adventures. Thus, Ghosh uses snakes as a symbol of danger within the story, as well as an indicator that something arguably supernatural is taking place.

However, when the perspective of the Gun Merchant’s story is reinterpreted as the struggle for balance between human interference and the natural order, snakes can be seen as a helpful source of warnings rather than as vicious creatures. Just as in the original legend, Tipu gets bitten; however, he is only bitten by a single fang of the cobra, and there is not enough venom to kill him. On the contrary, the snakebite bestows the power of precognition upon him, and he begins to have visions designed to warn the people around him about imminent catastrophes in their vicinity.