The author Doris Lessing, uses the protagonist's extra sensitivity and perception as a handicap in a society organized as ours is; one that favors conformity, the average, the obedient, however restricting his character, personality and actual self, therefore creating the conflict between achieving the standards and normalities determined by society or maintaining the individuality of one's true self while deviating from the expected; ultimately calling to question personality itself. ... "Hovering over these brisk waves, a couple of hundred yards away, was a shining disk we felt ...

• Word Count: 3249
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

" The Hungry Tide is set in the Sundarbans, an archipelago of hundreds of scattered islands, some densely populated while others completely uninhabited, at the mohona of several rivers in the Bay of Bengal. ... For hundreds of years, only the truly dispossessed braved the man-eating tigers, snakes and the crocodiles who rule these fragmented islands. ... The narrative space is taken up by them and a handful of other characters, each on a personal quest through life. ... Kanai's narrative brings to life the character of his uncle, Nirmal Bose, who is dead before the story begins. ...

• Word Count: 3979
• Approx Pages: 16
• Grade Level: Undergraduate