Animal’s Gaze in Sinha’s Animal’s People

Abstract

The article critically studies Indra Sinha's Animal’s People by critiquing Animal, a deformed young man born in the aftermath of the Bhopal disaster. Narrated by Animal himself via tapes transcribed by an Australian journalist, the novel explores themes of animality, identity, and representation. The article draws on a variety of scholarly perspectives, including ecocriticism, postcolonial criticism, posthumanism, and others to uncover the complexities of Animal's character. Drawing on the insights of Julietta Singh, Justin Omar Johnston and Andrew Mahlstedt, among many other scholars, the paper critiques common interpretations of Animal as the voice of the oppressed and offers a new perspective on his character. The paper argues that Animal's voyeuristic gaze is not compatible with typical animal behavior, but rather affirms Animal’s compromised morality as a deformed human being. Despite his efforts to establish his animality, Animal's actions betray macho human tendencies and challenge the idea that he is the appropriate figure to represent animals and ecology at large.