IV - A Candle or the Sun (1991)

Summary

It is through the stylization of the voices of the characters in A Candle Or the Sun (1991) that Gopal Baratham parodies certain linguistic features of Singapore English. For this purpose, the writer has created a first person narrator in the character of Hernando Perera, who is sensitive to language. The narrator' command of English plays a significant role in developing the theme of betrayal at one level, and at another level, the dynamics of writing fiction, which become interwoven as the narrative unfolds. The first person narrator provides the writer with an opportunity to represent the varieties of English spoken in Singapore. The narrator' role as a writer of short stories enables him to differentiate the subtle shifts in the speech of the people around him. Thus he is able to convey his ironic perspective of how English is spoken in a multilingual Singapore.

Like Lee Kok Liang, it is through the “Language variance, with its synecdochic function” (Ashcroft et al. 1989, p. 59), however, that the writer evokes the multilingual environment. For instance, the allusion to “Pantai Cinta Brahi” (p. 41) evokes the beach in Kelantan, a state in Malaysia. This allusion to the Malay language is reinforced by the use of the word tuan (p. 8). The phrase “Kannya Kumari” (p. 92) is a reference to an Indian beach at the tip of the subcontinent. The Sanskrit words yoga (p. 88), the yoga poses, prarayana (p. 88) and vrksasana (p. 92), and words such as karma (p. 121) and kismet (p. 121) reinforce the presence of Indian languages. Words such as alaga (p. 91) and rajah (p. 91) evoke the Tamil language. Likewise the writer alludes to tai chi (p. 94) to evoke the Chinese language. These allusions perform the synecdochic function of registering the narrative as taking place in a multilingual environment.

The writer is able to parody the English spoken in a multilingual environment because the narrator' home provides the background for developing the skills needed for such perception. The speech of Hernando' father, a retired school teacher with scattered phrases such as “all the tea in China” (p. 34), “so run along now” (p. 34), “it simply isn' cricket” (p. 34), “old chap” (p. 34), and “don' get your tail feathers ruffled” (p. 34) reveal that he has grown up with the British education system.