Anil's Ghost

For what reasons does Anil want to find out Sailor’s identity? How do those reasons change over the course of the novel, and what do those changes signify about Anil’s character arc?

What is Palipana’s significance in the novel? How does the scandal surrounding his work impact his authority?

How are Gamini and Sarath different? How are they similar? What larger significance do these similarities and differences suggest?

How does the war impact the characters who live in Sri Lanka, including Sarath, Gamini, Ananda? How do those impacts differ from those on Anil, and how are they similar?

How does Ondaatje characterize the country of Sri Lanka throughout the novel? Consider descriptions of its natural resources and Indigenous and colonial histories.

How and where do the various characters find refuge from war and the traumas of the past? What is the nature of these refuges?

What final meaning does Ananda’s restoration of the statue of Buddha suggest about the novel? What changes does it suggest Ananda has undergone? How might his life after this scene differ from his life at the beginning of the novel?

Who is Anil’s ghost? By whom is she haunted?