Authors: Liya Ann Varghese
Abstract: Abraham Verghese’s the Covenant of Water (2023) presents a complex narrative of family, medicine, caste, class, religion, gender, disease, and social transformation against the historical and cultural landscape of Kerala and British India. This article examines the representation of marginalized and unheard voices in the novel through the theoretical framework of Subaltern Studies. It particularly focuses on the experiences of Anglo-Indians, Pulayars, tribals, women, and people stigmatized because of disease. The article introduces the concept of the “Tumour of Thought,” derived from Mariamma’s question regarding an invisible tumour in the brain: “What if they have a ‘tumour of thought,’ something that we can’t see with the naked eye or with our usual tools?” (Verghese 625). In this study, the phrase is employed as an original metaphor for the deeply rooted belief that one person or community is superior to another on the basis of birth, caste, class, religion, gender, skin colour, or historical position. Like a tumour that disrupts the healthy functioning of the body, such prejudiced thinking disrupts the healthy functioning of society. Through the experiences of Digby Kilgour, Jeb Pellingham, Shamuel, Joppan, Lenin, Mariamma, Elsie, Big Ammachi, and other marginalized figures, the novel reveals the mechanisms through which social hierarchies silence and exclude people. At the same time, Verghese’s narrative does not portray marginalized individuals merely as victims. Their resistance, solidarity, education, protest, professional achievement, and assertion of agency challenge oppressive structures. The article argues that The Covenant of Water ultimately exposes the “Tumour of Thought” as a social and ideological condition that must be confronted for a more inclusive society to emerge.
