Sonali Deraniyagala Analysis

“Let go over a cliff, die completely, and then come back to life–after that you cannot be deceived” (Zen Proverb). The presented situation in this Zen Proverb appears impossible, yet, as Sonali Deraniyagala learned, it is entirely achievable. In December of 2004, Deraniyagala lost her entire family, her parents, husband, and children, to a monstrous tsunami in Sri Lanka. It turned her life upside down and struck a near lethal blow to her spirit; the foundation upon which she created her joys had been washed away. For the years following the catastrophe, she went through a heart-wrenching recovery, first beginning with the incessant repression of all memories involving her family. However, she discovered that this was an abortive method, which

With the absence of conjunctions, her sentences are given a simplistic, direct feel, as prominently demonstrated in the following quotation, “The Rosenbaums looked about my parents’ age, dressed smartly for dinner as my parents would have done, maybe that’s why I started chatting to them” (Deraniyagala 221). The lack of literary flourish within this quotation shifts the audience’s focus towards the physical development of the situation, thus providing a more tangible and uncomplicated comprehension of Deraniyagala’s life. However, this simplistic structure also allows the audience to develop more complex inferences regarding the situation by applying knowledge from previous chapters in order to develop a thorough understanding of the memoir’s claim. More specifically, Deraniyagala’s application of her parents’ characteristics onto other people demonstrates her gradual acceptance of what happened to her. Prior to this event, Deraniyagala was stubborn on remaining oblivious to the absence of her family, which was highlighted with declarative sentences; it left no room for misinterpretation, magnification, or sentimentalization. However, she slowly regained the memories, and through them she forged new relationships and connections with people. This lead to increased social interactions and a slow resurfacing of her inner self, thus providing her with the strength to continue moving with her life from the memories, despite their previous painful