The Glass Palace: A Study of Colonial Expansion in Asia

The essay analyzes Amitav Ghosh's novel, 'The Glass Palace,' examining its portrayal of British colonial expansion in Burma during the 19th century. It explores the historical context, including the downfall of the Konbaung Kingdom and the social changes brought about by colonialism. The essay highlights the relationships between different ethnic groups, the role of Indians, and the conflicts that arose. It emphasizes how historical fiction offers a unique perspective on historical events, often revealing social changes not fully documented in traditional sources. The essay concludes that 'The Glass Palace' provides valuable insights into the complexities of colonial expansion and its impact on Asian societies.

Running head: THE GLASS PALACE AND ASIAN COLONIAL HISTORY
THE GLASS PALACE AND ASIAN COLONIAL HISTORY
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1THE GLASS PALACE AND ASIAN COLONIAL HISTORY
The essay is focused towards the evaluation of novel “The Glass Palace” concerning
historical interpretation of the content in the context of 19th century Asian expansion of the
colonial powers of Europe. The various things depicted in the novel and the relation of these
historic phenomenon with actual historic documentations have been discussed.
The Glass Palace is a historical novel my Amitav Ghosh that traces the lives of various
characters in the context of the British expansion into Burma. Among the hundreds of characters
in the novel one of the main characters are Rajkumar. He is an 11 year old refugee Indian boy.
The novel traces the expansion of the British colonial power in Burma and the subsequent defeat
and decline of the ruling dynasty of Burma (Ghosh 2000). The initial part of the novel deals with
the situations of the time in the then capital of Burma, Mandalay. Thibaw Min is also one of the
significant characters of the Novel. Ghosh in the background of his story depicts the downfall of
the Konbaung Kingdom that ruled Burma towards the late 19th Century. The novel is significant
as it traces some unusuall relationships that develop during the times of the colonial expansion.
One such relationship is seen between Rajkumar and a woman he meets called Ma Cho, who
runs a tea stall and takes care of him from then onwards. Another interesting relationship
develops between Satya John, a merchant of teak and Rajkumar.
In the first three chapters of the novel glimpses of the times that the story accounts can be
seen. The interesting thing that can be seen is the development of relationships between people
of different origins. Especially, the Bengalis from the eastern parts of India, the Burmese and
people from other parts of the South East Asia and other Indians. This was a result of early
colonialism that affected the vast stretches of lands that actually came under the control of the
British in the 19th century. Traces of inter-ethnic conflicts can also be seen as the Indians in the
Burmese empire are shown to be siding with the British troops in the times of the conflict (Saha

2THE GLASS PALACE AND ASIAN COLONIAL HISTORY
2016). This makes the Burmese against the Indians. This changing social fabric of the Mandalay
and other parts of Burma at that time are not properly documented in historical sources. Hence,
the changing social fabric and the development of relationships between ethnically diverse
people in south-east Asia is something that the historians might not be able to verify given the
lack of sources in regards to the same. Thus, it can be said that historical fiction can provide an
altogether different perspective of historic occurrences. This can provide a more powerful
interpretation of history than scholarly publications. Historical source often fail to identify the
deeper social changes that occur during times of historic changes.
In conclusion the Glass Palace is an interesting novel that brings forward many of the
unknown stories that occurred during the Asian expansion of the British Empire in the 19th
Century. The novel portrays colonial expansion, the fall of a kingdom along with the social
changes it brought forward and many significant historical aspects.

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References
Ghosh, A. (2000). The glass palace.
Saha, J., 2016. Is it in India? Colonial Burma as a ‘problem’in South Asian history. South Asian
History and Culture, 7(1), pp.23-29.