Literary Devices in Shantaram
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and heat of Bombay fill the pages of Shantaram like a big, exotic love fest. The island city takes on a life of its own, almost becoming another of the many, man...
Writing Style
There are quite a few different languages that show up throughout the novel. In case you aren't multilingual, we thought you might appreciate a quick run down of some of these words. Check it out:G...
What's Up With the Title?
The name "Shantaram" really doesn't come up all that often in the novel Shantaram, which is kind of strange since, you know, it's the title. The name comes into play when Lin, who is actually using...
What's Up With the Ending?
So, you've made it through all 42 chapters and are ready to learn the secret to peace, love, and happiness from Shantaram. And Gregory David Roberts doesn't want to disappoint. After lots and lots...
Tough-o-Meter
Not only is this a long, long hike (be sure to pack plenty of GORP); it's also got lots of tricky switchbacks, like words in several different languages (check out the glossary we put together for...
Trivia
Leopold's is a real place, and actually pretty important in modern Indian history. (Source.)
Just like his narrator, Lin, Gregory David Roberts was once Australia's most wanted man (and had a nice...
Steaminess Rating
It might be disguised in gushy poetry when it's between Lin and Karla, but sex is all over the place in Shantaram and, well, it's not always pretty. Between forced prostitution and people markets w...
Allusions
Virgil (1.3.142)Alexandre Dumas, The d'Artagnan Romances (1.4.95)"The Sermon on the Mount" (2.14.39)Lewis Carroll (2.9.44)Stendhal, The Charterhouse of Parma (2.16.93)Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovar...