The Depiction of Post-Independence Sri Lankan Social Dynamics in Punyakante Wijenaike’s Giraya

Abstract

In the aftermath of the three decades following the independence in 1948, post-colonial Sri Lanka as a nation has witnessed drastic political shifts, socio-economic development and violent ethnic conflicts that directly impacted Sri Lankan society and its citizens. The colonial social hierarchy was coming to a standstill, transferring social power from the colonizer to the local aristocracy and eventually to the middle class. Post-independence economic and social reforms empowered the rural middle and lower classes providing them with the opportunities of social mobility and advancement. This study aims to qualitatively explore the trajectories of postindependence Sri Lankan social dynamics depicted in Punyakante Wijenaike’s novella, Giraya (1971), in relation to its character and incident portrayal. As a Sri Lankan writer of English fiction, Wijenaike subtly captures the submerging feudal authority in post-colonial Sri Lanka. The walauwe, once a symbol of prestige and privilege in its decay, symbolizes the shift of social power from the Sinhalese aristocracy to rural middle and lower classes. The study, stemming from a detailed textual analysis of Giraya, its character and incident portrayals explores the social dynamic nuances based on post-independence decline of traditional Sinhala walauwe feudal system, its property ownership, post-independence religious reforms and emergence of the rural middle class in power. The analysis of the novel unveils that the denial of the transitioning post-colonial social systems, industrialization and educational empowerment of middle and lower classes of the society is fostering the downfall of the Sinhalese aristocracy.