Train to Pakistan

Trains are the most important symbol in the novel, and changes in descriptions of trains reflect the changing tone of the novel. At the start, trains represent hope, life, and normality. The villager’s daily routine is determined by the train schedule. The know when to get up, have dinner, and go to bed depending on which train runs through the village. The railway station and the goods trains are an important part of the local economy. The first sign of trouble is when the trains begin running off-schedule, disrupting the lives of Mano Majra’s inhabitants. This is followed by the arrival of the first ghost train and its cargo of corpses, which brings into stark focus the horror of the conflict surrounding them. From this point on, trains become an object of fear. The deportation train that will carry their friends and loved ones away, possibly to their deaths, features heavily in the novel’s conclusion. It is only thanks to one character’s sacrifice that the train becomes a bittersweet symbol of hope.

On the opposite side of the railway station is Mano Majra’s river. At the start of the book, it represents life, being a source of fresh water and a place for people to wash their clothes and get water for their crops.