In the story Hungry Ghost by Kevin Jared Hosein, the political and historical context of Trinidad in the 1940s serves as a backdrop for understanding how social class, economic status, and religious affiliation shape the lives of its characters. Certain characters are motivated to rise above their economic struggles in order to gain a better social standing, while others feel confined by their social position and have resigned themselves to it. Two of those aforementioned characters are Krishna and his mother. They contrast each other in many ways. Krishna’s want to improve his setting reflects the ambition of the lower class to seek a better life amidst harsh realities. His mother’s defeatism shows the burdens of tradition and expectations. Through their actions, these characters show the intense impact of their respective standings in society, highlighting the privileges and disadvantages that define their attempts to take control of their lives—and the varying degrees of success they experience in doing so. 

Growing up in poverty in the socially restricted area of 1940s Trinidad, Krishna feels the weight of his family’s struggles intensely, triggering his urge to become better than his parents and to pursue something beyond his present life. He wants to be freed from the economic and social limitations that define his life. Unfortunately, his disadvantaged status limits his power to cause meaningful change. With little access to education, and little support, he is forced to confront a reality that leaves him dependent on the very structures that he hopes to escape. This lack of privilege instead heightens his frustration, as he becomes increasingly aware of his fate. He expresses this tension when he remarks, “All my life I been waiting on a chance, and every day it feels farther away” (Hosein 112). Through his actions, Krishna’s character shows the intense impact of his social standing, highlighting the limited privileges and disadvantages that shape his attempts to control his life. 

In stark contrast to her son, Krishna’s mother embodies acceptance. She is defeated after all her long-standing economic struggles and deeply ingrained societal expectations. She has internalized the limitations imposed onto her. She feels powerless to bring about change. She is weakened. She gives up. Everything that she does believe in, though, is spiritual. She is very traditional. She prioritizes familial duty and stability over personal aspiration, which only reinforces her sense of entrapment. She doubts the dreams that Krishna has of a better life. She is skeptical as well, revealing the psychological toll that their disadvantaged status has taken on her. She submissively accepted the status quo. Through her character, Hosein shows how her lack of privilege constrains her ability to take control of her circumstances. Together, Krishna and his mother represent the contrasting responses to their shared struggles—whereas Krishna seeks to rise, his mother personifies the resignation that comes with prolonged misfortune, denoting the different ways that individuals confront the constraints of their social and economic standings. In the end, Hosein’s portrayal of this mother-son dynamic serves as a poignant reminder that, while hope and despair coexist, they shape each life distinctly, bound by the weight of tradition and the dream of change. 

Works Cited 

Hosein, Jared. Hungry Ghost.