Rootlessness and Existential Uncertainty: A Critical Look
at Syed Waliullah’s Tree Without Roots
Md. Nurul Ameen,
Lecturer,
Department of English,
CCN University of Science and Technology,
Cumilla, Bangladesh.
Abstract: Famous Bangladeshi Novelist Syed Waliullah’s
celebrated novel Tree Without Roots (1967), originally his own Bengali novel Lal Salu (1948) is an existentialist
literature. In this novel, Waliullah examines an inner problem of the human
mind, namely existential crisis suffered by the marginalized people. He shows
how terribly Majeed, the protagonist of this novel, suffers from an existential
crisis and acute isolation. The readers are introduced to the ins and outs of
Majeed’s character through the prolonged descriptions of what happened in his
inner mind and outer world. Along with Majeed, we also discover other
characters like Rahima, Amena, Khaleque, Kulsum, Tara Mian, and the poor
villagers who have suffered from existential crisis on different occasions. The
theme of rootlessness and uncertainty of life are illustrated in this novel
with different characters and incidents. In this study, we will try to explore
how they suffered from an existential crisis and how it shaped their
personality, life, and destiny.
Keywords:
Existentialism, Fear, Power, Isolation, Majeed, Uncertainty
Introduction
Existentialism is mainly a 20th
century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on
analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of
the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will
without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad. It
emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It is the view that humans
define their own meaning in life, and try to make rational decisions despite
existing in an irrational universe. It focuses on the question of human
existence, and the feeling that there is no purpose or explanation at the core
of existence.
Existentialism originated with the 19th
century philosophers Soren Kierkegard and Friedrich Nietzsche, although neither
used the term in their work. In the 1940s and 1950s, French Existentialists
such as Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Simon de Beauvoir wrote scholarly
and fictional works that popularized existential themes, such as dread,
boredom, alienation, the absurd and nothingness. Kierkegaard saw rationality as
a mechanism humans use to counter their existential anxiety, their fear of
being in the world. Sartre saw rationality as a “bad faith” which hinders us
from finding meaning in freedom, and confines us within everyday experience. An
Existential crisis is a moment at which an individual questions the very
foundations of their life: whether this life has any meaning, purpose, or
value. This issue of the meaning and purpose of existence is the topic of the
philosophical school of existentialism.
This article focuses on Syed Waliullah’s Tree Without Root to investigate the
existential crisis suffered by the marginalized people such as Majeed and their struggle to find a
meaningful life.
Literature
Review
Existentialism as a philosophical framework that explores
different themes such as alienation, identity, and the quest for meaning in an
indifferent world. In literary contexts, existential themes often emerge
through characters facing absurdity, alienation, and despair. Sartre’s concepts provide a foundational lens
through which such characters and themes can be critically examined. Jean-Paul
Sartre’s famous assertion that “existence precedes essence” reflects the notion
that people are not born with a fixed purpose—they have to create their own
meaning through their actions. This
existential lens becomes particularly relevant in Syed Waliullah’s novel Tree Without Roots, where Majeed creates
a fabricated religious identity to survive and assert influence in a rural
Bangladeshi village. The novel subtly reveals the void beneath Majeed’s outward
convictions, exposing the anxiety, uncertainty, and moral ambiguity that
characterize existential crisis.
In Waliullah's novel, the existential
dilemmas are not just philosophical abstractions but are deeply rooted in the
socio-economic realities of rural Bangladesh. Scholars have emphasized that the
rural setting in Tree Without Roots functions not only as a physical
backdrop but also as a metaphor for the existential imprisonment faced by the
characters (Shahabuddin, 2004). The characters in the novel are trapped in a
cycle of poverty, tradition, and social norms, much like the "tree without
roots" mentioned in the title—detached, stagnant, and directionless.
The rural setting itself, often idealized in
literature as a source of simplicity and peace, is shown in Waliullah’s
narrative as anything but serene. Instead, it becomes a space of isolation and
despair. The characters are often left in a perpetual state of internal
conflict, torn between their desires for personal fulfillment and the
oppressive reality they face. This aligns with existential themes of alienation
as outlined by Sartre and Camus, where individuals struggle against the
absurdity of their circumstances in search of meaning (Sartre, 1943; Camus,
1942).
Discussion
In his novel Waliullah has portrayed a
fictional village Mahabbatpur as the setting for the fortune-hunting
protagonist Majeed, who has transformed into a neglected grave of an unknown
person about whom he knows nothing but he declares him to be a saint .Majeed
claims that the saint visited Majeed in a dream which was absolutely a bluff. Majeed
become the self appointed guardian of this grave or mazar. Though Majeed is a sly impostor but Waliullah does not make
him the villain of this novel rather portrayed him with great pity and
sympathy. He understands Majeed; depicts
the ins and outs of the man and shows all the external and internal matters to
the audience in order to make the audience sympathize to Majeed. After
encountering the terrible psychological complexity and loneliness, our
protagonist suffers much in his inner mind. How insecure, uncertain and lonely
he is, a reader only can feel it after reading the soliloquy he has made
throughout the novel in different occasions.
Whatever he has done, no matter good or bad,
done it for his survival or existence in this complex modern world where every
people are in a never ending struggle for their own existence. It is true that
he deceives the villagers with the name of religion and plants fear among the
people but he has done it to plants his root of existence in this midst. He is
fearful to others but frightened within himself.
“He
sensed that one day he might have to face unpleasantness, perhaps resistance
from villagers, or even a struggle to maintain his position”. (Waliullah 75)
He is
always in the fear for lose his newly acquired firm position among the
villagers as it gives him a certainty in his present life, assurance of a
bright future of wealth and authority and a reverent identity in his rootless
life. He is determined to do anything to maintain this fortunate position in
his poor life as he never enjoys such certainty of luck, wealth and happiness.
His fear for losing his position, power and
existence become acute when a Pir Saheb or religious saint visits the
neighboring village. More the fame of the miracle and spiritual power of Pir
blowing in the wind, more the fear circulated in Majeed’s mind. Majeed feels
insecurity of his kingdom of fear in the village. So his diligent effort is to
exhales the villagers not to visit the Pir for any reason. When he listen any
news about the Pir he becomes anxious and furious. He is more irritated with
his own people than the Pir as they frequently visit him secretly for
fulfilling their numerous desires with the blessed water from the Pir. That is
why he takes cruel step against Amena, wife of Khaleque when she express her
will to sent a man to the Pir for some blessed water to fulfill her long cherished
dream for a children. He does not retreat to give her such punishment as it is
related with his own existence. He cannot tolerate any news which is dangerous
for his own survival. As a result of Majeed’s irritation and anger, Amena
compelled to follow some diluted rituals because of Majeed which compelled her
to become a mentally unstable and at last leave her own family even.
Along with his fear to losing his position,
his whole hearted effort to struck his root or acquire and secured identity
shows the acute identity crisis he had felt. As he has no technical education
to support himself with any respectable job, he compelled to work as a muezzin
at a mosque in Garo hills where people are poor, illiterate and far away from
religion. But his native village is not much better than that land. So he
searches his luck in somewhere different and finds it at Mahabbatpur. After
discovering an old grave, he plans to taste his luck with it and soon with his
eloquence and quick wit he takes control on the situation and peoples are
compelled to listen and fear him as he comes as a messenger of religion and
nobody dare to protest when he told his story about the unknown grave and
rebuked them for neglecting it as he claimed it to be a saint’s grave. He
shouted to them
“You are all blind. You are ignorant men, men
without understanding. If you were not, then how could you have left the
grave-no, it is not a mere grave but a mazar- how could you have left the mazar
of Saint Shah Sadique unattended like this?” (Waliullah 05)
Later, he built a mazar and nourished it with
numerous means.
“Day
after day Majeed studied the villagers surreptitiously, seeking to learn their
habits and customs, trying to penetrate their minds.” (Waliullah 14) In
the process of establishing his position he tries to drive out songs and
laughter from their lives. After three winter harvests, he felt secure and
self-confident. In the village he is respected by all. They seek his advice and blessings whenever
they have problems, and beg him to say special prayers for them when faced by
misfortune. He has also make friendship of Khaleque, the landowner, who always
eager to act on his advice and help him. He feels he has struck his roots deep
and firm like the largest tree of this village and his tree is flourished and
spread its branches wide over the whole village. Khaleque’s influence in the
village is never negligible but his influence is greater, though of a different
kind.
The theme of uncertainty which is closely
related to existential problem illustrates with Majeed. He is a figure who
always uncertain about himself and things around him. He is in a circle of
uncertainty and reassurance that means once he feels uncertain then he
immediately tries to reassure him that everything is quite normal and he is in
the safe zone. In chapter 2, we find a description about this issue-
“In any
event, he told himself, a new life is beginning. Then for an instant, he felt
afraid that the game he was going to play might turn out to be dangerous. Doubts
came to him whether he could succeed in it for long. But the people seemed to
be so simple and good hearted, he reassured himself. He recalled the scene of
that evening, how they had sat in front of him, their eyes cast downward in
shame. He felt better.” (Waliullah 22)
Sometimes he cannot pacify him by his own
effort when he is in uncertainty and fear then he surrenders himself to
Almighty. In chapter 4 we read a description about the inner feelings of
Majeed.
“He
fully realized that his new life, tending the grave of an unknown, a grave now
surrounded by burning candles and incense sticks, gave every evidence of
assuring him a sound future. But the fear he had felt that first night never
quite left him. Wasn’t it all resting on a very shaky foundation? Wasn’t it all
merely a house of cards which the slightest wind could upset? Then he would
pray fervently, hoping that God would forgive him. He would try to console
himself with the thought that God’s mercy was infinite and eternal” (Waliullah 34)
Another important feature of Majeed’s
character is that he frequently tries to understand the meaning of life,
importance of individual existence, importance of logic and reason. But he
finds no meaning and every attempt for existence is meaningless and futile. In
chapter 10 we find this with the following description of Majeed’s thought
-“Why
one is born on the earth only to die. Why there is a fine crop one year, and
the next everything is washed away by a flood. Why one person eats well while
another starves.” “Man might suffer, he might struggle and in the end find
himself up against a blank wall; everything might seem futile to him.” (Waliullah 87)
In chapter 11, we also encounter with such
things when Majeed tries to understand the meaning of life and find no meaning.
“How
strange is the world! Men are born, grow up, and suffer, prey to greed, lust,
desire and then they die. They die like the swarming insects that fly and swim
and crawl on this earth… what it all means, after all, is- everyman for himself.
We are alone, all of us, every man is alone in this cruel and friendliness,
intolerant, pitiless world.”(Waliullah
92)
Beside all of this Majeed suffers from
terrible isolation in the midst of crowd. He has no sharer of his secrets, and
is incapable of opening his heart to anyone, even to his wife Rahima. He is a
stranger to his wife and there is no mutual love relationship between them.
Rahima fears him more than love him. On the other hand, Majeed tries to
dominate or exploit her than love her. His love is more physical than mental.
So, how love exists where fear and being feared predominates the relationship.
That is why both Majeed and Rahima live with acute loneliness in the same
house, same bed and results to their existential crisis. If they able to share
their feelings to each other then, there might be a happy conjugal life between
them without any internal or external anxiety or suffering. Loneliness results
to their existential crisis.
Even more noticeable and significant is what
Majeed does when the hailstorm stops. He does not go to see what happened to
the mazar or to the crops in his fields. Instead he rushes to Khaleque, the
land owner and the richest man in the village. And the novelist tells us that
deep within him Majeed knew why he was going to Khaleque, although he did not
wish it to admit it too readily. “The
main source of his livelihood was not his land and his crops, but faith, and
faith he knew, though not as easily destroyed by natural calamity as material
wealth, if once destroyed may never be restored.” (Waliullah 105)
He knew that the damaged mazar could be repaired, but not the damaged faith of the public in
him and their trust in the mazar. That
is why the man of religion must run to the man of material wealth; and the two
must collaborate to preserve faith in the system. Mazeed’s seeking help from Khaleque
is ironical but realistic. To preserve his existence he must need to go
Khaleque because it is Khaleque and, no one else, who can save Majeed from
disaster. Because should Khaleque lose faith in Majeed and his shrine, no one
else in the village will have any trust in Majeed.
Indecisiveness is another important feature
of Majeed’s character which shows his existential problem. Sometimes he decides
to reveal his secrets but he cannot do it due to his fear and indecisive nature
. “I’ll
tell them the truth. I’ll tell them exactly how I’ve been making fools of them
year after year. And then I’ll tear down the yellow canopy and the red cloth
with its silver trimmings, and I’ll leave the country.” (Waliullah 117) But in his heart of hearts, Majeed knew
that he would never do it.
Along with Majeed, the other important
characters of this book namely Rahima, Amena, and Khaleque are suffered from
existential crisis. Rahima and Amena’s existential problem is due to their
barrenness as a mother. In the society they live on never give respect who
fails to conceive a baby. As they have no child of their own after so many
years of their marriage they do not get the adequate respect as a mother. A
child means to them not only a child but an identity to live with adequate
honor in the society. In chapter 6, we confront with it when Rahima asks favor
from saint to be a mother of her own child.
“She would say that she was childless; that
she felt lonely and empty without a child; that she was a strong woman and
could bear many children. Would the saint give her a child, only one child? As
she made the plea, only her eyes revealed her anxiety and longing.” (Waliullah 64) The childlessness not only affects Rahima
but also Majeed. This also creates identity crisis Majeed as well as Rahima. It
is clear to us when Majeed says Rahima one night that
“My
wife I wish we had a children.” “It must be God’s will that it should be so,
but how empty life is without a child” “I am not happy this way. What is the
meaning all this land, the good grain and rich harvests, if one’s home is so
sad and dreary? I tell you, it’s a barren house. A house that gives me no
happiness, no joy. Our home is like desert.” “An agonizing sense of unfulfillment
gripped him” (Waliullah 68)
In case of Amena, wife of Khaleque, her
identity crisis as a childless woman results to envy towards Tanu, the second
wife of Khaleque. That is why when a Pir came in the neighboring village she
cannot control her desire to asked for blessed water from the Pir to be a
mother and gets an identity though she was aware about the facts that the
disclosure of this event may irritate Majeed who ordered the villagers not to
go to the Pir in any case. She risked it because it is the question of her
identity as well as existence.
Though Khaleque is a landlord but he is also
suffered from mental anxiety, uncertainty and fear to lose his present
fortunate position in the society that means existential crisis. His crisis is
become acute and clear to us when the hailstorm ruins the crops field. In
chapter 20, we discover it while novelist describes the inner feeling of
Khaleque-
“I am
always afraid that something may happen and suddenly strike me down. Life is so
uncertain. The hailstorm made this so terribly clear to me.” (Waliullah82)
Like Khaleque, the existential problems of
the villagers in general, are also clear to us after the hailstorm. Hailstorm
ruins not only their crops but also their dreams and certainty of life and
existence.
Tara mian is another character who compelled
to die because of his Identity crisis. He is an aged man and have retired from
life and nothing to but regular quarrel with his wife. One day during a quarrel
between them, his wife told him that
“Pox
take you, old man. Do you still think you were the father of my children…I
swear by God, that you were not their father.” (Waliullah 93) He terribly shocked to listen it and his
supreme male self/Igo is threatened with such remark from his wife. Later in
this novel we see this shock guides him to silent death.
Findings
This novel actually shows inner problem of
human life through the characters and their activities. We all searches for our
identity which is actually obscure. We see in the paper that how existential
crisis reshapes human psychology negatively? Majeed and his above situation
sketched the picture clearly. Another important finding of this research is the
uncertainty and nothingness of marginal people and all other people as well.
They are always uncertain about their present and future. They feel like they
are nothing important and thus anyone can exploit them easily. Through this
research the researcher can contribute to inner philosophy of marginal people
and it will be an important task for world literature.
Conclusion
Finally, from the above discussion it is
clear that existential problem is true for every human being no matter how
great he is or what he belongs to. Either this way or that way human being is
the victim of existential or identity crisis. Everybody is in a fear to lose
his position and uncertain about even their near future. Though critical of the
exploitation of religion, Syed Waliullah looks sympathetically at Majeed for
whom religion means food and shelter and yet, he is human, a tragic character
fending for himself and causing harm to others, not out of any ill will, but
because of the harrowing of living. So, for survival or existence man can do
anything and it is true for every human being.
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