The novel Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry is a intricate creation of national conflict of the Parsi people of India that encompasses the issue of identity, allegiance and existence amidst the altering times of history. Against the backdrop of the post-independence struggles in India, the novel explores the inner and outer conflicts of Gustad Noble whose life is entangled with the turning of events around the country and his own life. Mistry skillfully incorporates historical scenes with fiction and describes the difference in the perception of these events by the individuals who are victims of occurrences. The issue of isolation which the Parsi community faces, as well as how it must resist changing its culture in the face of outside influences like the rise of the Shiv Sena and increasing political instability in Mumbai are also discussed in the novel. The novel stands as a symbol of the struggle within himself - a microcosm of the actual social and political processes involved. Themes of loss and disillusionment and reconciliation arise because of the personal experience of the characters, which highlights the conflict between the past and the present. The idea of individual change becomes a theme in the novel by Mistry and is presented with a complex account of how individuals find their identities during the fluid nature of political, cultural and emotional fluxes.

Mistry, Parsi community, political unrest, historical scenes, cultural, and emotional fluxes, identity crisis etc