Reef Literary Elements

Coming-of-age

The story spans from Triton's childhood in Sri Lanka in the 1950s through his life in London during the 1970s

Triton is the narrator and relates the story in first-person perspective.

The text uses lyrical prose to create a nostalgic mood, and a tone of loss is woven throughout the text.

Triton is the protagonist; the antagonist is the class conflict in postcolonial Sri Lanka

The central conflict is Triton's difficulty establishing his identity in Mister Salgado's household and more generally in an atmosphere of widespread political unrest.

The text reaches its climax when Mister Salgado and Triton leave Sri Lanka for England.

Lucy-amma tells Triton about the wars she lived through, though her role as a cook remains constant. This exchange foreshadows how Triton serves as Mister Salgado's chef, oblivious to the political unrest in his home.

Nili is appalled when the people at the fish market kill a dolphin. Though Triton explains that the fishermen "have to make a living," Nili worries about what they will kill next. This interaction foreshadows how the oppression of the working class incites civil war.

The civil war, which should have been a significant conflict, is intentionally understated. Triton, concerned with running Mister Salgado's household, hardly notices the political unrest around him.

Political/Historical Allusions:

Jawaharlal Nehru, Former Prime Minister of India - the text references Nehru to demonstrate how Lucy-amma lived through massive political and social upheaval, though her domestic role remained the same.

Riots of 1915 - The text briefly references the 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots to demonstrate that ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka began long before decolonization.

Doctor Tissa - Mister Salgado's friends dismissively reference Tissa Vitharana, a Sri Lankan politician, to demonstrate their contempt for working-class politics

Che Guevara - Mister Salgado references Cuban Minister Che Guevara's iconic beard to demonstrate how his working-class acquaintances embraced socialist politics

SWRD - Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, former Prime Mister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1956 until his assassination in 1959

Sirimavo Bandaranaike - the world's first female prime minister, elected in Sri Lanka in 1960

Lumumba - Mister Salgado references Patrice Lumumba, former prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to dismiss the growing discontent of Sri Lankan workers, whom he believes are simply copying other political movements

Literary/Cultural Allusions

The Mikado - Mister Salgado listens to music from The Mikado, an opera written in Victorian England about Japan. By alluding to this opera, the text indicates that Mister Salgado absorbs British colonial tastes and filters other cultures through a colonial lens.

Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet - the text compares Mister Salgado and Nili's cosmopolitan friends to the 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which featured nudity.

The Wishing Well, Ginipettiya, and The Island - Mister Salgado leaves these three books for Triton to read

Religious Allusions

Noah's Ark - During his Christmas dinner, Mister Salgado analyzes the biblical story of Noah's Ark, comparing the biblical flood to monsoons in Sri Lanka

The text uses visual, visceral, olfactory, and auditory imagery to conjure a nostalgic, magical atmosphere when describing Triton's memories of Sri Lanka. Triton often reflects on the flora and fauna surrounding Mister Salgado's household to emphasize his feelings of being in a paradise separate from the outside world. The text also uses rich, sensory descriptions of Triton's cooking to argue that through his cuisine, Triton is an artist.

When Wijetunga encourages Triton to explore revolutionary ideas, Triton responds that he is "only a cook" and cannot participate in politics as Wijetunga does. However, Triton's belief in his own position and abilities are paradoxical. First, the revolutionaries Wijentunga admires are ordinary people of the serving class; thus, Triton's position as "only a cook" makes him an ideal candidate for revolutionary activities. Second, Triton is not "only a cook," as his gourmet dishes demonstrate true artistry and eventually ensure his success as a professional chef.

In the text's opening chapter, "The Breach," Triton's character parallels Mister Salgado's. Like his former employer, Triton enjoys material wealth, like a car and a successful restaurant, and adopts meticulous habits, like making lists. Mister Salgado attempted to help Triton when he was a child, simply because of their shared nationality and Mister Salgado's relative privilege. In a parallel fashion, Triton uses the privileges he received from Mister Salgado, like his superior English language skills, to assist the gas station cashier, who he recognizes is Sri Lankan.

Triton tries to avoid looking at Joseph and is often terrified by Joseph's "disembodied" hands "suddenly on a doorknob or reaching for a cloth."

The text personifies the ocean to demonstrate its power. For example, Mister Salgado studies the ocean and fears its "hunger for land," feeling that rising sea levels are inevitable, despite human intervention.