This dissertation seeks to explore the narrative specialties of The Narrow Road to the Deep North by, the Australian author, Richard Flanagan for which he won the 2014 Man Booker prize. The novel is beyond an allusion to Basho's significant classical work written in the 17th century Japan. Basho's work is a haibun in the Japanese tradition which is a combination of verse, haikus, and prose. Basho's The Narrow road to the Deep North is a travel narrative that acts like a model for Flanagan to provide him with the chance of an artistic imitation of Basho's style. The pilgrimage-like journey of Basho becomes the personal life story of Dorrigo Evans who experiences a narrative of love and war in the 20th century. These opposing lines of narrative move forward in parallel, since the haikus intervening the narrative, set the scene for the events that they are not originally written for; still they are open to be placed in. The focalizers are different characters who are the perceivers of the incidents going on in the novel. These focalizers provide the opportunity of delivering an objective representation of the lines of the events by explicating various dimensions that help the reader have a holistic realization of the entire narrative. Along with the focalizers and the haikus, the road acts like the third element that aids the encounter of different people from different ethnic backgrounds. The dialogism is the occasion which strengthens the polyphonic nature of the novel. All these attempts in delivering an objective representation are to have the chance of the intrusion provided for the author.
