Diasporic imagination in K. S. Maniam's in a far country and Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake : a comparative study /
In a Far Country (1993) and The Namesake (2003) recount the lives of children of Indian immigrants who face an arduous challenge to find their identity, the essence of every man alive. Rajan's predicament begins when his father answers the call for labours in Malaya under the British indenture...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Kuala Lumpur :
Kulliyyah of Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia,
2011
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://studentrepo.iium.edu.my/handle/123456789/6383 |
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| Summary: | In a Far Country (1993) and The Namesake (2003) recount the lives of children of Indian immigrants who face an arduous challenge to find their identity, the essence of every man alive. Rajan's predicament begins when his father answers the call for labours in Malaya under the British indenture policy. Yet, what his father does not expect is that the 'promised land' on which he has put high hopes for better fortune defines itself other than what he is. In a Far Country therefore portrays Rajan's struggle, mentally and spiritually, as a second-generation Malaysian Indian attempting to understand Malaysian culture and to grapple the meaning to be a Malaysian. Gogol, on the other hand, faces different complications; he is born American with a Bengali background, but nothing can be worse than the fact that he is the bearer of an unusual name; a Russian name after his father's favourite author. The Namesake revolves around Gogol's bittersweet relationship with his name and the ambivalence of his identity as he attempts to circle himself into the American social milieu. The postcolonial theory of diaspora is central in the study of the texts with the intention to analyse the formation of identity of the protagonists, to scrutinise the notion of 'home' in diaspora, and finally to compare and contrast between 'the old' and 'the new' Indian diaspora with the awareness that generational differences will not be downplayed. By the end of this thesis, readers learn that it is conclusive that identity is dynamic, ever-changing, and fluid. It is of grave importance to remind readers that an attempt to revert to one's native culture or to assert cultural insularity is a futile effort. |
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| Item Description: | Abstract in English and Arabic. "A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Literary Studies) |
| Physical Description: | ix, 90 leaves : ill. ; 30cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-67). |