Sahityasetu

Construct of Home and Identity in the Novels of Manju Kapur, Jhumpa Laheri, and Kiran Desai: A Critical analysis

I

Knowledge about self is the most important and progressive factor for development. It plays a vital role in opening new frontiers for individual as well as society. A person as a part of civilization is connected with social layers multidimensional. One is concern with many things from one’s own home and family to country, culture, religion, etc. every body has one’s own identity according to their ability and acceptability in home, family, society,country,etc. In every country self and home have special importance. Home and identity is basic need of human being. However not only human beings but also all the living creatures on earth have special place for them according to their necessity and accommodation with harmony to nature. For human home is not only the structure of the four walls, but also emotional attachment among the family members. Home has wide meaning. One of the many definitions about the home is anything that is believed and thought by someone to one’s own. For example, home ground, home culture, home country etc. it is a place where one is brought up and grows up. One is very familiar to these on social, economical, political, rational, educational, cultural, atmosphere. Identity and home is very important and unavoidable part from one’s life and society. It is equally treated most fundamental part in literature too.

II

Contemporary writers like V.S.Naipaul. Salman Rashdie, Vikram Seth, Manju Kapur, Jhumpa Laheri, Kiran Desai, Anita Desai, Arvind Adiga, Shasi Desh Pande, and many among the others have the theme of home in their respective works on their own way. Colonialism, Racism, Gender issues, Migration and many historical factors are responsible to make many people alienated and expatriate. However in the Indian family system, importance of man and woman in different ways, but the dominancy over the family is of man while responsibility of home and children of women. Home and family is not perfect without any one of them. Women, in Indian joint family system, are not allowed to be independent and be individual to make their own identity in the society. So some women remained dependent for everything in their in laws house and some contemplate about their identity, home and society. Manju Kapur in her novels presents the women characters who are constantly try to make their identity in the society as well as in their home. She depicts the importance of home and identity in the family while Jhumpa Laheri and Kiran Desai discusses the theme of home and identity on international sphere. The protagonists of Manju Kapur feel alienated in their own home due to the family and old traditions while in the novels of Laheri and Desai, because of alien culture in which they live far from their homeland. However the characters of the novels of Kapur, Desai, and Laheri are in search of their identity and their place in their home as well as in society in which they live.

III

Manju Kapur is the most prominent contemporary Indian English novelist. She was born in 1948 in Amritsar. Her first novel Difficult Daughters won the Commonwealth Prize for First Novel (Eurasia Section) and was a number one best seller in India. Difficult Daughters (1998) is the story of three generations; Kasturi-Virmati- Ida. Virmati, the protagonist of the novel tries to make her identity in the society, for this, she left her father’s home, respectable job, and marries a professor who is already a married person. She goes to live in his house but feel allination and uncomfortable as a second wife of the professor; her status is not socially acceptable in Indian family system too. The Married Woman (2002), second novel of Kapur explores the protagonist’s search for her place in the society more than being wife and mother. In this novel kapur also discusses the lesbian relationships and affairs of protagonist Astha. Home (2006) is about the three women and their thoughts about home, family and identity of self. Nish, granddaughter of Banwarilal family, proves herself as successful business women by defeating the all hurdles of family as well as society. Nisha follows her Masi Rupa, instead of her mother Sona, who believes that woman should be perfect in only traditional womanly deeds and serve their in laws house. In her next novel The Immigrant (2008), kapur presents the problems of immigrants in abroad. Nina the protagonist has dream about her marriage, home and husband but after marriage she feels lonely in her own home in Canada, 10,000 far from their homeland. Anand and Nina both have affair in Canada. Nina, by getting more education at Canada, tries to be individual and make her individual identity. The novels also lights on the people who live in Canada, far from their Homeland. Custody (2011) latest novel of Kapur, is about the destruction of family and home. Raman and Shagun decide to divorce and Shagun marries with Ashok, and Raman marries with Ishita. Here also problems for their children, Arjun and Ruhi, for their home and identity.

Jhumpa Laheri is the contemporary Indian English novelist living in America. In the novel The Namesake (2003), we find segregated Ganguly family and many others in an alien culture far from their homeland. They are all Indian at home and American outside. The home of such people is separated culturally in alien culture. The title of the novel is about the son o Ashoke and Ashima, Gogol, who is obfuscated about his Russian name. With this name he is not comfortable with his Indian friends as well American friends.

Kiran Desai’s novel The Inheritance of Loss (2006) is the story of two continents and three generations, about their home, identity and homeland. It is about the illegal immigrants in America, family system in India, slavery, alienation, search for identity, Gorkha movements to make the separate state, love, destruction of home, loss of humanity and many themes are inter woven in the novel very artistically.

IV

Manju Kapur explores the identity of her female characters in their home and society on different layers. Se discusses about the emotional security, physical security, the adjustment and frustration of modern marriage, individualism, infertility, and unrest, freedom, in their family, home and in society. Jhumpa Laheri presents the first generation of Indian immigrants in America in alien land and culture, which is quite uncomfortable for many Indian families and their children’s. Even in their home in America they are felt alienated and expatriate. They live in dual personality and are emotional insecure. Kiran Desai in her novel discusses the problems of home and identity of individual in their own home as well as abroad. All the novels exemplify the importance and construction of Home and Identity.

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