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a peer-reviewed quarterly journal on literature
E-ISSN 2457-0265
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Scholarly Article
Sadia Afreen
The Complexities of Diasporic Existence: Redefining Identities in Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Mr’s Sen’s” from Interpreter of Maladies
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages:
38-48
Keywords:
Assimilation, Complexities, Diaspora, Dilemma, Identity Crisis.
doi:
Abstract
This paper attempts to analyze Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story “Mrs. Sen’s” from her debut collection Interpreter of Maladies in the light of diasporic conditions. Like most of Lahiri’s characters, Mrs. Sen is a Bengali Indian living in America and thus has to go through the struggle of assimilation while dealing with the complexities of dual identity. Thus, this paper shall explore and discuss theories on diaspora, cultural hybridization, Bhaba’s theory on third space and pay close attention to the protagonist’s Indian American Identity. It shall also take a close look at the word diaspora, and its varied definitions while discussing the protagonist’s diasporic complexities from both psychological and sociological viewpoints.
About the Author
Sadia Afreen is currently working as a Lecturer in English, at East West University, Dhaka. She has completed her B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from the University of Dhaka. (Bangladesh). She did her second M.A. in English Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi (India). She takes much interest in creative writing and two of her poems have been published in an anthology under The Monsoon Letters and The Bengal Lights. She has also participated in a number of conferences both at home and abroad. Her research interest includes Postcolonial Studies, Indian Literature in English and South Asian Literature.
