Postcolonial literature is the literature which mainly explores the consequences and the issues, faced by the formerly colonised population. It is defined as “writings from Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, and other regions whose histories during the 20th century are marked by colonialism, anti-colonial movements, and subsequent transitions to post-independence society” (Oxford reference, 2011). The social, political, and economical independence, cultural identity, and nationalism are some of the common themes that are addressed in postcolonial literary works. Raj Kumar Mishra states that postcolonial literature “struggles to push back economic, social, cultural, psychological, and linguistic colonial leftovers” (Mishra, 2013). Furthermore, the ultimate objective of postcolonial literary works is to fight to acquire “the social justice, emancipation, and democracy in order to oppose oppressive structures of racism, discrimination, and exploitation” (Nayar,2008).
“The Road from Elephant Pass” by Nihal de Silva and “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri are two postcolonial novels which address different power structures in different social contexts. It is significant how both the novels address the existing power structures in their own unique settings. ‘The Road from Elephant Pass’ explores the power structures between men and women, and that of Sinhala majority and the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka, ‘The Namesake’ investigates the prevailing power structures between the colonizer and the colonized. De Silva and Lahiri as postcolonial writers, address these power relations by introducing protagonists that challenge and resist these existing power structures.
“The Namesake” written by Jhumpa Lahiri, is woven around an Indian immigrant family living in America. The plot of the novel develops with how the main character Ashima grows and adapts herself to a new environment with a newfound identity. The novel thoroughly explores the struggle that first generation immigrants go through, in adapting to a whole new culture, a whole new life and a new identity. Gogol, goes through a struggle that is completely different to that which his mother faces. In failing to understand this, there is conflict and detachment between the parents and their children until each character have their own realisations. Ashima, having been migrated to America from the day of her marriage, has to start a whole new life in a setting which she feels completely alienated and isolated. While Ashoke, her husband is at his graduate school, Ashima has to spend her days at their small apartment, having no friends or family for company. In her struggle to adapt to this new life, Ashima fails to relate or to understand the struggle their children go through. Gogol and Sonia, who were born in America to Bengali parents have their own journey in finding their cultural identities. What Ashima does not understand is that unlike her or Ashoke, Gogol and Sonia did not have to leave behind their homes to start a life in America; that America is their home.
While they grow up, Gogol and Sonia take their own paths to find their identities. Here when they start their own journeys and get detached from Ashoke and Ashima and their home, Ashima struggles to understand her children’s need to leave home in order to find themselves. Gogol and Sonia, born to immigrant parents face different issues in finding their identities. Especially Gogol, who has a name that is neither Indian nor American but is Russian. His teenage life and the start of his adult life becomes a struggle because of his name. Gogol does not let anyone except the members of his family call him Gogol; not even his wife from whom, he later gets divorced. It is not until after Ashoke explains why he named Gogol after Nikolai Gogol, a Russian writer, that Gogol understand the significance of his name.
Ashoke’s death acts as a turning point in each main character’s life; Gogol realises the significance of his name and how only his loved ones and family call him by that name, while Ashima, in her mourning realises that “home” for her was never Calcutta or America, but her family; Ashoke was her home.
After this turning point in the novel, the characters begin to develop. Ashima, as her name suggests “limitless, without borders” finds a new identity. She understands her children better and she accepts Gogol’s divorce, and that Sonia is marrying a non-Indian. She decides to spend half of the year in Calcutta and the rest in America. Ashima finally accepts her hybridity which gives her a different perspective in life. This hybridity that the immigrants and the postcolonial diaspora consist of, is a challenge to the power structure of the colonizer an
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