The theme of no longer being able
to identify with your homeland is covered in quite a few books we have read
this semester. Reviewing them, I
couldn't help but notice common themes shared in between "Persepolis",
"Wide Sargasso Sea" and "Disgrace" in this regard. Though they all covered it to different
degrees, all three novels in some way touch upon the concept of being almost
"locked out" of ones homeland.
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| Marji expressing her dissatisfaction |
In Persepolis, this lockout is
obvious; Marji and her family simply don't fit in with the new Iranian
Government's policies. The Satrapis are vocally
against the religious extremism that is overtaking Iran, and the new Iranian
government systematically represses and even murders like-minded people to the
point where the only options are repressing your beliefs or flee the country as
Marji did. This division between
citizens and their nations is quite clear and measurable.
More subtle is the divide found in “Wide
Sargasso Sea” and “Disgrace”, because, on paper at least, there’s no reason
that characters should feel excluded from their homelands. In both cases, the governments had just
recently transitioned out of racist policies (slavery in WSS, Apartheid in
Disgrace) that, in theory, should have made Jamaica and South Africa MORE
inclusive. Yet this is not the case; in
Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette is scorned by the black population of Jamaica,
while Lucy Lurie is equally treated with suspicion and even violence by the
black community. Although not as
concrete as the example in Persepolis, it is still clear that there has been a
dynamic change that causes these characters to feel like outsiders in their own
homes.
But perhaps most important is the
fact that these characters continue to treat their homelands as their homes;
Marji never renounces Iran itself, while Antoinette and Lucy still very much
regard themselves as Jamaican and South African. In some ways, they’re more tied to memories
of what their homes were once, or, in Marji’s case, what they should be in the
future. The need to belong is a powerful
one, and it sometimes even trumps the need to fit in.
That is an interesting point; all of these characters that are explicably cast out of their homes do not deny their heritage or their homeland. What does that say about human nature? Perhaps all people need that sense of belonging in order to remain at ease with their own identity.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's any kind of coincidence that we read several stories where the protagonists are in some way cast out of their home. Often being an outcast to a society is the best way to get an accurate view of it. Easier to see the inside if you're looking from the outside I guess. It can aid in doing away with bias and getting the real truth of the situation out there
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is interesting that these characters never did cast away from their homelands, I think that even though these homelands have not always treated them with acceptance, these homelands are what they know and have come to understand. I also agree with Greg's point as well, being an outcast to society many times does help to understand it more clearly, and with a less bias point of view.
ReplyDeleteThe theme that you outlined in your blogpost is very true. Despite the disconnect or distance that the character or the author feels with their homeland, they all still identify with where they originally came from.
ReplyDeleteLooking at these novels in a historical perspective I can understand why the white community becomes the minority and subordinate race in these two societies. One must understand the complex and violent system that was slavery for both of these cultures. In many cases African Americans were not even thought of as human begins; they became a product. The amount of distain and built up animosity African Americans gained for the race which held the power was unimaginable. I can see why these characters were pushed to the outskirts of their society. I do not agree with what happened to them but I can understand on a certain level why it happened.
ReplyDeleteI also very much noticed this as a theme and I agree with your statement. What I find most interesting about this theme's presence in the novels is as you mention briefly is the inability of the characters to denounce their homeland however faulty. In the novels we read in class, the character's homelands play such a large role in their lives, philosophy, and the plot.
ReplyDelete