Exploring Identity and Political Exile in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow (2006) and Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West (2017)
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Date
2023
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Publisher
Mouloud Mammeri University
Abstract
This comparative research explores possible affinities between Kenyan novelist Ngugi Wa
Thiong’O's Wizard of the Crow (2006), and Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid's Exit West
(2017). The objective of this work is to illustrate the impact of British rule on individuals' lives
post-independence, highlighting the ensuing instability that leads to forced exile and the
evolving nature of identity among Black African and Muslim Pakistani societies in both literary
works. To achieve this, we rely on Homi K. Bhabha's concepts of ‘Hybridity’ and ‘Mimicry’. In
the first chapter, we examine the political oppression in Wizard of the Crow, analysing the
portrayal of The Ruler and his ministers as neocolonial figures. We also explore the characters’
interior exile as a form of resistance. Then, we discuss Exit West, investigating physical exile
and the struggles of the characters as they explore cultural origins and cross-cultural
adaptation. While in the second chapter, we investigate the convergencies and the divergencies
of the representations of identity and political exile in Wizard of the Crow and Exit West. The
chapter explores themes of oppression, resistance through displacement and exile, and the
reshaping of identity in both novels. It also investigates the concept of the "Other" in both works
and how postcolonial identities are constructed and deconstructed. After analysing the two
chosen works, we conclude that, despite the similarities in themes such as exile and the
transformations of identity, Ngugi Wa Thiong’O and Mohsin Hamid differ in their perspectives
and the distinct contexts of their work.
Description
59p. ; 30cm(+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Postcolonialism, Hybridity, Mimicry, Imperial domination, Identity Crisis, Black African, Muslim Pakistani, Exile
Citation
General and Comparative Literature