Volume IV Special Issue VIII October 2024

Name of Author : Tina Jose

Title of the paper : An Examination of the Interstitial Perspective in Jhumpa Lahiris The Namesake and The Interpreter of Maladies

Abstract: When one talks about Indian diasporic writers, Jhumpa Lahiri is one of those names that appear in the forefront primarily because of her insight into the lives of the migrant Indian struggling to make a living abroad. For them their identity becomes a visibly large elephant in the room. Lahiris novel The Namesake and her short story The Interpreter of Maladies both resound with the theme of identity in a US context. The families in both stories are Indian and have migrated to USA for a better life. How they contend with strikingly contrasting national identities, is a major theme in each narrative. This paper will hence focus on Homi Bhabhas concept of the interstitial perspective as applicable in the two narratives. The polarity of their identities and how they attempt to reconcile their jarringly different identities will form the crux of this paper.

Keywords : Interstitial Perspective, Diaspora, Identity, Polarity, Reconcile

DOI :

Page Number : 125-127