| dc.description.abstract | This thesis is essentially about the "how" and "why" of the Indian
experience as documented in novels by Paul Scott, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
and V S Naipaul. The study points to the difficulty of arriving at any
conclusive definition of the country and its people. I show that
differences in attitudes, responses or behaviour are both overt and
subtle, and depend upon whether the writer or the character identifies
with the situation or community with which he or she interacts. It is
the individual's sense of belonging or not belonging to his or her own
group - be this along racial, cultural or gender lines - that accounts
for the differing perspectives evident in these novels. The points-of-
view of the outsider and the insider can therefore be seen as
mutual comments upon the other.
Since the struggle between belonging and not belonging becomes acute
when the old meets the new, focus is centred on communities
experiencing change. These include the British in India, West-Indian
Indians and westernised Indians. Despite their differences, all three
communities share similar reasons for either an acceptance or
rejection of the 'Other'. The thesis argues that the need for
emotional stability compels allegiance to the traditional group, while
the desire for individuality encourages surrender to the new. The
former nurtures a sense of belonging while, it is argued, that the
latter is perceived as the hallmark of those who do not belong.
Tensions arise when both these needs demand to be met. What I show to
be ironic in this struggle between belonging and not belonging is that
those things which individuals overtly reject are often unexpressed
parts of their personal pysche. The barrier between "them" and "us" is
therefore very fragile. | en_US |
