The Buddha of Suburbia
2158 words
What thematic and formal strategies does Hanif Kureishi employ to reconstruct his characters’ Indian identities in the postcolonial England of the 1970’s?
Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia is, among other things, a novel about the quest for identity on many levels: social, sexual, political and ethnic. Set in the postcolonial England of the 1970’s, it illustrates the complex experience of Asian individuals living in a multicultural and heterogeneous Britain. Published in 1990, Kureishi’s novel challenges the popular prejudices of the time and uncovers many of the ironies behind the creation of British multiculturalism.
Indeed, all the Asian characters present in the story understand their relationship and ties to their Indian origins in different ways. For instance, Anwar and Haroon, both first-generation immigrants, turn out to be exact opposites outside of their motherland. They symbolize the intricacies of social integration. On the other hand, Karim and Jamila are still categorized as Indians because of their skin colour, despite the fact that they were originally born in the United Kingdom. Their struggles are crucial aspects of postcolonial identity within the suburbs of England. The “Englishness” of Karim and his family members are thwarted when his father decides to return to his Buddhist faith, raising questions of Indian identity within the family unit.
Thus, The Buddha of Suburbia is, in essence, a novel about ambivalence. It recounts the difficulties of concomitantly tracing one’s cultural roots while trying to become well integrated into a society full of social iniquities and preconceptions. The aim of this essay will be to analyse how those themes underpin the characters’ reconstruction of their Indian identity.
One recurring element that exists in The Buddha of Suburbia is the ambivalence that the characters feel outside of their motherland. Anwar represents a much more traditional and somewhat stereotypical Indian
What thematic and formal strategies does Hanif Kureishi employ to reconstruct his characters’ Indian identities in the postcolonial England of the 1970’s?
Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia is, among other things, a novel about the quest for identity on many levels: social, sexual, political and ethnic. Set in the postcolonial England of the 1970’s, it illustrates the complex experience of Asian individuals living in a multicultural and heterogeneous Britain. Published in 1990, Kureishi’s novel challenges the popular prejudices of the time and uncovers many of the ironies behind the creation of British multiculturalism.
Indeed, all the Asian characters present in the story understand their relationship and ties to their Indian origins in different ways. For instance, Anwar and Haroon, both first-generation immigrants, turn out to be exact opposites outside of their motherland. They symbolize the intricacies of social integration. On the other hand, Karim and Jamila are still categorized as Indians because of their skin colour, despite the fact that they were originally born in the United Kingdom. Their struggles are crucial aspects of postcolonial identity within the suburbs of England. The “Englishness” of Karim and his family members are thwarted when his father decides to return to his Buddhist faith, raising questions of Indian identity within the family unit.
Thus, The Buddha of Suburbia is, in essence, a novel about ambivalence. It recounts the difficulties of concomitantly tracing one’s cultural roots while trying to become well integrated into a society full of social iniquities and preconceptions. The aim of this essay will be to analyse how those themes underpin the characters’ reconstruction of their Indian identity.
One recurring element that exists in The Buddha of Suburbia is the ambivalence that the characters feel outside of their motherland. Anwar represents a much more traditional and somewhat stereotypical Indian
Cited: Kureishi, H. The Buddha of Suburbia, London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1999 Smith, A. The Cambridge Companion to Postcolonial Literary Studies. Ed. Neil Lazarus. Cambridge: University Press 2004 White, P. Writing Across Worlds: Literature and Migration. “Geography, Literature and Migration”. Eds. Russell King, John Connell and Paul White. London: Routledge, 1995. Pp. 1-17. Bald, S.R. Writing Across Worlds: Literature and Migration. “Negotiating Identity in the Metropolis”. Eds. Russell King, John Connell and Paul White, 1995. Pp. 70-88 Yousaf, N. Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia: a Reader’s Guide. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Margaret, C. Paradigms of diversity in Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia. ISSN 0211-5913, N°28, 1994 Yu-Cheng, L. Expropriating the Authentic: Cultural Politics in Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia Cornea, C. Stereotypes in Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia. The Criterion: An International Journal in English. ISSN 0976-8165. Procter, J. A Concise Companion to Contemporary British Fiction. Chapter 5: “New Ethnicities, The Novel, and the Burdens of Representation”. Published online: 21 January 2008. Moloney B.; Orloff, B.; Weiss, E. Post-Imperial and Postcolonial Literature: “A Guide to the Characters in The Buddha of Suburbia”. (Web) Northwestern University.