The Divided Identities in the Gossamer Fly and Last Quadrant by Meira Chanda Postcolonial Study

Human beings live and progress in societies. Primarily, he is bound to family, which is a miniature society. The societies, in which one is a member, help and influence the formation of one's identity. Change of societies either forcefully or wilfully affects the identity of humans also. The advent of colonialism accelerated the isolation of native people from their mother country and the people of a particular native formed Diasporic communities in the new places in which they found themselves. Consequently, the communities and the individuals began to face hybridity and fluidity of identities. Postcolonial theories deal with the themes of identity, hybridity, homelessness and rootlessness. Meira Chand, through her novels, The Gossamer Fly and Last Quadrant, tries to address the themes of rootlessness, belongingness and home. The characters in her novel show the never-ending struggle of coping up with the changed situations. The processes of assimilation and integration all play roles in this sophisticated endeavor. The identities they possess are qualified with dividedness. Meira Chand calls for ‘a joyous combustion' and to strive to get into the modified and dynamic rhythm of life. KEYWORDS: Postcolonialism, Diaspora, Identity, Homelessness, Home