EXISTENTIALISM IN INDIAN ENGLISH NOVEL

Existentialism in Indian English Novel has its roots in western philosophy. Since our civilization has been heading towards westernization, and the life of man has been tending towards modernization. It has become inevitable for man to ask himself who he is and what his relation is to the physical and social world. The modern Indian is surrounded by the forces which are commanded and controlled by existentialist dilemmas. Modern fictional hero is a split-personality or a tortured individual through whose mind the novelist points out the social or national or human conditions. Modern heroes are not only emotionally wronged but also shaken at the existential level. The problems of existence are too wide to be managed by the modern man. The modern novel portrays outsiders, foreigners, who are empty in feelings, or incapable of communication, or unable to relate themselves meaningfully to the surroundings. Thus modern's fiction in English reflects modern human predicament; life surrounded by forces of anxiety.