Chrisoula Mouliatis

08 December 2009

Growing Up and Shifting Attitudes

            Nearly done with my first semester of graduate studies, I can honestly say that colonial-postcolonial literature has helped me put my entire academic career into perspective. A combination of the course’s history, the introduction to a wide array of authors from all regions of the world, and the characters those authors presented us with really fulfilled and exceeded my expectations of what this subject had to offer. I cannot quite articulate what it is about these elements that struck me on a personal level. Reading about a person enduring struggle and their ability to live through it makes me realize there is something more significant to consider than just appreciating the art of the novel. Since the material presented to us in the course affected me in this way, I learned that I must delve deeper into literature in order to obtain a true appreciation of its purpose. I was not disappointed – far from it, actually.

            In writing my midterm, I discovered there are many ways to define colonialism and colonization. Previous to this course, I understood what colonization was and when it occurred. I knew it was something that happened across the globe and its purpose was primarily economical. I knew colonization was good for the country doing it because it gave them an opportunity to expand their empire and obtain power by earning the respect (and what I later found to be fear) of other countries. It was hearing the effects of colonization that enabled me to expand my knowledge of the subject. Every story, regardless of its intentions, begged me to take a stance and assert my own opinion of what is right and wrong. First it was the characters of Crusoe and Friday, Lucy and Mariah, and Jamaica Kincaid herself. Now, it was Iqbal, Juggut, and Nooran, Jasmine versus Jane, Okonkwo and his family, and Marlow and Kurtz. Maybe it is my particular interest in women’s studies and how female characters are portrayed in colonial-postcolonial studies, but I found Nooran, Jasmine, and Enzinma very interesting and important to my learning outcome. The female counterparts of our main male protagonists aided my understanding of the men because they were able to bring out their compassion: an emotion I found very prevalent while reading these texts.

            It was compassion that enabled me to answer objective 3’s questions. We do not have to be ignorant; we have a choice, but truly understanding colonial-postcolonial literature requires the reader to be empathetic towards and respectful to the characters and situations presented to them. If we are not finely tuned readers, we are merely looking at words on a page that have nothing to do with anything remotely important. This kind of discourse requires the scholar to question his or her own morals, beliefs, and history. English and American history makes us apologize to an entire race of people for forcing them to tolerate our ignorance so that we could get ahead and be where we are today. This is why people choose to be ignorant to postcolonial studies because they feel as if they have to admit fault for something of which they were not responsible. I am the kind of reader that gasps, laughs, and sometimes cries while reading quality literature. I hope that does not make me less of scholar because I still pick apart the text and analyze the parts that pulled at my attention. I’d like to think students and acclaimed scholars both have a love for literature so deep that some similar compassion is provoked in them also. The problem lies in whether or not this compassion hinders the reader’s aesthetic appreciation of the novel. It if incites too many problems within the reader himself, some would rather ignore it altogether.

            There are so many issues brought to the forefront in colonial-postcolonial literature that it seems easy to be able to identify with at least one element on a level that rouses critical attention. For me, it was gender and how males and females responded differently to postcolonial life. Nooran may have been a minor character in Singh’s Train to Pakistan, but her presence further signified the differences between the two main characters, Iqbal and Jugga. The obstacles they endure as a couple and the result of Jugga’s fate proves that a woman, in some ways, changes a man’s outlook on violence and its impending threat. Instead of conforming to and accepting a culture’s dissolution, Jugga feels so much compassion for Nooran that he sacrifices his own life so that she can live on. Their story is the one positive component of the novel that manages to survive despite other dire circumstances. Without fail, though, there also exists the portrayal of a submissive Nooran to a demanding Jugga. His need to be with her physically conquers his ability to connect with her emotionally at times. This reverts back to the doubly colonized state I discussed in my research posts. Women deal with two kinds of colonization. The kind we see in history of man conquering and shifting a culture to fit his own standards and the kind of a man silencing the voice of his female counterpart.

            The latter example is portrayed through Jasmine and Enzinma as well. Jasmine, instead of living under patriarchal rule, decides she will live her life according to her own will. Her story is that of a transnational migrant who journeys to America to seek her true identity, but she continues to feel the weight of the ties that carry her emotionally back to her native India. Jasmine does not only wish to escape India for its oppressive tendencies to all those not willing to conform to British standards, but she travels to America because it has more opportunity for her as a woman. The search for Jasmine’s identity is relatable because the steps she takes are similar to those a coming-of-age woman would take. The theme of growing up and establishing identity became important to me in reading these novels because the task is difficult enough as is. Growing up without a true support system, attainable goals, or any kind of role model is even more challenging. Jasmine’s story incited a yearning in me to learn and read more postcolonial literature simply because her story is chock full of emotion, strengths, and weaknesses that make me feel as if I have done nothing worthy in my life to put down in words.

            Enzinma, the prized daughter of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart, is another example of how femininity and female identity are ignored in patriarchal societies. Okonkwo is the epitome of everything masculine because he was living to make up for everything his father lacked. Okonkwo identifies more with his daughter than his own son because of her masculine ways, but because she is of the female sex, she is still oppressed. The kindness he extends to Enzinma is a form of compassion that he never fully allows himself to express. He is given many opportunities to embrace this compassion and use it towards the progression of the Igbo tribe. Enzinma is another example of growing up and how female identity can be constructed in a multitude of ways. Instead of embracing her identity, Okonkwo wishes she was born a boy so that she could be his esteemed son. Being female is never good enough regardless of her good character.

            The combination of the texts and their ability to incorporate women growing up and searching for their identity in a patriarchal society gave me another way to put my own life and my own goals into perspective. This course and its texts were crucial to my further understanding and appreciation of literature. The stories we read were about the overcoming of obstacles, the world’s colonial history and the realistic effects of the people who lived through it, and the insight into their lives’ struggle. Apart from the intricate details of a life unknown to me, the uncensored history of other nations was really thought-provoking. I appreciated and enjoyed the plethora of knowledge I gained from this course. I got to read great stories, delve deeper into history, and use both of these elements to reflect upon my own life and use it as a tool to guide my future as a (hopefully) successful scholar.