Melissa Hollman

From India to Africa

            In the four novels we have read since the midterm I have found the self and other relationship to be a recurring theme.  I have also discovered that trying to affix a label of  self and other to particular characters in a novel can be difficult because these terms seem to change and become dependant upon the perspective of the reader.  In order to more closely examine the self-other relationship I will begin by reviewing Train to Pakistan and Jasmine.  By following course objective 1 and bringing the aforementioned novels into dialogue with each other helps to better explain the affects of colonialism.  The intertextual relationship between the two novels stems from their setting in India.  Train to Pakistan describes the events leading to the Partition of Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan in the mid 1900’s and Jasmine describes the life of an Indian woman born in the late 1900’s after the Partition.  Through narrative and dialogue these novels give a voice to Indian people affected by the religious and political battles fought over their homeland. By reading Jasmine’s story it is easy to see that after the Partition the violence of India continued.  The reason for Jasmine’s trip to the U.S. is a result of her husband Prakash being killed by Sikhs.

            The first example that we see of self and other in Jasmine is before Jasmine arrives in the U.S.  When Jasmine is traveling on the ship to America another female refugee is on board and though they are making the same journey she treats Jasmine as the other.  Jasmine describes how the other woman looked at her as a “common girl, a peasant” because she was not familiar with the British songs the other woman knew (105).  Jasmine sees herself as the other throughout her relationships in the novel.  We see Jasmine’s struggle with American culture while she is working as a nanny for Wylie and Taylor.  Jasmine describes how she began to learn the ways of America and says, “the squatting fields of Hanapur receded fast” (174).  Shortly after Jasmine arrived at Wylie and Taylor’s she mentioned her astonishment that one can have hot water just by turning the faucet on.  This idea of a fascination with American plumbing is something that we discussed in class.  The fact that people from other countries are fascinated by American plumbing is a way to show that America has long been a country with technology and things that people from other countries are covetous of and desire to have.

            Jasmine continues to feel like an outsider during her time Iowa. She is very aware that she is different from the people in the town in which she lives but she tries her best to settle into the role of an American housewife.  Jasmine describes changing to fit in by saying, “we murder who we were so we can rebirth ourselves in the image of dreams” (29).  Jasmine does share a bond with Du who also represents the other as he is Jasmine and Bud’s adopted son from Saigon.  Jasmine and Du both leave behind stories of violence and pain in their home countries and try to make new lives for themselves in America.  At the end of the novel both Du and Jasmine decide that they must be true to themselves and they both leave Iowa to begin a new journey to places where they hope to find true happiness.

            In continuing the dialogue between Jasmine and Train to Pakistan, we see that in both novels a character goes on a journey from their home to a foreign land.  In Train to Pakistan Iqbal is a social worker from Britain who, like Jasmine, fills the role of the other.  Iqbal is an educated man whose religious and political ideologies differ from the Sikh community in which he stays.  Iqbal represents modernity and the Sikh community represents tradition.  Throughout the novel Iqbal shows his arrogance by emphasizing that he is educated and speaks English. When Jugga and Iqbal are in jail Jugga asks him to teach him some English words.  At first Iqbal doubts Jugga and asks Iqbal, “What will you do with English” but then concedes by teaching him a few phrases (108).  Another example of modernity and “otherness” can be seen when the Sikh soldiers go to the temple accompanied by the leader who looks like a young boy.  The leader is described as looking as if his “mother dressed him up as an American cowboy” (148). This is an example of cultural imperialism by the way that the leader talks to the peasants with no regard for them, a way that is reflective of how Americans are thought to act. 

            The intertextual relationship between the last two novels of the course, Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness, is formed from the stories they tell of the colonization of African people.  By reading Heart of Darkness, a classic novel, and Things Fall Apart, a postcolonial text, we work to achieve the goal of course objective 1a by bringing the old cannon and new works together.  The theme of self and other is again easy to find throughout these works.  In Things Fall Apart the story is told from the perspective of the African being colonized and Heart of Darkness is told by the white colonizer.

              In Things Fall Apart the self-other dynamic can be easily seen in the way Okonkwo views his father.  Okonkwo sees himself as an important member of the Ibo tribe and sees his father as the other, someone who did not fit in because he did not follow the guidelines for what a tribesman should be.  Okankwo’s father was not a warrior, he was not a good farmer, or provider for his family.  To Okankwo his father was everything he hated and never wanted to be.  Okonkwo wants to follow the traditional practice of his community, a feeling the ends up consuming him by the end of the novel.  Okonkwo’s view of his father as the other is a way to show the self and other relationship can take place within the same group of people.  However, this relationship most commonly occurs among different groups as we see by the introduction of the missionaries. 

            The missionaries begin to convert the Africans to Christianity and tell them that their practice of polytheism is wrong.  Okonkwo’s outrage by the missionaries converting his people, including his son Nwoye, causes him to become violent.  Okonkwo can not accept the fact that the traditional culture that he believed so strongly in was changing.  The missionaries are an example of how labeling self and other can be difficult because to the missionaries the Africans are the others.  In reference to course objective 2a the missionaries are colonizers that are villains to Okonkwo but saviors and heroes to Nwoye and the other converts.  The missionaries show that colonizers can be understood as something other than villains.

            In Heart of Darkness it appears that the majority of the Europeans would be considered villains due to their mistreatment of the Africans workers.  Marlow and his group do not seem to be villains because of their relationship with the Africans that travel with them on the boat.  Marlow identifies that the Africans are different from himself but also recognizes the similarity that they are all humans that have been given a mind to learn and that allows them to relate to one another.  Marlow expresses his thoughts by saying “what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity-like yours-the thought of your remote kinship…the mind of man is capable of anything” (32).   Despite Marlow’s acceptance of the Africans, the self-other relationship is apparent.  As we discussed in class, Conrad’s use of light and dark helps to illustrate this idea.  One of the first uses of light and dark is when Marlow recalls looking at a map of Africa as a boy and describing it as a place that “had become a place of darkness” (5).  Marlow also describes the men that have come to Africa as “those who tackle darkness” (4).

            Physical appearance is another way to define the self and other relationship.  The Africans are described as having “a different complexion or slightly flatter noses” (4).  The description of the white man is less about human features but about material extensions that create an image of who a person is.  The white colonizer is described by his fashionable clothing and his hair “brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in a big white hand.  He was amazing” (15).  The arrogance that goes with the European’s appearance can be seen throughout the novel.  However, the best example of the oppressive colonizer is Kurtz.  Kurtz clearly sees himself as a powerful and entitled man in Africa by saying that everything belonged to him, “My intended, my ivory, my station, my river” (44).  Kurtz comes to Africa and changes the lives of others with little thought to anyone but himself.

            Postcolonial novels show how colonialism drastically impacts the lives of others and changes entire countries.  Poetry is another way to learn about the impact of colonialism.  As defined by course objective 2b, extending studies to other genres such as poetry helps us to further explore other cultures.  In “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeates he extends the concept of postcolonialism by introducing an apocalyptical theme.  In the poem he describes a world damaged by the oppression of colonizers and even references Things Fall Apart.  Course objective 7 addresses the idea of using apocalyptical narratives to describe colonialism and postcolonialism.  Yates poem is a great example that shows the importance of postcolonial literature and how it keeps returning by his mention of Things Fall Apart.  Yates shows how one work can speak to and build off of another.

            The continued interest of authors to write colonial and postcolonial texts shows the importance and growth of this field of study.  Course objective 2a, addresses the idea of using literary fiction to expand students knowledge of world history.  Multicultural literature enables students to explore the world around them in a different way from what they can learn in other disciplines.  Colonial and postcolonial literature provides students with a comprehensive understanding of many subjects such as; geography, politics, religion, art, film, history, and even food.  We learn the positive and negative aspects of colonialism by understanding how the world has been shaped and changed by the influence of one group on another.  One of the many things that I will take away from this course is the knowledge that the self and other relationship is complex and it is important to look at the relationship objectively.  We can not allow ourselves to automatically assume that the representation of the self is inherently good and the other is bad. Colonial and postcolonial literature shows us how colonialism effects the actions of a character causing their behavior to change, sometimes making the self-other label harder to define.  This element of surprise reflects a human quality in the novel that we can relate to and that draws us into the experience of the self and the other.

From India to Africa

            In the four novels we have read since the midterm I have found the self and other relationship to be a recurring theme.  I have also discovered that trying to affix a label of  self and other to particular characters in a novel can be difficult because these terms seem to change and become dependant upon the perspective of the reader.  In order to more closely examine the self-other relationship I will begin by reviewing Train to Pakistan and Jasmine.  By following course objective 1 and bringing the aforementioned novels into dialogue with each other helps to better explain the affects of colonialism.  The intertextual relationship between the two novels stems from their setting in India.  Train to Pakistan describes the events leading to the Partition of Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan in the mid 1900’s and Jasmine describes the life of an Indian woman born in the late 1900’s after the Partition.  Through narrative and dialogue these novels give a voice to Indian people affected by the religious and political battles fought over their homeland. By reading Jasmine’s story it is easy to see that after the Partition the violence of India continued.  The reason for Jasmine’s trip to the U.S. is a result of her husband Prakash being killed by Sikhs.

            The first example that we see of self and other in Jasmine is before Jasmine arrives in the U.S.  When Jasmine is traveling on the ship to America another female refugee is on board and though they are making the same journey she treats Jasmine as the other.  Jasmine describes how the other woman looked at her as a “common girl, a peasant” because she was not familiar with the British songs the other woman knew (105).  Jasmine sees herself as the other throughout her relationships in the novel.  We see Jasmine’s struggle with American culture while she is working as a nanny for Wylie and Taylor.  Jasmine describes how she began to learn the ways of America and says, “the squatting fields of Hanapur receded fast” (174).  Shortly after Jasmine arrived at Wylie and Taylor’s she mentioned her astonishment that one can have hot water just by turning the faucet on.  This idea of a fascination with American plumbing is something that we discussed in class.  The fact that people from other countries are fascinated by American plumbing is a way to show that America has long been a country with technology and things that people from other countries are covetous of and desire to have.

            Jasmine continues to feel like an outsider during her time Iowa. She is very aware that she is different from the people in the town in which she lives but she tries her best to settle into the role of an American housewife.  Jasmine describes changing to fit in by saying, “we murder who we were so we can rebirth ourselves in the image of dreams” (29).  Jasmine does share a bond with Du who also represents the other as he is Jasmine and Bud’s adopted son from Saigon.  Jasmine and Du both leave behind stories of violence and pain in their home countries and try to make new lives for themselves in America.  At the end of the novel both Du and Jasmine decide that they must be true to themselves and they both leave Iowa to begin a new journey to places where they hope to find true happiness.

            In continuing the dialogue between Jasmine and Train to Pakistan, we see that in both novels a character goes on a journey from their home to a foreign land.  In Train to Pakistan Iqbal is a social worker from Britain who, like Jasmine, fills the role of the other.  Iqbal is an educated man whose religious and political ideologies differ from the Sikh community in which he stays.  Iqbal represents modernity and the Sikh community represents tradition.  Throughout the novel Iqbal shows his arrogance by emphasizing that he is educated and speaks English. When Jugga and Iqbal are in jail Jugga asks him to teach him some English words.  At first Iqbal doubts Jugga and asks Iqbal, “What will you do with English” but then concedes by teaching him a few phrases (108).  Another example of modernity and “otherness” can be seen when the Sikh soldiers go to the temple accompanied by the leader who looks like a young boy.  The leader is described as looking as if his “mother dressed him up as an American cowboy” (148). This is an example of cultural imperialism by the way that the leader talks to the peasants with no regard for them, a way that is reflective of how Americans are thought to act. 

            The intertextual relationship between the last two novels of the course, Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness, is formed from the stories they tell of the colonization of African people.  By reading Heart of Darkness, a classic novel, and Things Fall Apart, a postcolonial text, we work to achieve the goal of course objective 1a by bringing the old cannon and new works together.  The theme of self and other is again easy to find throughout these works.  In Things Fall Apart the story is told from the perspective of the African being colonized and Heart of Darkness is told by the white colonizer.

              In Things Fall Apart the self-other dynamic can be easily seen in the way Okonkwo views his father.  Okonkwo sees himself as an important member of the Ibo tribe and sees his father as the other, someone who did not fit in because he did not follow the guidelines for what a tribesman should be.  Okankwo’s father was not a warrior, he was not a good farmer, or provider for his family.  To Okankwo his father was everything he hated and never wanted to be.  Okonkwo wants to follow the traditional practice of his community, a feeling the ends up consuming him by the end of the novel.  Okonkwo’s view of his father as the other is a way to show the self and other relationship can take place within the same group of people.  However, this relationship most commonly occurs among different groups as we see by the introduction of the missionaries. 

            The missionaries begin to convert the Africans to Christianity and tell them that their practice of polytheism is wrong.  Okonkwo’s outrage by the missionaries converting his people, including his son Nwoye, causes him to become violent.  Okonkwo can not accept the fact that the traditional culture that he believed so strongly in was changing.  The missionaries are an example of how labeling self and other can be difficult because to the missionaries the Africans are the others.  In reference to course objective 2a the missionaries are colonizers that are villains to Okonkwo but saviors and heroes to Nwoye and the other converts.  The missionaries show that colonizers can be understood as something other than villains.

            In Heart of Darkness it appears that the majority of the Europeans would be considered villains due to their mistreatment of the Africans workers.  Marlow and his group do not seem to be villains because of their relationship with the Africans that travel with them on the boat.  Marlow identifies that the Africans are different from himself but also recognizes the similarity that they are all humans that have been given a mind to learn and that allows them to relate to one another.  Marlow expresses his thoughts by saying “what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity-like yours-the thought of your remote kinship…the mind of man is capable of anything” (32).   Despite Marlow’s acceptance of the Africans, the self-other relationship is apparent.  As we discussed in class, Conrad’s use of light and dark helps to illustrate this idea.  One of the first uses of light and dark is when Marlow recalls looking at a map of Africa as a boy and describing it as a place that “had become a place of darkness” (5).  Marlow also describes the men that have come to Africa as “those who tackle darkness” (4).

            Physical appearance is another way to define the self and other relationship.  The Africans are described as having “a different complexion or slightly flatter noses” (4).  The description of the white man is less about human features but about material extensions that create an image of who a person is.  The white colonizer is described by his fashionable clothing and his hair “brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in a big white hand.  He was amazing” (15).  The arrogance that goes with the European’s appearance can be seen throughout the novel.  However, the best example of the oppressive colonizer is Kurtz.  Kurtz clearly sees himself as a powerful and entitled man in Africa by saying that everything belonged to him, “My intended, my ivory, my station, my river” (44).  Kurtz comes to Africa and changes the lives of others with little thought to anyone but himself.

            Postcolonial novels show how colonialism drastically impacts the lives of others and changes entire countries.  Poetry is another way to learn about the impact of colonialism.  As defined by course objective 2b, extending studies to other genres such as poetry helps us to further explore other cultures.  In “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeates he extends the concept of postcolonialism by introducing an apocalyptical theme.  In the poem he describes a world damaged by the oppression of colonizers and even references Things Fall Apart.  Course objective 7 addresses the idea of using apocalyptical narratives to describe colonialism and postcolonialism.  Yates poem is a great example that shows the importance of postcolonial literature and how it keeps returning by his mention of Things Fall Apart.  Yates shows how one work can speak to and build off of another.

            The continued interest of authors to write colonial and postcolonial texts shows the importance and growth of this field of study.  Course objective 2a, addresses the idea of using literary fiction to expand students knowledge of world history.  Multicultural literature enables students to explore the world around them in a different way from what they can learn in other disciplines.  Colonial and postcolonial literature provides students with a comprehensive understanding of many subjects such as; geography, politics, religion, art, film, history, and even food.  We learn the positive and negative aspects of colonialism by understanding how the world has been shaped and changed by the influence of one group on another.  One of the many things that I will take away from this course is the knowledge that the self and other relationship is complex and it is important to look at the relationship objectively.  We can not allow ourselves to automatically assume that the representation of the self is inherently good and the other is bad. Colonial and postcolonial literature shows us how colonialism effects the actions of a character causing their behavior to change, sometimes making the self-other label harder to define.  This element of surprise reflects a human quality in the novel that we can relate to and that draws us into the experience of the self and the other.