Diaspora and Essence: A Reading of Caryl Phillips’ The Final Passage and Andrea Levy’s Fruit of the Lemon

Abstract

The question of migration continues to animate discussions globally. The world is currently faced with a migration crisis caused by the several armed conflicts and the socio-economic and political conditions of many regions of the world. The numerous drownings of African migrants off the coast of Italy is an example of the idea that people migrate to search better living conditions. Migration, however, is nothing new as humans have always moved for different reasons. These movements have influenced many writers who have focused their literary energies to the circumstances of migrants in their new locations. This has produced a vast migration literature. Within the postcolonial context, these movements have generally been from the erstwhile colonies to the colonial metropolis. Guided by their colonial education (which amongst other things created the image of an idyllic land and also that they were members of the colonial states) and propelled by the dire economic and political conditions of their home countries, these migrants moved to these places convinced that they would find better opportunities for themselves. For those who migrated to England, they expected hospitality influenced by the colonialists presenting the British as paragon of propriety. The reality they encountered while there contradicted all their expectations. These experiences of the migrants within the postcolonial context have resulted in a flurry of literature that addresses these questions. This paper is interested in such literature, focusing on Caryl Philips’ The Final Passage and Andrea Levy’s Fruit of the Lemon.