Abstract
The aim of this research is to deal with the fluid identities of the Muslim migrants settled in America in general and in particular it explores how the conflicts between social and religious values push the protagonist Hayat Shah towards the loss of his personal and religious identity in Ayad Akhtar’s novel ‘American Dervish’ (2012). It describes how survival in a multicultural society particularly by the Muslim migrants becomes painful. Hayat Shah firstly holds on to his remnant tenets of Islamic religion but later he is influenced by the charm of the multicultural modern society of America and struggles in sustaining his Muslim identity and finding his new identity for his personal settlement with the surroundings. In this way, his identity becomes fluid and keeps on changing. The research concludes that the Muslim migrant Hayat couldn’t retain his Muslim identity because he finds his survival only in the adaptation of new, broader, and multicultural settings. This crisis occurs because he has been struck in the issues like religion, mystic philosophy, and cultural conflicts right in his adolescence. It is examined through textual analysis that the journey of Hayat Shah for becoming a Hafiz, and then a Sufi or Dervish comes to an end by availing a new identity of an American. The qualitative research is designed on the descriptive-analytic method by utilizing the approach of Identity Crisis presented by Eric Erickson.
Highlights
The issue of identity is much debated in the field of literature dealing with the marginalized and multicultural societies
The fluidity of identity in the study is concerned with the diverse perspectives of identity portrayed in the novel American Dervish (2012)
The rationale behind it is obvious that Hayat Shah belongs to the Muslim migrant Pakistani family settled in America and his identity is in a continuous flow and flux
Summary
The issue of identity is much debated in the field of literature dealing with the marginalized and multicultural societies. The fluidity of identity in the study is concerned with the diverse perspectives of identity portrayed in the novel American Dervish (2012) Further these aspects of identity have no welldefined boundaries among them, because “identity is subject to change, modification, reinvention, and even questioning” The rationale behind it is obvious that Hayat Shah belongs to the Muslim migrant Pakistani family settled in America and his identity is in a continuous flow and flux It is a supreme issue for him, as he has always been in an incessant quest for his physical and psychological identity throughout the novel. This agency makes the identity of some character ‘fluid’ because no person may have the same characteristics or ideology forever It always keeps on changing or developing into something new. Fluidity provides the ways of existence those help in adapting the lining of individuals within their cultures and societies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: University of Chitral Journal of Linguistics and Literature
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
