Marginality in Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss

Abstract

Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss is a novel that depicts the lives of various characters who are marginalized in different ways due to their social class, race, nationality, gender or religion. It is analysed how the novel portrays the effects of colonialism, immigration, and identity crisis on the characters and their relationships. It is also discussed how the novel uses various literary devices such as irony, symbolism, and intertextuality to highlight the themes of loss, alienation, and resistance. The novel demonstrates how the legacy of British rule and the appeal of Western culture, in addition to their own decisions and the circumstances in which they were raised, influenced their individual histories and the directions they chose to take in life. As the society becomes increasingly complex and unstable, the novel investigates how the disparity exists between the learned and uneducated, as well as between natives and non-natives. Being excluded, oppressed, or silenced by dominant groups or discourses in a society is a condition that is referred to as marginality.