MIGRATION AND TRAUMA: A PSYCHOANALYTICAL STUDY OF SAMUEL SELVON'S THE LONELY LONDONERS

Abstract

This paper focuses on the challenges faced by West Indian immigrants in London as reflected in Samuel Selvon's The Lonely Londoners. It brings to the consciousness of the reader, the eventual sense of failed promise which migrants experience on arriving the supposed “Promised Land” in the West. The reading of this paper is a form of therapy which has the ability to reduce obsession with the West and subsequently, the rate of migration to the West. To achieve this, the research employs the pychoanalytical theoretical framework and further employs the use of secondrary sources of data in its analyses The study projects that the West Indians' experiences of racism, rejection, cultural dislocation, stereotyping, disillusionment and culture shocks in alien lands can be seen as other forms of trauma. Trauma in the senses mentioned above ends up creating neurosis for its textual characters who in real life situations are ultimately patients. Therefore, there is a need to analyze and proffer solution to this trauma so as to salvage the self image, mentality and culture of the affected immigrants. Selvon in his work, ultimately envisions homecoming for West Indian immigrants who have not achieved success in the West.