Quest for Identity in Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance

Abstract

Rohinton Mistry was one of thefamous novelists in Indian English Literature.The title “A Fine Balance” that Rohinton Mistry chose for his second book expressed, whether intentionally or not, his whole attitude towards the literary world. The distinguishing feature of Mistry’s humanism is the desire for societal harmony to prevail via the affirmation of individuality and the guarantee of one’s own existence. The four main protagonists in The Search for Identity come from diverse backgrounds, yet they work together as a cohesive unit because they all seek to establish their place in society. It is clear from the book that Rohinton Mistry did a good job of expressing his strong feelings of homecoming. Emigrant writers often feel a sense of loss due to the social and cultural nostalgia that accompanies their work. Many of these themes, such as homelessness, separation, multiple migrations, and identity, are inherently precarious due to their relation to and construction within specific socio-cultural contexts. The characters’ aspirations and objectives are entangled with both optimism and pessimism on the present state of the world. In his writings, Mistry captures the universal humanist and realist conflict that most individuals experience. The primary objective of this article is to portray the contemporary issues faced by the characters