Voluntary Exile and Deportation in Sebastian Barry's On Canaan's Side

Abstract

In recent times, exile and deportation have shaped the insights and works of many authors, because the current era is the era of political crises and immigration in which people migrate voluntarily or forcibly. Exile is often framed by the idea of disconnect. Thus, one of the key ideas that the study tries to prove is exile conceived as a connection rather than a separation. The experiences of voluntary exile and deportation, for political reasons, influence the human psyche and change the way humans perceive life. Therefore, the study sheds light on the psychological effects of these confusing experiences, and the way they were developed to be adapted in fiction. By analyzing the contemporary Irish novel Sebastian Barry's On Canaan Side (2011), the analysis provides insight into the psychological effects of voluntary exile and deportation from a psychopolitical point of view. This novel demonstrates how political events have an impact on people's lives even when they are not directly involved in any political conflicts but are nonetheless negatively affected by them. Thus, the study concludes that voluntary exile and deportation are primarily political phenomena, and innocent people become the first victims of these phenomena.