White Blotches on Brown Skin: A Post-colonial Critique of "The Writing on My Forehead"

doi:10.33195/jll.v5ii.253

Abstract

The formal colonial rule of Britain ended seven decades ago but the experience deeply influenced the minds of the masses and altered their lives and psyche for a long time to come. Post-colonial issues such as loss of identity, hybridity, otherness, appropriation, etc are frequently highlighted by the Anglophone writers of the sub-continent. The authors of Pakistani descent have contributed remarkably to post-colonial literature. The present research aims to analyze Nafisa Haji’s novel The Writing on My Forehead (2009) to investigate the Western influence on the minds and behaviors of the people of the subcontinent. Homi K. Bhabha's analytical lens (1994) is the primary guide for this research. Three elements of hybridity, namely mimicry, ambivalence, and unhomeliness, as proposed by Bhabha are explored. The concepts of diaspora and othering in the work under discussion are also briefly touched. This research is qualitative and descriptive in nature. The results of the detailed textual analysis indicate that various characters are hybrids of East and West. The phenomena of ambivalence and mimicry can be clearly observed in their conduct and thinking. The most important characters in this regard are Saira, Adeeba (also known as Big Nanima), and Kasim who openly mimic the Western culture. Minor characters like Adeeba’s parents and Shabana, though averse to Western culture at the surface level, are unconsciously influenced by it. The phenomena of othering, diaspora, and unhomeliness are also briefly touched. In this way, the present study sheds light on the impact of colonialism on the lives of colonial subjects and links it with the continued hegemony of the West over the Easterners. It will be helpful for students, teachers and researchers who wish to study Haji’s fiction and the impact of the phenomenon of colonialism.

Highlights

Britain left Indo-Pak sub-continent more than seventy years ago, but the legacy of British rule still plagues the souls of the people of this region like cancer
The name of Nafisa Haji, a brilliant American writer of Indo-Pakistani descent, is not new to this list. She is the author of two novels: "The Writing on My Forehead" and "Sweetness of Tears" which were published in 2009 and 2011 respectively
The day before I turned nine, as Mummy sorted through my closet and dresser, tossing shorts into a pile that she would later give to Goodwill, she told me about a childhood friend of hers who had nearly died of snakebite back in India, because she was wandering heedlessly through the garden in a dress that was way too short when a cobra, which had escaped from a snake charmer’s basket, struck her on the thigh. (p. 14) Shabana's ambivalence is clear in the fact that she prefers to stay in the West but is opposed to certain aspects of Western lifestyle

Summary

Introduction

Britain left Indo-Pak sub-continent more than seventy years ago, but the legacy of British rule still plagues the souls of the people of this region like cancer. All the characters discussed here tried to enter the glorified circle of West by imitating the Western rituals and culture but instead of attaining the glory and status enjoyed by the White people, they became cultural hybrids who resembled their colonizers but weren't completely identical to their former rulers Their mimicry is more of a mockery and they belong neither to the East nor to the West. 14) Shabana's ambivalence is clear in the fact that she prefers to stay in the West but is opposed to certain aspects of Western lifestyle She doesn't want her daughters to wear short clothes but is unhappy when Ameena decides to start wearing hijab later in the novel. Muslim immigrants were labelled terrorists and targeted by the Western people after the 9/11 incident

Discussion

Conclusion