Otherness And Identity Crisis In Kiran Desai's The Inheritance Of Loss

The Inheritance of Loss,which won Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award immediately after its publication in 2006,is the second novel written by the influential Indian author Kiran Desai(1971 —).Pivoted around cosmopolitan New York and rural Kalimpong,the novel narrates the struggle of Indian migrants overseas and the family saga of local villagers.With history and reality interwoven,the novel describes new challenges posed by globalization and cosmopolitanism to Indian society in the 1980 s.Through accounting the inner affliction of ordinary Indians,it reveals the protagonists' identity crisis resulting from conflicts with otherness.Since its publication,most critics interpret this novel from the perspective of post-colonialism,feminism or globalization theory,but few have noted or given adequate attention to the cosmopolitanism embodied in it.As the process of globalization accelerates,the encounter between self and the Other,with increasing frequency,is exerting an increasingly profound impact on an individual's identity.In this novel,Biju and Sai's experiences unfold the identity challenge faced by all the world citizens in general and reflect cosmopolitanism's desirable attitude of balancing internationality and locality,self and otherness,an individual and his or her community.Taking advantage of cosmopolitanism's advocacy of conversation with difference,this thesis is intended to enrich the studies on The Inheritance of Loss and offer a fresh interpretation of this novel.This thesis,from the perspective of cosmopolitanism,attempts to scrutinize the identity crisis of individuals who are confronted with alterity.It begins with a review about current research on the novel and proposes the concrete definition of cosmopolitanism used in this thesis.Besides,it selects Biju and Sai as the central figures to be investigated.Chapter One first presents Biju and Sai's respective encounters with difference,and argues that Biju is influenced by an international lifestyle and a multiracial community while Sai accepts different values via narration and romance.Chapter Two further discusses the characters' multiple loyalties triggered by their confrontations with alterity.It also explores the consequent identity crisis as well as mental conflicts when they both feel afflicted with these divided loyalties.Chapter Three focuses how characters resolve their identity crisis.With Biju's return to Indian purity and Sai' openness to the world,the thesis appreciates a cosmopolitan attitude of both emphasizing humanity and encouraging diversity.The last section of this thesis draws a conclusion based on the viewpoints and analyses in the previous chapters,meanwhile providing viable suggestions on further studies of The Inheritance of Loss.