A Study On The Tragedy Of The Namesake And The Lowland In The Perspective Of Hegel’s Theory Of Tragedy

Jhumpa Lahiri is a well-known contemporary Indian American writer.Most of her works focus on the cultural conflicts and the identity issue faced by immigrants,but few scholars have appreciated and deconstructed the hidden tragic elements in The Namesake and The Lowland from an aesthetic and philosophical perspective.As Jhumpa Lahiri’s most famous novels,these two novels share numerous similarities in plot,conflict and tragic element.Therefore,the aim of this paper is to draw on the main theory of tragic conflict in Hegel’s theory of tragedy in order to analyze the common tragic elements hidden in these two works.The main body of this thesis is based on Hegel’s tragic conflict theory.Hegel assumes that the highest state of situation is presented as conflict.He divides the situation of conflict into three categories: the first is the conflict between man and nature;the second is the conflict in social relations between people or in individuals themselves;the third category is the conflict of spiritual and ethical relations between people.Among them,the latter two types of conflicts directly lead to the tragic direction of the novel’s plot,so they become the main object of discussion in the second chapter to the fifth chapter of this thesis.The second chapter demonstrates the embodiment of the conflicts of the “pathos” on the characters in the novel.The“pathos” are the concrete manifestation of the “universal powers” in the characters.The “universal powers” are the driving force of the tragedy,and also the ultimate determining force that governs the tragic characters.This chapter analyzes the common conflicts of the two novels through several groups of opposing “pathos”:loyalty and betrayal,self-awareness and parents’ will,individual’s patriotism and families’ love.The third chapter pays attention to the conflicts of social and ethical relations between people.First of all,there is the conflict between the protagonists’ efforts of changing their low social status or class affiliation and the fact that it is difficult to change.Second,there is the conflict caused by the huge difference between incentive and result.At last,there is the conflict caused by the individual’s own desires.The fourth chapter analyzes the solution of tragedy,namely the destruction of the body and the reconciliation of the spirit.It also suggests the upcoming finality.In Chapters two to five,the former four chapters focus on the process of tragic conflict.On the other hand,the fifth chapter focuses on specific characters and aims to expose Gogol,Subhash and Gauri’s own internal conflicts.Hegel’s tragic theory provides us with a higher foothold to probe into Jhumpa Lahiri’s works.By studying the common tragic elements of two novels,this thesis helps readers to better understand and empathize the immigrant’s spiritual journey in a heterogeneous culture and also enriches the academic research of her works to a certain extent.