Identity And Post-Colonial Lens: A Literary Analysis

The identity/post-colonial lens is an additional lens in which a reader can read through. In this lens, the reader looks for examples of how a person’s self-image is affected by how others nearby see him or her, along with also looking at how one culture naturally has power over another in the vicinity. The reader will look for characters who are affected by the world and different cultures around him or her, analyzing the effects these have on the characters. People who are only post-colonial critics, they usually “[look] at issues of power, economics, politics, religion, and culture and how these elements work in relation to colonial hegemony (western colonizers controlling the colonized)” (Brizee “Post-Colonial”). This is because those …show more content…
Reading through this lens does benefit the reader, though, by helping him or her to see these cultural differences and how they affect the individuals throughout the story. Without reading through this lens, these important details may be missed. However, this lens does have some drawbacks as well. Since it is technically two lenses in one, it can sometimes be difficult to catch both at the same time. Also, these two give the reader even more to look for while reading, which can also hinder the reading. Nevertheless, a reader who applies this lens to a novel can help him or her to read differently, noticing the differences between cultures, along with how the character’s identities are formed. The post-colonial/identity lens could easily be applied to The Namesake through which the reader would easily notice many aspects from this paired lens. Reading The Namesake through this lens can provide an interesting point of view, and the reader also gains a better understanding of the linked elements throughout the book. This novel, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, is about a boy, Gogol, who is born in America to Indian parents. Throughout the book, his parents, Ashima and Ashoke, slowly begin to intertwine with the