I. INTRODUCTION
In Indo-English Fiction, the foundation was established by the great Indian Novelists Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan and Raja Rao and others who were followed by the younger generation of novelists like G. V. Desani, Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie, Khushwant Singh, Arun Joshi and so on. As it is evident that in twentieth century man belongs to “Lost Generation”, so consequently some Indo-English Novelists have persistently dealt with the question of the search of the individual for his identity. As the problem of knowing himself has become very acute so Arun Joshi, portrays this problem in his fiction and tries to provide a solution which of course cannot be final. He is perhaps the first Indian novelist who takes up this current …show more content…
Joshi’s second novel, The Strange Case of Billy Biswas, seems to be a sequel to his first novel, The Foreigner, in regard of the quest for identity by the protagonist. There is recurrence of the themes of the first novel-crisis of self, the problems of identity and the quest for fulfillment in Joshi’s second novel. The Strange Case of Billy Biswas, is single character based, and is mainly concerned with the sensibility, beliefs, quest for individuality, and the destiny of his hero. In the novel, the hero continues his odyssey and leaves New Delhi for Maikala Hills in search of inner peace and his spiritual roots. He is in search of individuality and feels alienated from the environment in which he has been brought up and he is at least able to find a meager amount of fulfillment in his escape to primitivism. The writer’s vision in The Strange Case of Billy Biswas is not as miserable, dark, pessimistic and cynical as his hero feel alien to his world. Billy at last feels a sense of belongingness in the tribal and ancient way of life. But even here the vision cannot be regarded as quite optimistic, for the writer is considerably bitter about the civilized world. The book ends with the hero realizing the selfishness of the civilized world towards a gesture of careful
In Indo-English Fiction, the foundation was established by the great Indian Novelists Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan and Raja Rao and others who were followed by the younger generation of novelists like G. V. Desani, Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie, Khushwant Singh, Arun Joshi and so on. As it is evident that in twentieth century man belongs to “Lost Generation”, so consequently some Indo-English Novelists have persistently dealt with the question of the search of the individual for his identity. As the problem of knowing himself has become very acute so Arun Joshi, portrays this problem in his fiction and tries to provide a solution which of course cannot be final. He is perhaps the first Indian novelist who takes up this current …show more content…
Joshi’s second novel, The Strange Case of Billy Biswas, seems to be a sequel to his first novel, The Foreigner, in regard of the quest for identity by the protagonist. There is recurrence of the themes of the first novel-crisis of self, the problems of identity and the quest for fulfillment in Joshi’s second novel. The Strange Case of Billy Biswas, is single character based, and is mainly concerned with the sensibility, beliefs, quest for individuality, and the destiny of his hero. In the novel, the hero continues his odyssey and leaves New Delhi for Maikala Hills in search of inner peace and his spiritual roots. He is in search of individuality and feels alienated from the environment in which he has been brought up and he is at least able to find a meager amount of fulfillment in his escape to primitivism. The writer’s vision in The Strange Case of Billy Biswas is not as miserable, dark, pessimistic and cynical as his hero feel alien to his world. Billy at last feels a sense of belongingness in the tribal and ancient way of life. But even here the vision cannot be regarded as quite optimistic, for the writer is considerably bitter about the civilized world. The book ends with the hero realizing the selfishness of the civilized world towards a gesture of careful