Human Relationships in Select Indian English Novels of the Twenty First
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Human Relationships in Select Indian English Novels of the Twenty First Century A Thesis Submitted To Sikkim University In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Manisha Rai Department of English School of Languages and Literature September 2019 CONTENTS Page No. Acknowledgement i Preface ii - iii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 - 50 1.1 Understanding and Defining Human Relationships 1.2 Changing Human Relationships in Twenty First Century: Issues, Causes and Consequences 1.3 Human Relationships: Globalization and Migration 1.4 Human Relationships: Family, Machine and Technology 1.5 Human Relationships: Internet and Cybersex/ Sex 1.6 Human Relationships: Violence, Terrorism and Postmodern Human Psyche 1.7 Impact of Twenty First Century on Human Relationships 1.8 Human Relationships and Twenty First Century Indian English Fiction: 1.9 Chapter Plan 1.9.1 Chapter 1. Introduction 1.9.2 Chapter 2. Modernity, Postmodernity: Human Relationship through Lenses of Globalization, Capitalism and Consumerism 1.9.3 Chapter 3. Postmodernism and Sexuality: Concept of Love, Marriage and Family 1.9.4 Chapter 4. Migration: Distancing Human Relationship, Causes and Consequences 1.9.5 Chapter 5. Psychology versus Technology: Dehumanization, Disease and Human Relationship 1.9.6 Chapter 6. Terrorism, Communal Disharmony and Postmodern Subjectivity 1.9.7 Chapter 7. Conclusion 1.10 Aims and Objectives 1.11 Research Methodology 1.12 Research Problem and Significance of Study Chapter 2 Modernity, Postmodernity: Human Relationship through Lenses of Globalization, Capitalism and Consumerism 51 - 98 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Human Relationships: Globalization, Capitalism and Consumerism 2.3 Human Relationships and Globalization 2.4 Human Relationships: Individualization and Alienation 2.5 Human Relationships: Capitalism and Commodification 2.6 Individualization, Commercialization of Arts and Human Relationships in Salman Rushdie’s Fury 2.7 Globalization, Consumerism and Capitalism Affecting Human Relationships in Aravind Adiga’s The Last Man in Tower Chapter 3 Postmodernism and Sexuality: Concept of Love, Marriage and Family 99-141 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Sexuality: Cultural Condition of Twenty First Century 3.3 Indian Society: Notion of Love, Sex, Marriage and Family 3.4 Love, Marriage and Extra-marital Affair in Shashi Deshpande’s In the Country of Deceit 3.5 Family, Marriage and Affairs in Ratika Kapur’s The Private Life of Mrs Sharma Chapter 4 Migration: Distancing Human Relationship, Causes and Consequences 142-181 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Human Relationships: Migration, Causes and Consequences 4.3 Migration: Globalization and Market Economy 4.4 Migration and Middle Class 4.5 Migration and Identity Crisis 4.6 Migration: Homeland, Culture and Hybridity 4.7 Cultural Conflict, Sense of Belonging and Relationships in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake 4.8 The Question of Identity and Migrants’ Conflict in Akhil Sharma’s Family Life Chapter 5 Psychology versus Technology: Dehumanization, Disease and Human Relationship. 182-220 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Human Relationships: Psychology and Technology 5.3 Twenty First Century: Technology and Man-Machine Relationship 5.4 Twenty First Century Technology and its Impacts on Human Relationships 5.5 Human Relationships and Schizophrenia 5.6 Human Relationships and Neurosis 5.7 Delineating the Impact of Technology on Human Psyche in Anil Menon’s The Beast with Nine Billion Feet 5.8 Diseases, Disorders, Dehumanization and Relationships in Jerry Pinto’s Em and the Big Hoom Chapter 6 Terrorism, Communal Disharmony and Postmodern Subjectivity 221-260 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Terrorism and Twenty First Century 6.3 Human Relationships, Communal Disharmony and Terrorism 6.4 Terrorism and Question of Peace in the Twenty First Century 6.5 Terrorism and Hindu-Muslim Conflict 6.6 Insurgency: Violence and Terrorism 6.7 Changing Human Relationships: Hindu versus Muslim Conflict in Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown 6.8 Narrating Communal Disharmony and Human Relationships in M.J. Akbar’s Blood Brothers: A Family Saga Chapter 7 Conclusion 261–270 Bibliography 271–280 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Ram Bhawan Yadav for continuous support and guidance of my Ph.D thesis. I would like to thank him for his advice, ideas, moral support and patience in guiding me through my research. This thesis would not be successful without his guidance. I am also thankful to Dr. Rosy Chamling, Head of the Department of English, Sikkim University for her valuable suggestions. I also like to thank other teachers of the department for their help. I would like to thank Teesta-Indus Library, Sikkim University and State Central Library, Cultural Affairs & Heritage Department, Government of Sikkim, for providing me with the study materials for this research. I am also grateful towards my parents and my family for their love, support and care. I also like to thank my godmother nene for her love and blessings. Special thanks should be given to my brothers, Ranjeet Rai and Mausham Rai for their support and encouragement. They have always been my strength. Finally, I would like to thank my best friends Gaurav Sharma, Chayan Roy and Rajiv Subba for their support and love. Thank you all... - Manisha Rai i PREFACE Human Relationships are the bonds that human shares with one another in different spheres of life. Understanding human relationships is a complicated task as human relationship itself is complex phenomenon. Various attempts have been made to study and understand human relationships through the lenses of literature, philosophy, psychology and society. And it is understood that human relationships are in constant mode of transformation, owing to the different changes in the environment/ circumstances. The ideological and social changes along with the time period have made immense transition of value and ethics which have made direct impact on human relationships. Twenty first century is often attributed as the century of science and technology. With the advancement of science and technology various developments took place in different spheres. The easy transportation, globalization touched the zenith height making way for free flow of people. The concept of global market brought along with it the consumerism hence creating easy path the advent of capitalism. In the midst of such transformation values and ethics was also modified hence changing the concept of family, marriage and sexuality. The cultural exchanges that became the product of highly globalized world also brought in forefront the Western culture that made impact on the culture of the third world. The moment of people across the countries increased with the comfort added by various developments. But along with the development, there came complication as well. The technological advancement also created mechanization of human thought which reduced human from their true self. Human compassion and emotion in the age of technological began to lose its true essence. With such transformation in human being, violence and destruction started ii spreading which gradually changed human relationships and the bond that they share with each other. Literature has always been the witness of the changes that society has gone through in different ages. The novels chosen for study: Salman Rushdie’s Fury (2001) and Shalimar the Clown (2005), Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake (2003), M. J. Akbar’s The Blood Brother- A Family Saga (2006), Shashi Deshpande’s In the Country of Deceit (2008), Anil Menon’s The Beast with Nine Billion Feet (2009), Aravind Adiga’s The Last Man in Tower (2011), Jerry Pinto’s Em and the Big Hoom (2012), Akhil Sharma’s Family Life (2014) and Ratika Kapur’s The Private Life Of Mrs. Sharma (2015), in the thesis depicts such changes that human relationships encountered with the transformation and transition of society. iii Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Understanding and Defining Human Relationships: Human relationships are the form of behavioural practices and exchanges between or with people in different sphere and affair of human life. Many attempts have been made and various dimensions of thoughts have been exercised to understand human relationships from literal, philosophical, social and psychological positions focusing on human instincts and its multiple expressions connecting with surroundings. But it appears that human relationship is complex and complicated phenomenon. It is complicated task to define and understand human relationship because they are always in constant change according to the emerging situation and changes in the human society. The continuous societal changes going on in the society extremely influenced human relationships from various perspectives. The external fact and forces which keep on emanating due to various changes at local and global level are credited to bring changes at personal/ private and social levels in human relationships. These changes formulate social and ideological norms by which humans are subjected to accept or reject changes in accordance to their convenience. The socially, ideologically driven and explicably loaded bond that human share with other human are always in transformative mode and function as a tool to bring changes in the societal values. In order to have a clear understanding on human relationships, it is essential to consider some of the definitions related to human relations. The mediocre understanding of human relationships is understood as one person’s relationship or