Gendered Displacement: Ashima’s Intersectional Journey in Jhumpa Lahiri’s the Namesake
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21271/zjhs.30.SpB.40Keywords:
Female Migration, Intersectional Theory, The Namesake, Resistance, EnduranceAbstract
Migration narratives predominantly focus on male experience, likewise critics and scholars have often directed their attention to male protagonists. Yet, this paper aims to spotlight on female migratory experience as displayed through the character of Ashima in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake (2003). The research claims that Ashima’s experience is overlooked by critics and researchers in favor of Gogol, the male protagonist in the novel. Through Kimberlé Crenshaw’s Intersectional theory, this research investigates Ashima’s migratory journey, highlighting the intersectional complications facing her as she navigates her journey in the United States. The study maintains that her experience is not shaped by a single factor, rather by the overlapping factors of gender, race, class, and migratory status. Concludingly, the analysis emphasizes that Ashima’s traditional gender roles are not only means of oppression but also foundations for her transformation. Thus, female migrants may have the ability to successfully overcome intersectional oppression and take advantage from them for asserting their agency.
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