RUSHDIE'S EASTERNIZATION OF COLONIAL DISCOURSE IN THE MOOR'S LAST SIGH""

Abstract

Rushdie's easternization of colonial discourse in The Moor's Sigh deals with postcolonial concerns of the Asian Indian. The struggle of the individual to realise his identity and the unique language that he speaks is the focus of this dissertation.The colonial influence in the Asian's life cannot be easily defined. There are certain traces of this influence in the Asian's language, behaviour patterns and attitudes which point to this. This eventually tends to affect the Asian's sense of identity. The search for identity is seen as the focus of all of the protagonist's actions. The protagonist eventually discovers himself at the end and this discovery also paves the way for an understanding of postcolonial identity which is examined in the conclusion. The second focus of this dissertation is on the language which Rushdie terms "Bombay masala". This language is actually a mixture of English and Hindi. The unique language enables the understanding of the complex personalities in the novel and therefore allows one an understanding of their identities. Therefore, language and identity form the central focus in this dissertation in the examination of the eastemization of colonial discourse.