UBC Theses and Dissertations

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UBC Theses and Dissertations

Unveiling maternal narratives : exploring diasporic identity, love, and resentment in The namesake, A place for us, and Home fire Chowdhury, Zarin

Abstract

This thesis uses affect in maternal narratives to investigate the diasporic complexities of passing down and upholding the traditions and cultures of a homeland that exists only in memory, while simultaneously encouraging assimilation, leading to a younger generation that grows a sense of resentment against this imagined homeland. Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake and Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A Place for Us both follow the story of diasporic mothers who carry the memory of their homeland and take on the responsibility to pass on the homeland ideals to their children, whereas Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire tells the story of Isma, the eldest sibling who assumes a maternal role after their mother’s death, living in constant fear of the West questioning her allegiance and her family’s position. Chapter one introduces the concept of the “mother of the nation” to investigate how diasporic mothers embody the homeland through their experiences of pain and loss. Chapter two addresses the generational divide created by the tension between maintaining loyalty to the imagined homeland and integrating into the West, a conflict largely driven by the mother’s role as the guardian of cultural memory. This thesis argues that the diasporic mother, as a symbolic representative of the homeland, is often at the receiving end of the resentment directed towards the homeland ideals, making the motherhood role within the diaspora eternally isolating.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International