A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BHARATI MUKHERJEE’S DESIRABLE DAUGHTERS AND V.S. NAIPAUL’S HALF A LIFE

Abstract

The diaspora and their experiences of being an immigrant form a major theme in the vast body of immigrant literature. This paper explores the various causes and effects of immigration by a comparative study of Bharati Mukherjee’s Desirable Daughters and V.S Naipaul’s Half a Life. The issues of pain, agony, alienation, uprootedness, existentialism and identity crisis find expression through the characters Tara in Desirable Daughters and Willie in Half a Life. A comparative study of both these characters and their responses to immigration provides enough scope of criticism to understand the various nuances of the diaspora.