The Portrayal of Belonging and Unbelonging in David Chariandy’s Soucouyant

Abstract

David Chariandy’s Soucouyant, published in 2007, deals with immigrant characters trying to make sense of their identity and where they belong. However, there has not been a study particularly about belonging and unbelonging and how these experiences may resemble or vary among the characters. The thesis explores the characters’ experiences and their similarities and differences. The aim of this study is to explore the belonging and unbelonging of the first-generation immigrant character Adele and her second-generation immigrant son, who is also the nameless narrator of the novel. The thesis consists of an introduction, a literature review, an empirical study, and a conclusion. The introduction gives a brief overview of the plot of the novel, its relevance in Canadian context and discusses the topics that are further explored in the thesis. The introduction also contains the aim of the thesis and the research questions. The first chapter is a literature review which gives an overview of previous research done on the novel, with a focus on topics such as identity and generation relationships, memory transmission, multiculturalism, and belonging and unbelonging. The second chapter, which is the empirical study, provides an analysis of both Adele’s and the narrator’s experiences and feelings with belonging and unbelonging. In addition, the similarities and differences of the experiences will be discussed. The conclusion provides a summary of the findings.