Searching for Self-identity in Arun Joshi’s The Foreigner

Abstract

Arun Joshi, out of the eminent novelists, is the portrayer of human predicament. The dilemma of a young is depicted in his novel “The Foreigner”. The young has lost himself in a world which is meaningless to him. A measuring is tried to be found by the young man to his life in the present moment. The leading role, which is caught, talks places in between his past life and future life. He cannot understand a balance which is to be brought in between the past life and future life. A measuring is be secured in a young man’s life. Despite the situations of Sindi Oberai trying to isolate, he, prudent environments, alienates himself. ‘Foreignness’ in his life is experienced in this novel. He experiences this as a protagonist and this becomes symbolic of the title of the novel. The physical agony of the protagonist is expresses in this paper. The meaning of his life is also depicted by the pain of suffering. It is the truth that detachment is moderately with the existential hero in involvement, but it does not remain in withdrawal.

Essentially, literature mirrors as well as interprets our life. The theme of alienation in the modern Indo-English literature opens a new realm of understanding of human nature and behavior. It helps us to focus on an individual in terms of his responses and reaction to other human beings, the environment and with his own self. Environment, the society and its tradition and the expectation of civilised beahviour and attitudes in the society in which man is born and brought up are mainly responsible for his strange behaviour in and attitude to life. Nowadays Alienation is f the greatest problems confronting modern man.