Mapping Displacement and Desire: A Perspective of Post Colonialism in Anuradha Roy’s An Atlas of Impossible Longing

Abstract

Displacement is a process in which people are exiled to a strange land to secure their lives. They face a lot of issues like losing identity, sense of displacement, longing for their homeland and unadaptable culture and tradition. Displacement is divided into three types: physical displacement, psychological displacement and cultural displacement. Desire plays both optimistic and pessimistic roles in postcolonialism. Through the characters like Amulya, Nirmal and Mukunda, playan optimistic role like possessing the desire to overcome all the struggles soon and lead a happy life, returning to their homeland or a comfortable place from the struggle, making a place through achieving success in life. Through the characters of Kamal, local politicians, opportunistic landlords and  moneylendersplay cruel roles like dominating others, quest of ruling power, and grasping others’ prosperity to fulfill their wishes. . It focuses on the role of displacement and desire, which takes place in the narration and with the characters in the text. The paper elaborates on the emotional and physical spaces of the people by mapping their achievements of every individual in opposition to the socio-political background of the postcolonial land. It also highlights their struggle in attaining identity, dislocation, memories
and longing during displacement.