Recreating History Through Language: Allegorical Significance of Suleri's Meatless Days
Lecturer, Department of English City University of Science & Information Technology,Peshawar Pakistan.
Abstract
The study investigates the allegorical significance of Sara Suleri's Meatless days by examining how her personal story entwines with the political history of Pakistan. Qualitative analysis of the text views the use of language as a vehicle, which carries Suleri's notion of 'dislocation' to the readers' mind. As framework, it uses the theory of 'constructivism' that focuses on the capability of human to interpret meaning by correlating the 'interaction between their experiences and their ideas'.Written within the context of the creation of Pakistan, the memoir piles up intimate memories of the author's personal as well as public life narrating the tales of food, love, home and belonging. Anecdotes about Suleri's family and friends narrating the major turning points in the history of Pakistan are given life through her unique play of language. The under currents of the author's life are historical and public events most significantly 'independence'. Her use of language re- creates that history,invoking the 'lost' through the tales of her mother, sister and friends. The study provides a profound knowledge of the political history of Pakistan through a woman's mind. It shows the character development through inner experiences of their lives. It can be viewed a landmark in the conscious raising of females in the subcontinent understanding their identity in the South Asian cultural context. It concludes by foregrounding Suleri's idea of displacement as'subtle'. The memoir reflects the change in perspectives through literature.
Keywords: Intersection, Dislocation, Personal, Political, Re-making, Suleri
Received Revised
Accepted
Available Online