Representation of the Subaltern in Henning Mankell's The Shadow Girls
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Central Department of English
Abstract
This research exploresthe representation of the subaltern characters in
Henning Mankell'sThe Shadow Girls.Mankell foregroundsthe peripheral characters
whose voice has been silenced due to the lack of agency.The main characterslike
Tea-Bag, Tania and Leila are submissive and inferior who live the life ofabsurdity.
They are wretchedandstifledbecause of thesuppressive hegemonic power,poor
economic backgroundand theirinferior rank in terms ofclass, gender, inability,
refugee statusand lack of agency.By bringing subaltern characters into the forefront,
the novel shows that subalternity is not only limited to South Asian context but it
couldbringall the marginal voices of the world. On the surface, Mankell pretendsto
provide platform for the minority groupbutthetrue voicesof the subaltern characters
remain unheard. As the concern of the revolution from lower people, this novel does
not provide the platform openly but desirestransform Leila as an actress,Tea-Bag
neglectsauthoritarianpowerandsomeothercharacters somehow try to evoke the
revolutionfrom the lowerin the novel.In short, thenovel tries to win readers
sympathy and expects revolutionfor social transformation.
Description
Keywords
Subaltern