Search for Motherland in J.M. Coetzee's The Childhood of Jesus: A Diasporic Study

Abstract

The sole thrust of this thesis is to examine how diasporic situation of South Africa is reflected in J.M. Coetezee's novel The Childhood of Jesus. Coetzee wants to show the lingering effect of diasporic situation. He shows the political, cultural and psychological exploitation of postcolonial South African people by presenting the Simon and David. The plight of David and Simon is analogous to the immigrants people of South Africa. The search for pacifism also takes place in South Africa following the end of colonial era. He also shows the power of myth and ritual which works as the heaven in the time of dire crisis. The Christian reality of redemption occurs frequently in the novel. To give the biblical twist to the pervading phenomena of death, there is frequent reference to African mysticism, mythic belief and religious doctrine. Postcolonial theory is used to analyze the diasporic situation in the novel.