Explore How Perceptions of Belonging and Not Belonging Can Be Influenced by Connections to Place

'Explore how perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be influenced by connections to place (and relationships within them)."

Belonging is a subjective concept that can encourage feelings of security, happiness and acceptance as well as alienation, dislocation, isolation and insecurity. One's connection to place and the relationships associated with them can impact an individual's sense of belonging and not belonging, consequently influencing their personal and cultural identity. An analysis of Jhumpa Lahiri's novel 'The Namesake' (2003) and an extract from Sarah Turnbull's novel 'Almost French' demonstrates the significance of connections to place in heightening or stifling one's sense of belonging.

Lahiri's 'The Namesake' explores the complex and transitory state of belonging using a variety of techniques. The novel is structured in chronological order, spanning a period of thirty two years with frequent flashbacks. This allows one to observe the continuous shifts in belonging and Ashima's eventual acculturation of the American culture. Her feelings of disconnection are revealed in her reflections of her immigration experience, with anaphora and negative connotations emphasizing her alienation, '...she is terrified to raise a child in a country where she is related to no one, where she knows so little, where life seems so tentative and spare.' <concept link> Her arduous immigration experience is accentuated through her attachment to a Bengali magazine, symbolic of her connection with her former home, relationships and lifestyle, 'The printed pages of Bengali type...are a perpetual comfort to her.' After giving birth to Gogol, Ashima returns to New England, confronted with strong emotions of helplessness, fear and displacement. Pathetic fallacy represents her dislocation, 'leafless trees...ice covered branches' and the short and outright declaration of 'I want to go back' illustrates Ashima's pessimistic nature, highlighting the negative impacts on oneself when connections to place and the relationships within them are unseen. Ashima's initial negative attitude towards moving into a new house is reflected through the metaphor, 'For being a foreigner...is a sort of lifelong pregnancy...a continuous feeling out of sorts.' This contrasts with the archaic phrase 'This is the small patch of America to which they lay claim.' Ashima develops friendships that reinforce her sense of belonging and acculturation; however the death of Ashoke and Gogol and Sonia's independent lives influence her to sell the family home. Ashima resolutes in living six months in India and six months in America and through imagery, the complex and difficult occurrence of belonging for an immigrant is described, 'be without borders, without a home...a resident of everywhere