Exploration of Cultural Odyssey and Traumatic Upheaval in Rohinton Mistry and Elif Shafak’s Novels

Abstract

This comparative literary analysis tries to explore the emotional and physical journeys undertaken by the heroes in no man’s land in the novels “Such a Long Journey” and “Island of Missing Trees”. The tribulations of Gustad Noble in Mistry’s Such a Long Journey and Kostas Kazantzakis in Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees are similar, as both characters share perspectives marked by struggle and uncertainty, with little sign of resolution. Both the novels underline the overarching themes of displacement, identity crisis and resilience. Mistry’s novel delves into the history of the Parsis, their mental anguish in India, and his focus is primarily on the bitter sweet journeys of the hero Gustad Noble and Elif Shafak’s novel too reflect the issues of diaspora and displacement relating to mental trauma. The tragic occurrences in the novels are foreshadowed by the earlier incidents that act as cobwebs in the lives of the heroes. The novels encompass the themes of fear and unpredictability associated with displacement and relocation of the migrants combined with the intricate tapestry of past emotions, reflecting on disconnection during journeys.