Between Heaven and Hell - Perceptions of Home and the Homeland in Jhumpa Lahiri's Work

Suspended in the Third Space they experience emotions of discomfort because they feel equally disconnected to their place of birth and to their ancestral roots.They struggle to come to terms with their sense of home and belonging. Essentially, the field of Postcolonial Studies figures as the discipline the thesis engages and is corroborated by seminal theoretical works from scholars such as Homi K. Bhabha, Bill Ashcroft, Robert Young, G.C. Spivak, Salman Rushdie, Ania Lomba, etc.In addition, certain aspects from the discipline of Cultural Studies lend themselves to be incorporated. For instance Mieke Bal's travelling concept adheres to the process of identity negotiations pursued by second-generation diaspora due to the chapter 2 "Theoretical Approaches: Utopia, Hybridity, Liminality and Cultural Difference" provides a concise review of the theoretical framework for the thesis' analysis. Chapter 3, coined "Terminology", entails a brief catalogue of necessary explanation or concretisation of terms that are relevant for the thesis' theoretical approach. Therefore, it includes terms which require clear and concise definitions in order to establish exact denotation/connotation in context. With chapter 4 the focus shifts to the close assessment of the primary literature. The title of this section is termed "Dislocation, Diaspora and the Geography of Identity: First-Generation Immigrants and their Journeys", and comprises of the subchapters "Assimilation, Postponed" and "New Adventures, New Possibilities". Foremost, this part is concerned with identity negotiations from the female perspective. Chapter 5 "Between Heaven and Hell: Second-Generation Diaspora" exclusively deals with the children of the original immigrants, whose journeys differ greatly from the ones their parents undertook. The penultimate chapter encompasses "A Family's Quiet Fragmentation", "I am American, but..." and "Gogol Nikhil Ganguli: A Coming-of-Age", as well as an account of Kaushik as a quasi h