The novel, The Buddha of Suburbia, demonstrates that hybrid identities are
always in motion by examining Karim’s identity shifts throughout his coming of
age story. In the novel Karim starts out as a teenage boy who just wants to get
away from his suburban life style. He is thrown into a Buddistic meditative
lifestyle with his father and from there his perception of himself is split and
thrown all around. He is immersed into sex, drugs and rock and roll as the
novel goes by and with this he is faced with racism from the people around him.
When he enters the acting world he is stereo-typically cast in an Indian role
and it is with the acting that you can really see his hybrid identities show. Should
he play stereotypical roles? Is he dishonoring his race by his representations
of them? He is constantly trying to find
himself and he is exploring all options; sexuality, career, and locations. In Beginning Postcolonialism the section on
hybrid identities offers a helpful insight. McLeod states, “Hybrid identities
are never total and complete in themselves, like orderly pathways built from
crazy- paving. Instead, they remain perpetually in motion, pursuing errant and
unpredictable routes, open to change and reinscription” (254). This quote can be transmitted into the novel
because Karim never has one set identity throughout the entire novel. As Karim
ages in the novel he is exploring and changing his identity with every step of
life. New people and occurrences change his perception and actions. He doesn’t
have a singular personality; his life is on “unpredictable routes” (254). Hybrid
identities are always in motion in a way that an adolescent’s identity is constantly
changing and in motion as well. Both are subject to the context they are found
in and can constantly change and explore because they are trying to find the
set identity that works for them.
My Opinion:
Out of all the books read for my Postcolonial Literature course, this one is probably my least favorite. It might just be because of the cheating husband and the disintegration of the "suburban" perfect family or even the whirlwind of chaos with the sex, drugs and theater world that isn't to my liking. Other than that though this book does a marvelous job of showing the hybridism in second generation immigrants and the hybridism in people as a whole. In the novel we see Karim struggle with his identity as an English man and man from an Indian background. He is stereotyped into the role of Mowgli which kicks starts his acting career and his father grows famous and falls in love with a woman after he assumes the role of the Buddha of Suburbia even though the family isn't Buddhist. He goes around and teaches yoga and Buddhist theology which he just looks up in books for himself. Karim also struggles with his sexual identity he prefers both boys and girls and is constantly thinking of his friend and the various girls in his life. the idea of being split into throughout the novel (even being split between is mother and father in the divorce) create this huge impression of hybridity throughout the book. Karim is always looking for ways to complete himself, or better his predicament; he is never content and is always changing himself. This novel also summarizes up adolescent and young adult hood very well.
David Bowie and The Buddha of Suburbia:
The Buddha of Suburbia, was adapted into a BBC miniseries and the famous singer David Bowie created a lot of music for the show and even labeled one of his albums Buddha of Suburbia.
