Identity at the Crossroad: Explicating Diasporic Ramification in Sunetra Gupta’s A Sin of Colour

Abstract

Human identity always assumes a significant dimension in relation to societal positions. An individual is established when a specific identity is granted. External environmental positions are equally important for situating a person within the broader social context. Contemporary societies have been integral to understanding the nuances of literary narratives addressing diasporic concerns. Sunetra Gupta’s A Sin of Colour is a pivotal diasporic narrative that examines predicaments of identity and selfhood. Characters like Debendra become the epitome of the uncertainty that diaspora engenders in one’s identity when one is dislodged from one’s physical place. This novel hinges on two distinct physical settings: the English landscape of Oxford and the Indian terrain of Calcutta. It identifies how individuals grapple with large-scale attributes associated with their positions when they are spatially separated. This paper aims to portray the nuances of diasporic identity that are no longer intact or stable in a diasporic environment. Following Stuart Hall, this paper argues that an individual’s identity is a “social subject” that centres itself through social articulations. It seeks to provide a critical explication of the nuances of the relationship between diaspora and individual identity through a qualitative research approach.