Moving beyond the Veil: Hybrid Identity in Miss New India

The present study adopts the concept of veil developed by W.E.B. Du Bois to theorize the gap that distances two cultures from one another and renders fragmented the identity of the post-colonial individual. Although Du Bois has mainly discussed the fragmented identity of the black subject, his theory is equally applicable to the colonization and bias experienced by other cultures, such as India. In Miss New India, Anjali Bose who is the novel‘s protagonist, attempts to bridge the cultural gap through mimicking the target culture and fashioning a hybrid identity for herself. The terminology developed by Homi. K. Bhabha is used to expound upon the nature of the struggle dramatized through Anjali Bose. Anjali‘s mimicry of the American culture is an ironic one, since it consists of acceptance and rejection at the same time. In other words, while she mimics the norms and criteria of the target culture toward which she strives, Anjali is influenced by the culture from which she has come. Therefore, her character is the result of a new hybrid identity that exceeds both cultures and creates a third realm for her.

Keywords:

Post Colonialism , Miss New India , Veil , Mimicry , Hybridity