Understanding Appropriation in Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth: A Post-Colonial Critique

Abstract

The current research examines Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth from a
postcolonial perspective. It has been done from the viewpoint of the wellknown concept of appropriation to get postcolonial authors to adopt Western
canons. The phrase itself refers to colonized people accepting the colonists’
common tongue. A significant factor is that it forces the colonized to adopt the
way of life and culture of the colonists. Using a qualitative method, Jhumpa
Lahiri uses Bengali-American characters to demonstrate language
appropriation. A close study technique has been used to examine and evaluate
the text by using Ashcroft et.al (2003) idea of appropriation as the theoretical
framework. In Unaccustomed Earth, the problem of appropriation has been
discussed in the research where South Asians appropriated Western canons by
incorporating their customs, language, and society as well as their culture.
The study concludes that two significant perspectives in South Asian nations.
Firstly, the erosion of nationalism in Bengali American characters, secondly
the performance of appropriation of Western culture in their lifestyles.