The Road Not Taken: Realistic Revelations of Magic Realism in Ben Okri’s The Famished Road

  • P. Sankar

Abstract

Ben Okri can be considered as the product of two nations, the colonizer and the colonized. His writings reflect the hybridity in culture and assimilation. The novel is the journey of a spirit which denounces the world of spirits seeking safety and security on the face of the earth. The work is a perfect amalgamation of magic realism and post colonialism in the context of the post independent Nigeria. The work values freedom and fervor in terms of looking at the human world from the world of the spirits. Although Okra has attempted tinges of humor in his work, the humor has been seen as more pungent than being poignant. The paper intends to investigate the dimensions of magic realism in a novel that is more a political fable than a plot with a constant focus on the Yoruba mythical inclinations. Magic and reality are surmounted with the super natural to make it sound more aesthetic and mature.

Published
2019-12-26
Section
Articles