Diamond Grill by Fred Wah and Soucouyant by David Chariandy - Essay Example

Diamond Grill by Fred Wah and Soucouyant by David Chariandy Introduction This essay will compare two stories; Diamond Grill by Fred Wah and Soucouyant by David Chariandy, and will discuss the significance of the food and folklore in both stories. Soucouyant tackles many of the same subjects seen in Diamond Grill. The author too is in awe of the varied Canadian landscape as he exclaims “our experiences on this continent are too varied, too fantastic to ever be encompassed in any single work” (David Chariandy 2007). Through the creation of the various characters in the book, David Chariandy wishes to reveal the inadequacy of language to dictate an accurate personal identity. Furthermore, he shows how North American culture necessitates the creation of alter egos, composed of prejudice and stereotypes, which function to hide and protect our true self identities. Some of the characters in Soucouyant are in many ways an inflated stereotype designed to deflate stereotypes. He represents the paradox of how the immigrant both wants to stand out and disappear at the same time, and the reality that often times we betray ourselves in willingly giving up our names, our identities. He presents himself to the audience with multiple stereotypes to bring into evidence preconceive ideas about immigrants. The etymology of words in the book resonates with Wah’s realization that language is often times to broad to accurately incorporate the individual or regional identity. Furthermore, the majority of people are not aware of the influence of the history of language, and thus are confined by it even subconsciously. In many ways is a speaker of truth. It is this character – the alter ego – that realizes that “we all need a filter to look at de world through” (Fred Wah 1996). Society and culture inevitable places a colored lenses before our eyes. Furthermore, there is the paradox of conflicting identities as he exclaims “standing on Latin America while living in North America gives me a new filter, a new perspective” (Fred Wah 1996). That is to say, the national filter and ultimately conflicts with the often dual citizenships of the immigrant; therefore, it becomes necessary to escape all perspective and acquire an objective view: thus the border is created. The character of the young man in Soucouyant introduces the necessity for the home on the border. He first has the notion that when he will go home he will be “resolved, dissolved, revealed [and] [he] will claim [his] place in the universe” (David Chariandy 2007) Although he soon becomes disillusioned and claims that “maps have been of no use because [he] always [forgets] that they are metaphors and not the territory” (David Chariandy 2007). This statement is similar to that made by Fred Wah in Diamond Grill, in which states that “maps don’t have beginnings, just edges” (Fred Wah 1996). The notion of a home in a particular place or locality is demolished. Maps are fictitious and one must acquire a true perspective in the border, or in the hyphen. It is impossible to locate “the precise coordinates of the spirit, of the psyche, of memory” (David Chariandy 2007) and thus home becomes a metaphysical concept that must be redefined by each artist. As The author states that “it is now Zero Hour” (The author 22) he refers to a moment of conversation, the moment of confrontation, both internally and literally with the audience. It is similar to Wah’s ideas in that The author, as an artist, chooses to confront the border. The border – a place outside the confines of society – is a central theme in Soucouyant. The author realizes that he is an outcast as “all sides of the border have claimed and rejected [him]” (David Chariandy 2007). The ideas presented by David Chariandy resonate very closely with a fascinating European thinker of the latter half of the twentieth century by the name of Vilém Flusser. His book, The Freedom of the Migrant deals with the ideas of national identity in a world whose borders are becoming increasing arbitrary and permeable. Flusser is particularly interested in “the phenomenon of communication between people… in the gaps between points of view and the structures that serve to bridge them It seems that Chariandy does closely agree with the philosophy that an objective perspective and freedom occur once the individual has accepted to cut ties to particular national perspectives. However, there is a difference in The author’s argument as he questions the audience. In the section, Chariandy seems to insinuate that the concept of home is fictitious, and that all individuals are equally uprooted in their identities. Both Chariandy and Wah are able to both represent the internal negotiations the individual must begin as he lives in the country, and also the negotiations that must occur between people. Conclusion Struggling to access cultural memory is an important theme in both Diamond Grill and Soucouyant. Fred Wah embraces Chinese food in order to discover his cultural identity and heritage, while the narrator in Soucouyant stumbles in to his cultural past through the Caribbean folk tale of the soucouyant. Thus, one can see the similarities between Diamond Grill and Soucouyant, as both authors believe that “the hyphen always seems to demand negotiation” (Fred Wah 1996). Thus, it can be said that “hyphen” represents a refusal to choose between two identities. Furthermore, both authors realize the importance of language to dictate notions of home, identity and nationality, as empirical experience must be rationalized with words. In many ways both the “hyphen” and the “border” represent the transformation of home and identity into a metaphysical concept; a notion that cannot be dissected and measured. The hyphen does this by joining two opposing ideas, like dual citizenship, or the past and the future. These ideas cannot exist in conventional society, and must be redefined with each new generation. The border represents this metaphysical concept as it is pointed out that, despite a multitude of people living in the same physical place together, they are intellectually dispersed across the face of the globe. Home cannot be a physical place, and thus, it becomes metaphysical. Thus both of the authors emphasize that the greatest borders of all are within the individual. In both stories, both Chariandy and Wah endeavor to stress the fact that language is a border that limits our perceptions of life. By escaping that border through different writing styles and concepts – the “hyphen” and the “border” – both the writer and the reader can gain a more unadulterated perspective on the world and on personal and national identities. Even though at first it seems like the “hyphen” and the “border” are opposing ideals – the “hyphen” connects two identities, whereas the border is “no man’s land” – in reality they both deal with a redefinition of language. By combining opposites you create something new. Through both of these stories, one can conclude that the Canadian novel is one that is ever remembering, ever living and ever dreaming. It was, it is and it will be. It refuses to be defined. And as each generation will redefine language in a search for personal identity, one can only hope that in the end the realizations will come. Works cited David Chariandy (2007) Soucouyant' Arsenal Pulp Press Fred Wah (1996) Diamond Grill. NeWest Press. Read More