ABSTRACT
This
study is a psychoanalytical interpretation of JhumpaLahiri's
Interpreter of Maladies and Brian Leung's World Famous Love Acts.This is
born out of the fact that previous studies have focused on the
intricate relationship between dislocation in respect to spirituality
and narration. In this regard, this study examines cultural and
psychological dislocation in respect to the self and the other on the
Asian Americans' existential experiences. This research's specific
objectives are to demonstrate that the short story is a suitable
literary discursive form for espousing Asian American experiences and
that dislocation devolves into cultural disjunction and marital/familial
degeneration. It alsodemonstrates that traumatic events bring to fore
the despondency inherent in Asian American characters and that Horneyan
Psychoanalytical criticism is an appropriate medium for the
interpretation of characters' personality disorder. The study employs
qualitative research technique and four stories are analysed from each
collection in addition to the use of secondary sources. It also
harnesses Horney's approach to psychoanalysis to investigate the various
neurotic trends manifest in characters' coping strategy. The study's
findings show that there is an affinity between unresolved conflicts,
degenerating family relationships and unhealthy impulses. It also
reveals that, dislocated Asian American characters mask their state to
various degrees through neurotic trends. This work concludes by pointing
out that the Asian Americans' cultural and psychological dislocation
underscores their American experience.