Arun Joshi, The Foreigner

Pier Paolo Piciucco (Università Degli Studi di Torino)
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Joshi’s debut novel is a

Bildungsroman

following the fortunes of Sindi Oberoi, a young boy of Indian descent. The story focuses principally on the period from his college years in the States to his subsequent move to India. Born in Kenya of an Kenyan-Indian father and an English mother, he is orphaned at the age of 4 when his parents die in an air crash and is left in the care of an uncle in Nairobi. Moved by an instinctual thrust towards self-accomplishment, he grows up free from any emotional link with country or family, a kind of attitude that he initially mistakes for detachment. As the truth of facts attest, however, this indifference to fate is but a mask which characterizes his mind and which he uses as a shield in order to avoid being trapped in any kind of emotional bond. The…

811 words

Citation: Piciucco, Pier Paolo. "The Foreigner". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 February 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14901, accessed 19 March 2024.]

14901 The Foreigner 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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