Critical Narratives: The Voices of Negotiations across the Differences

Abstract

This paper deals with the problem of representations in The Tempest, Robinson Crusoe and Jane Eyre. The divisions under race, gender, class, and nationality as projected in these narratives raise questions about the binary relations that organize the societies to empower certain groups or individuals and subject others. To identify the points of departure in the alternative narratives, the study has used the critical comparative approach as a method. The paper argues that problems of representation in the mainstream narratives reflect the underlying belief systems that influence the authors. Therefore, rather than dealing with the problematic representations in isolation, it critiques the underlying cause, hegemonic ideologies, and their connections with representations. After examining the alternative narratives, A Tempest, Foe, and Wide Sargasso Sea, respectively, the study uncovers that the critical authors of these texts put their efforts into bridging the binaries by altering the narratives. They diversify their narratives. Aimé Cesaire, J M Coetzee, and Jean Rhys change the plot, modify the roles of the characters, change the setting, and alter other elements to break the hierarchies of binaries of the master-narratives. They empower the marginal and suppress voices of the master narratives and place them in dialogue with the dominant figures of the mainstream narratives. The attempts of the critical authors are to dismantle the asymmetrical power relations between the representatives of different groups and explore alternative relations for integrated societies.