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Essay on When We Were Orphans and The Buddha Of Suburbia

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The protagonists of both When We Were Orphans and The Buddha of Suburbia grow up either wholly or partly in a society where a culture different to their own is dominant. It is not surprising that Ishiguro and Kureishi should create such characters, as they themselves would be familiar with experiences related to holding such a position in society. Lewis suggests that Ishiguro's home is 'a halfway house, neither Japanese nor English, somewhere in-between departure and arrival, nostalgia and anticipation' (Kazuo Ishiguro: Contemporary World Writers, p1). Comparing the two novels allows us to analyse the differing portrayals of cultural identity and the effect that location and family have on that identity. Although set at different times, both novels use the locality of London and show the protagonist - also the narrator - moving to or from this city. In this respect, comparing When We Were Orphans and The Buddha of Suburbia allows us to analyse the presentation of 'home' and the effect of cultural identity on Karim and Christopher's concepts of 'home.'

Christopher of When We Were Orphans begins his life in Shanghai and when his family life is cut short by the disappearance of his parents, he moves to England to stay with his Aunt. As a result memories of his parents are inevitably caught up with his time in China and his sense of home becomes entirely related to his childhood. Even his adult career choice if inspired entirely by childhood dreams and infant game playing. And so his childhood logic is carried into the adult world. Admittedly, his fascination with detective work comes about from the serious event of his father being kidnapped, but when we come to learn that Christopher has misunderstood the situation for all those years, the significance of his work lessens. Childhood whims have ultimately taken over his mature life. The Colonel that he comes into contact with on his return to Shanghai theorises that Colonel 'Our childhood becomes like a foreign land once we have grown.' (WWWO, p346). It is clear that this is not the case for Christopher, with aspects of his childhood seemingly remaining in stasis after his departure from China. Before he has solved the mysterious disappearance of his parents Christopher is unable to make a home anywhere else. This is a fact that he obviously understands, and is apparent in his reply to the Colonel, 'it's hardly a foreign land to me. In many ways it's where I've continued to live all my life. It's only now I've started to make my journey from it.' (WWWO, p347). Therefore, the hold that unresolved events have on his life, prevent him from creating a new home.

In London, Christopher becomes distinctly removed from the world around him, a fact made known to us early on when we are told that he is not accustomed to visitors. There is constantly a sense that others are sharing knowledge that he is not aware of. This is illustrated by the way that he is often observed by others, 'I became conscious of the others in the room, and the fact that they were all watching me with gentle smiles.' (WWWO, p236). Although he lives in London and does become attached to it on some level, it does not become a home for Christopher - 'Nevertheless, there are those times when a sort of emptiness fills my hours (WWWO, p393). Removed from the present, the nature in which Christopher acquires a new family is farcical: he obtains a daughter as a result of a dinner party chat with a stranger. But even with a daughter he is unable to create a proper home and cannot move on until he has returned to Shanghai to solve the mystery of his parents.

In contrast, Karim of The Buddha of Suburbia embraces new experiences and uses them to escape from his troubled family life. He resents his father for living an interesting life in India but then forcing his son to grow up in a racist London suburb. However, Karim chooses to lose himself in sex and drugs and ultimately - unlike Christopher - progresses from his childhood. The serious nature of Haroon's affair with Eva is softened by the narrator's use of humour, as are many other incidents which would otherwise be emotional and traumatic. Karim's brash and sarcastic tone particularly enables him to present racial issues, which results in giving the reader a better understanding of prejudice in London at the time. Although we find Karim a likeable character, we do not feel immense sympathy for him, and this is a direct result of the use of humour. For example, when Karim and Jamila have abuse shouted at them, we are left with the image of Jamila sprinting after the cyclist rather than the actual emotional effects of such a racist comment.

Both Karim and Christopher experience life as outsiders, in a society where they are not part of the majority. Lewis, in his study of Kazuo Ishiguro, sees the character of Christopher as a displaced person - 'one of the many in the twentieth century of exile and estrangement' - and in this respect, similar to Ryder of The Unconsoled. Christopher constantly has to alter his behaviour in order to belong. The futile nature of such behaviour is apparent when he talks to Akira about disharmony between his parents. He is told by his friend that this may be a result of him not being English enough - 'not behaving sufficiently like an Englishman (WWWO, p93); Akira is worried that his parents are also upset that he is not acting Japanese enough. There is the suggestion that a person can alter their cultural appearance, and this is often forced by the opinions of others. As a result Christopher requests the help of his Uncle Phil in becoming more English. The fact that both boys are led to believe they are behaving incorrectly with regard to their nationality and culture implies that such feelings may arise regardless of location.

Cultural identity also has significance for Karim, who constantly aims to blend in with his school friends and clearly does act and look just like them, 'I had to study the Melody Maker and New Musical Express just to keep up' (TBOS, p8). The very beginning of the first chapter makes a reference to Karim's affinity with his identity as an Englishman, 'My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost.' (TBOS, p3). However, despite the fact that he is born and bred in the country, the presence of the word 'almost' introduces the issue of the attitudes of others and the fact that he is not accepted by English by all. The way that Karim is treated by members of the public and other children at school brings us to the words of Christopher's Uncle Phil - 'It'd be no wonder if you grew up a bit of a mongrel…People need to feel they belong to a nation, to a race. Otherwise, who knows what might happen?' (WWWO, p97). Although Uncle Phil is trying to put Christopher's mind at ease, he actually succeeds in presenting quite an ominous and fatalistic thought. Indeed, both Christopher and Karim do not have one nation to which they belong: Karim has an Indian father and an English mother, while Christopher lives in Japan with English parents. Both experience feelings of being the minority and having to alter their behaviour accordingly, as Karim observes 'to the English we were always wogs and nigs and Pakis and the rest of it' TBOS, p53). Christopher masters the art of fitting in, as shown when he enters English school and quickly takes on the mannerisms of other boys. Although Karim is adored by many because of his Indian appearance, he largely attempts to fit in as an Englishman. It seems that the nature of the Indian culture is only used for personal gain, as in the case of Haroon, who Karim overhears 'hissing his s's and exaggerating his Indian accent' (TBOS, p21) obviously for the benefit of Eva. Despite the racial tension of London, it does seem to be the place where cultural identities can be exploited as well as transformed.

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