The Assassins Song Essay

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M.S. Vassanji’s novel, The Assassins Song is set in the 1960’s, a time which I had difficulty relating too. The cultural differences and magical realism further pushes the text from becoming relatable to me. What enhances the relatability to the main character is his similarity to the author. When comparing emotions of hybridity and timeline with Vassanji’s own, as a reader I begin to connect with the protagonist. The novel begins with Karsan acknowledging himself as the future pir bawa of Pirbaag. As he develops into adulthood his identity dramatically shifts, ultimately leaving his roots to pursue an education at Harvard. The context of the novel is difficult to grasp as I cannot compare myself to such a character, however after linking the authors promising familiarities with Karsan’s, the reader starts to focalize through both writer and character. Suddenly, the magical surrealism and timeline is …show more content…

What sets Pirbaag apart from other communities is its acceptance of both creeds, although deeper into the novel we are made aware of the rioting that claims the life of the village. During class discussion’s Vassanji’s background has been mentioned. He was born and raised in Tanzania in the early 1960’s, interestingly following Karsan’s timeline in the novel. Also, Tanzania formally called Tanganyika dates back to 1964, its national day of independence. The same year, riots took place killing anywhere from 5,000-15,000 Indians. After acknowledging these facts, the text of the story seems easier to follow, as now we do not follow it through the magical realism of Pirbaag and Karsan but follow the possible experiences that Vassanji himself may have been exposed too. (insert quote about the riot in pirbaag killing everyone) The very possibility of Vassanji writing though his own familiarity of this topic enhances my ability to enter Karsans

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