The internalized vermin of exile in Montréal
Rawi Hage’s Cockroach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9002293 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wisam Kh Abdul-Jabbar (0000-0001-8771-8645, University of Alberta, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 168-182 |
| Publication date | 2015-05-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Commonwealth Literature (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9894 • E-ISSN: 1741-6442 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0021989415585586 |
| OpenAlex | W2284586404 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 8 |
This article argues that the protagonist in Hage’s Cockroach (2008) introjects the vermin as a representation of internalized antagonism. As the unnamed narrator struggles in an inhospitable city, he internalizes this unflinching feeling of estrangement through introjection. This process reveals how the loss of home entails the state of a vagabond who resists normalization and seeks the unruly life of the underground. The way the city of Montréal is portrayed as notorious for its indifference towards newcomers aggravates the condition of the divided self in exile, which necessitates the intrusion of the monstrous. In effect, not only does introjecting the cockroach signify a menacing presence but also suggests a decolonizing act of insubordination against a city whose hegemonic order, like its freezing weather, looms large
Aesthetics · Art · Hegemony · Normalization (sociology · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Middle East Politics and Society · Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2020 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |