Cultural Displacement and Espoused Philosophy in Arun Joshi’s The Foreigner

Abstract

The present paper attempts to examine the interrelation between cultural displacement and espoused philosophy in Arun Joshi’s The Foreigner. Joshi skillfully weaves Sindi Oberoi’s profound sense of displacement with his evolving philosophy of detachment. He shows how his search for identity shifts from superficial non-involvement to a meaningful, existential commitment grounded in the Indian concept of karma yoga—selfless action—which he ultimately embodies by safeguarding the lives of the factory workers in Delhi. The novel traces Sindi’s quest for meaning as he moves from Kenya to London, Boston, and finally Delhi; yet wherever he lives, he experiences himself as a foreigner—born in Kenya, studying in England and the United States, and settling in India. His emotionally detached relationships and experiences initially convince him that non-involvement ensures tranquility. Consequently, he chooses a rootless, and uninvolved existence; however, this pursuit leads him through a series of crises marked by the suicide of friend, Babu Khemka and tragic death of his beloved, June Blyth and his own deepening struggle with purposelessness and alienation. Ultimately confronted with a humanitarian crisis, he dismantles his self-protective philosophy, and exposes the limits of detachment as a defense mechanism. The study employs qualitative close textual analysis supplemented by relevant secondary sources. The findings reveal that even an individual like Sindi cannot remain detached indefinitely, regardless of his cultural dislocation or emotional uprootedness.