UNRAVELLING POST-COLONIAL IDENTITY: AN ANALYSIS OF WALCOTT’S “DREAM ON MONKEY MOUNTAIN”

Abstract

The article explores how the Caribbean natives struggle for their indigenous identity in the face of dominating colonial challenges. It examines how the colonial concepts of ambivalence, mimicry, and hybridity shape the subaltern identity of the colonized people, who are forced to adopt the culture and values of the colonizers. The article also analyzes how the native resistance and reaction to colonial domination leads to a process of identity formation that is complex and dynamic. The paper draws on the works of Derek Walcott who offers a deep insight into the psychology of the Caribbean natives. Walcott uses his poetic and dramatic skills to deconstruct
the colonial discourse and reconstruct a post-colonial identity that is based on a fusion of different cultures and histories. The study illuminates the resistance and reactive measures employed by the indigenous population in their pursuit of authentic identity, thus contributing to a broader understanding of postcolonial identity formation. It brings to light Walcott’s use metaphors and symbols to convey his post-colonial vision of a new Caribbean society.