REPRESENTATION OF THE MUSLIM WORLD: AN ETHNOCENTRIC READING OF THE PICKUP BY NADINE GORDIMER WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO EDWARD SAID’S ORIENTALISM

Abstract

Representation makes sense of the world. It does not only represent the world but also create the world. This research aims to explore the representations of negative images of the Muslims and the Muslim countries represented in the novel The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer. This research also tries to investigate that how Nadine Gordimer’s characters and places have been negatively stereotyped. It exposes that the Muslims and the Muslim world have been misrepresented and stereotypically portrayed. The images and attitudes towards the Muslim world clearly reflect that the Muslim world is under a cloud. The European countries have been projected positively while, on the other hand, negative images have been associated with the Islamic world. Donald R. Kinder and Cindy D. Kam’s theoretical framework suits for the present analysis. Further, Edward Said’s “Orientalism” provides insight to explore the biased mindset against the Muslims and the Muslim world. Said argues that the line fabricated between the East and the West is based on false assumptions and misconceptions. The study finds that the images and the descriptions portrayed by Nadine Gordimer in The Pickup actually are the misrepresentations of the Muslims and the Muslim world. The Muslims and the Muslim world are treated stereotypically and negatively.