Portrayal of Transforming Identities in Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor’s Dust and The Dragonfly Sea

Sherine Janet V.
Research Scholar (Reg.No.2421315022009),
Department of English, S.T. Hindu College, Nagercoil – 629002.
(Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627012)

Dr. M. Mahesh
Associate Professor & Research Supervisor,
Department of English, S.T. Hindu College, Nagercoil – 629002.
(Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627012)

Abstract
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is a Kenyan author who has authored numerous works including short stories, essays and novels. Her novels Dust (2014) and The Dragonfly Sea (2019) inspect the modification of identity by using a multidimensional perspective. In Dust, identity is nurtured by mourning, emotional distress and Kenya’s post-colonial era. Ajany tries to investigate the factuality of her brother Odidi’s tragic loss which reflects the national identity crisis and reveals the necessity of historical narratives that happened in the past and their role in reshaping as individuals and group identities. Conversely, The Dragonfly Sea illustrates cultural exchanges and self-discovery. Ayanna, a young Kenyan girl from Pate Island adapts an alien heritage while sailing with Zheng He and his crew. Her identity is carved by migration and by the path that she embraces on her way. Her self-discovery is grounded in celebrating flexibility and stepping into unrecognized confidence and fascination. Both novels stress personal growth rather than an unchanging principle.

Keywords: Kenyan ancestry, Truth, Recollection, Conflict, identity, Migration exile, Cultural heritage.