M.S. Vassanji’s novel, The Assassins Song is set in the 1960’s, a time which I had difficulty relating to. The cultural differences and magical realism further constricted my ability to familiarize with the protagonist, which began ruining his credibility. What allowed me to become entranced within the novel is the similarity of probable experiences both the central character Karsan and Vassanji share. When comparing emotions of hybridity and timeline with Vassanji’s own, as a reader I began to connect with the protagonist. The novel started with Karsan acknowledging himself as the future pir bawa of Pirbaag. As he developed into adulthood his identity dramatically shifted and ultimately left his roots to pursue an education at Harvard. The context of the novel was thus far difficult to grasp as I could not compare myself to such a character. Although, after linking the authors promising familiarities with Karsan’s, I began to explore the novel through both…show more content… Vassanji was known to have left Kenya, visited India and lives currently in Canada. It is likely that the imagery Vassanji used of Karsans need for home and hybridity had once again been based on the writer’s personal reflections. (insert quote touching the face). The hybridity issues Karsan faced may have stemmed from Vassanji’s very own, spanning over three countries. Following the timeframe of Vassanji and Karsan, the lack of technology and the frustration of waiting to receive seemed more plausible to me.
Although Vassanji’s text incorporates magical realism and is set in a timeframe much ahead of my own, when intertwining both protagonist and the author’s history it is far more relatable. The coincidences of locations, events and time period for Karsan are somewhat symmetrical to Vassanji’s, guiding readers into a more authentic character and
