Entangled Desires and Unheard Voices of Slaves: A Comparative Analysis between Toni Morrison's Beloved and Shaukat Osman's The Laughter of a Slave Mohammed - Solaiman Chowdhury

Entangled Desires and Unheard Voices of Slaves: A Comparative Analysis between Toni Morrison's Beloved and Shaukat Osman's The Laughter of a Slave Mohammed Solaiman Chowdhury Assistant Professor Department of English Language and Literature (DELL) Premier University, Chattogram, Bangladesh Postal Address: 541, O. R. Nizam Road, GEC Circle, Chattogram, Bangladesh E-mail Address: solaiman_sr@yahoo.com Abstract: Toni Morrison's celebrated novel Beloved points out a picture of slavery telling us about a strong sense of desire of the slaves to have a life of freedom. The novel also unfolds before us a group of slaves of different age with an African origin representing a history of slavery with all its ugly and gruesome facets. Here the slaves have envisaged a life of freedom in its true sense but achieving that freedom remains a far cry from reality. In a likewise manner, Shaukat Osman, an influential Bangladeshi litterateur, also sketches out a picture of the life of a slave that speaks of the authority's harsh rule in which a slave is not allowed to have even the right to laugh. The slave here too signifies a sense of freedom which is beyond his reach. This research article investigates into the approaches of both the writers about how they look into the lives of slaves and how they yearn for freedom. In both the novels the slaves do not have any voice under the brutality of slavery but they have a sense of desire and they possess a dream which is unheard and unshared. Through the lenses of Subaltern theory along with Bhabha’s Third Space theory and trauma this article analyses the slaves denoting how they are suppressed and oppressed and thus, become voiceless. Keywords: Slavery, Entangled Desires, Voicelessness, Subaltern, Third Space and Trauma