The Voice of the Voiceless: An Analysis of the Making of a Rebel Slave in Shaukat Osman's The Laughter of a Slave Mohammed Solaiman Chowdhury Assistant Professor Department of English Language and Literature (DELL) Premier University, Chattogram, Bangladesh E-mail Address: solaiman_sr@yahoo.com Abstract: This paper investigates into the making of a rebel slave in Shaukat Osman’s novel The Laughter of a Slave through the lens of the subaltern theory. It argues that though a slave is traditionally voiceless, the protagonist of the novel, with his voice of breaking the boundary of subjugation, attempts to show how he also possesses the right to laughter which signifies the dream and yearning for freedom. The research also identifies a scope in the existing Bangla literature to interpret a novel from the subaltern perspective. The research findings highlight how a slave being oppressed in the dichotomy of slavery discovers him empowered with love and for his love he shows a resistance which shatters the so-called domineering tendency of the ruler. Using Third Space theory the article also offers an insight into how a slave’s identity can question the identity of a ruler and how he looks for a new identity through the making of a new space. Keywords:

The Voice of the Voiceless: An Analysis of the Making of a Rebel Slave in Shaukat Osman's The Laughter of a Slave - Mohammed Solaiman Chowdhury