Vol. 16, Issue 1, Jul-Dec 2023

Page: 50-56

The Impact of the Internationalism in the Characters of

Dr. Neha

Received Date: 2026-01-08

Accepted Date: 2026-01-27

Published Date: 2026-03-20

In her complex novel The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri examines how globalisation influences the characters' personal histories, relationships, and emotional landscapes. The story, which takes place in both Rhode Island and Calcutta, highlights the global realities of upheaval, migration, and cultural negotiating. This research delves into the ways in which internationalism shapes the primary characters' identities, ideologies, and personal decisions, with a special focus on Subhash, Udayan, and Gauri. By placing characters' experiences within larger political and global frameworks—including the Naxalite Movement—the story connects local conflicts with ideological currents on a global scale. Udayan's revolutionary activity exemplifies resistance based on local but internationally impacted political ideals, whereas Subhash's departure to the US represents the quest of professional and intellectual prospects, reflecting a globalised perspective. In her journey through a foreign cultural milieu, Gauri negotiates intellectual independence and emotional detachment, further complicating the notion of internationalism. Lahiri uses these people to show how globalisation changes people's identities, memories, and relationships, not only as a matter of moving from one place to another. Roots and rootlessness, tradition and modernity, individual desire and societal duty are all themes that the book explores. This study contends that internationalism in The Lowland serves as a double-edged sword, bringing about freedom but also leading to isolation and disintegration. At the end of the day, the research shows that Lahiri's books add to diasporic literature since they shed light on the difficulties of living across cultures and the long-lasting effects of global connectivity on people's lives.

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