THE DYNAMICS AND EXIGENCY OF THE QUEST FOR SELF IDENTITY: A PSYCHOANALYTIC EXPLORATION OF JUDE DIBIA’S UNBRIDLED AND WALKING WITH SHADOWS

This research work presents a focus on the nature and nuances of identity, through the lens of psychoanalysis and queer criticism respectively for the two novels under study.

ABSTRACT 

Axiomatically, identity is the defining pivot of our lives; therefore, it is an exigency. The struggle for identity  and self-realisation forms  the overriding premise  of this  dissertation, especially as this struggle is reflected in the lives of Ngozi Akachi and Adrian Ebele Njoko, the protagonists of Unbridled  and  Walking  with  Shadows  respectively.  Accordingly,  therefore,  the  theory  of psychoanalysis  is  employed  extensively  in  order  to  foster  an  efficacious  understanding  and insight into the psychological states of the protagonists in question. This is simply an extension of what  the author  has already depicted in  the novels because they  are heavily  imbued with a psychological  overtone.  In  light  of  this,  I  pursue  the  study  of  the  protagonists’  personae  as defined by the conflictual issues inherent in their unconscious vis-à-vis the complexes that their concomitant  external  actions  create.  The  element  of  journey,  as  a  motif,  is  also  completely delineated in order to emphasize the development of the physical and psychological states of the protagonists.  Basically,  I’m  concerned  with  the  continuum  of  the  development  of  the protagonists’ personalities as they are tossed around and tampered with by different characters with  which  they  come  in  contact,  as  well  as  events.  For  sure,  psychoanalysis  seems  to  be  a perfect  fit  for  Unbridled.  However,  there  is  a  veritable  queer  perspective,  alongside psychoanalysis,  from  which  Walking  with  Shadows  can  be  viewed,  as  far  as  Adrian  Njoko  is concerned. Nevertheless, this  is only  applicable as  it  underscores the  identity quandary  of  the protagonist. As in the light of the former, this protagonist’s mind and its workings, especially as this affects external reality, is the focus. Indeed, it all begins in the mind, hence a psychoanalytic study of the protagonists. 

Keywords: Self-identity, journey, personality, psychoanalysis, serendipity, experience, queer.