The Belly of the Atlantic: A Novel on Immigration and Identity
Download
Read an extract
Themes
Immigration, identity, exile, Fatou Diome, The Belly of the Atlantic, France, Senegal, African tradition, maritime metaphor, social critique
Reader
Abstract
Extract
of 5
Abstract
This novel by Fatou Diome explores the complexities of immigration, identity, and the harsh realities of life as an immigrant in France. Through the character of Salie, the author conveys a message about the difficulties of immigration and the quest for identity in a foreign land.
Extract
[...] Thus, we can estimate that the author uses her own experiences to convey a message about immigration through the novel and therefore the fiction. - Emigration as a subject: a particular stylistic treatment Diome talks about emigration, it's a central subject. We observe different forms of emigration, in particular for economic or family reasons (marriage, for example). Salie, for example, arrives in France to get married to a French person. The author gives her opinion on immigration in a serious way. [...]
[...] As for the quest for freedom, it is a cultural quest but also an identity quest. For the author, this point is all the more relevant as she emigrates not for economic reasons but for sentimental reasons. The ocean therefore also represents a vector of freedom (page 255)9. A freedom of movement, of travel (page 255)10. - Social Criticism The novel proposes a social critique. First of the French society then of the Senegalese society. France appears as a rich, developed and free country (pages 97-98)11. [...]
[...] Indeed, this man seems to be the perfect example of a successful immigration. He has become a respectable man, he lives in a large mansion, has a small business and owns the only television in the village. This ostentatious accumulation of goods makes Madické dream, he too seeking 'success'. But it's only the golden side of the medal since reality is quite different. The reverse of this medal translates a fundamentally difficult immigration, miserable living conditions, a hard integration in France and therefore finally an experience of survival. [...]
[...] Finally, she no longer really knows to which country she belongs (page 209)15. On the one hand, she is illegitimate in her native country (born out of wedlock) and on the other hand, she is the object of racism/discrimination in her host country. We can therefore say that Salie is a citizen of exile. She is a hybrid force of freedom (page 262)16. Salie is therefore a mix of the two countries, she herself claims this hybridity which she perceives as positive (page 295)17. [...]
[...] The Belly of the Atlantic It is her first novel, published in 2003. The author retraces the envy of young Senegalese people to emigrate to France, which was perceived as an Eldorado at the time. The Senegalese author is now settled in France. Through her work, she 'critiques' by taking a step back, her country of origin, but also the country that welcomed her. Fatou Diome treats various subjects such as notably the identity crisis or decolonization. Summary of the work This novel2 This is the author's first written work. [...]
