The Buddah of Suburbia

Post modernism is exemplified throughout the book "The Buddha of Suburbia" as Kureishi brings together elements that do not normally belong. The main example of this in the book is the idea of a Budd ah in suburbia, hence the title of the book. Suburbia is a place for common people to live; middle class people who are living average lives. While Buddha is a great and respected religious figure that is not associated with mainstream English culture. Buddha would also not likely reside in the suburbs because of his important religious status. The two obviously clash, and make you wonder why they are brought together.

The story starts out with Karim as an adolescence, trying to find his place in the world. I find it interesting how Kureishi uses so many different symbolic situations to show us how Karim is torn between his two worlds. Born in England, but of Indian ethnicity, Karim does not really know how he fits into society. He is bullied and beaten at school because of his Indian decent, and darker color, which causes him to resent his heritage for the trouble it has caused him. The people in his town also treat him as a person of lower class. Hairy Back, for example used racial slurs towards Karim and prohibited him from coming to see his daughter Helen. So, although being born in England he does not feel like an Englishman, nor is treated one.

Karim also is torn in two different directions about himself in another aspect of his life: his sexuality. To Karim, he is seeking pleasure and doesn't care how he gets it; either from a man or woman. However, I think that he is just experimenting to find himself. I got the impression that he tended to be more interested and infatuated with males, especially Charlie, and that he was using the girls for pleasure. This could be the case since homosexuality was not accepted in society, and he was having enough problems fitting in as it was. His father was initially upset when he caught the two boys together at Eva's house, but he could not really express his feelings since Karim had saw Eva and him fooling around in the garden. I think that his father was accepting of Karim's sexuality, but was not exactly pleased with the news. Karim knew this, which was why he brought Haroon and Eva so quickly.

Karim lastly was a "free spirit" who was open to any and every adventure and opportunity. He was not afraid to experiment sexually or with substance, which is common in young boys his age who are in the process of becoming men. They are coming of age and are figuring out who they are and what they want in life. I think this novel did a good job following the life of an average boy as he came of age and matured into manhood. He discovered that along the way there are going to be many hardships, heartbreaks, and disappointments. However, that is just a part of life and can not be avoided. I think he learned not to sugar coat the future and not to hold his expectations to high for certain events. For instance, I think he idealized what life would be like living in London and developed an unrealistic picture of an absolutely blissful and carefree life once he finally made it there. He of course was mistaken and disappointed, and soon left for New York. Realizing the ups and downs of life is just a part of growing up, and once we learn how to handle and work through the down times in our lives we can look past those hard times and keep a positive outlook on life. It seemed like Karim was starting to reach that point when the novel concluded. He had realized that life is certainly not perfect, and that things are always changing. Though I would have liked some more closure on his life and how he ended up, I think that Karim would have continued to mature and would eventually lead a successful life.