Intersectional Identities: Class, Gender, and Race in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

Abstract

This study employs Intersectionality theory through a close reading strategy to examine how the intersecting systems of race, class, gender, and colonial dominance shape the identity and psyche of the character Jemu bhai Patel. The analysis reveals how racial hierarchies, reinforced by Western colonial standards, foster internalized oppression and emotional alienation within the colonized subject. Furthermore, it uncovers the psychological violence and consequences of existing within multiple, overlapping axes of inequality, as illustrated by Jemu bhai’s struggle to assimilate into Western ideals while disavowing his Indian identity. By examining Jemu bhai’s interactions with his wife, servants, and community, this research draws parallels between the dynamics of privilege and oppression in both colonial and postcolonial societies. Ultimately, the paper argues that Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss critiques the enduring imprint of colonial domination on identity formation and underscores the necessity of conceptualizing identity as a product of interrelated social forces.