The Concept of Home and Belonging in Homegoing: Searching for Identity Across Continents
The Concept of Home and Belonging in Homegoing: Searching for Identity Across Continents
In Homegoing, the concept of home and belonging is explored through the lives of characters who are displaced by the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, and systemic racism. From the Gold Coast of West Africa to the American South, and through several generations, Gyasi examines how the search for identity and home is a central theme in the lives of the characters.
For Effia, the novel begins in Africa, where her identity is shaped by her royal family and the expectations placed on her. However, her forced marriage to a British slave trader marks the beginning of a fracture in her sense of belonging. While she is born in Africa, her life is inevitably shaped by the colonial powers that govern her land, creating a sense of displacement. Effia’s struggle to navigate the space between her African heritage and her role within the colonial system reflects the broader conflict between identity and the imposition of foreign powers.
Esi, Effia’s sister, represents the most extreme form of displacement, as she is sold into slavery and transported to America. Esi’s descendants, scattered across the United States, wrestle with their identities as African Americans, caught between the cultures of their ancestors and the harsh realities of racism and segregation. For characters like James and Marjorie, the search for a sense of home is further complicated by their experiences of racism and the loss of cultural roots. Their identities are marked by a longing for belonging in a society that seeks to erase or diminish their history and heritage.
In Ghana, the descendants of Effia continue to experience the effects of colonialism, which has reshaped their sense of home and identity. Characters like Quey and Abena struggle to reconcile their personal desires with the limitations of their social positions. The notion of home becomes fluid, as the characters are forced to navigate multiple worlds—African heritage, colonial control, and global systems of power—each offering different challenges to their sense of belonging.
Gyasi’s portrayal of the search for home and belonging in Homegoing illustrates the lasting impact of displacement caused by the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. Through the characters’ stories, the novel explores how the search for a sense of place and identity is never fully resolved, as they continue to grapple with the legacies of historical trauma and systemic oppression. The quest for home, both literal and figurative, underscores the characters’ resilience and their unyielding search for self-empowerment in a world that continually seeks to define them.
