The development of relationships in Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the development of relationships in Hanif Kureishi's novel The Buddha of Suburbia. Each chapter consists of a theoretical and practical part, where the individual topics are introduced, and the knowledge then applied to the characters in the novel. The first chapter focuses on the historical background of Great Britain, India and Pakistan, the mass migration that followed, and the subsequent settlement of the immigrants. The second chapter analyses identity, the position of individual within society, and the collectivist and individualistic patterns of behaviour. Lastly, the third chapter describes the different values in relationships, specifically values of marriage and family.