Strategies of Navigating Loss, Grief and Despair in Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.

Abstract

This project analyses the novel Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi in order to explore how different individuals respond to loss, grief and despair. This novel is a fertile ground for unearthing the role of literature in addressing inescapable yet ignored issues in our everyday discourse. It is an epitome of how literary works can capture the fragmented realities of encountering loss and grief. I focus on how different characters respond to devastating situations of loss, grief and despair. My study presupposes that different people react variedly in the event of loss, grief and despair. I therefore examine various characters’ actions, thoughts and words as they attempt to survive the pain of loss and grief. This study exposes the creative power of literature in bringing closer enigmatic phenomena such as death, depression and addiction. I further examine the effectiveness of the narrative technique in the novel and how they speak to the topical issues of loss, grief and despair. I also interrogate various narrative aspects such as the narrator, narrative perspective, plot, characterization embedded epistolary and language style to portray how they speak to the navigation of loss, grief and despair in Transcendent Kingdom. I deploy narratology theory to capture how the author presents various characters’ responses to loss, grief and despair. My study arrives at the conclusion that different characters respond variedly to loss and grief as a result of varied personal choices and sometimes, varied socialization experiences. The study also concludes that artistry and creative presentation of various mechanisms of handling the pain of loss, grief and despair bring these issues closer and relatable to the addressee.