Resonance of Truth and Light in Zia Haider Rahman’s In The Light of What We Know

Abstract

In The Light of What We Know engages issues like individual choice, class, identity and nationality in the social, economical and political context of our dynamic contemporary world. Concentrating on a single man‟s journey to chase an unachievable illusion of the ideal, Rahman‟s story revolves around Zafar. Perceiving the shift in social agencies, Zafar opens our eyes to facets of our mundane life that we take for granted through his painful reflection of self denial, self loathing, mimicry, self destructive tendencies and violence. Unhypocritical in celebrating the imperfections in the individual the inquisitive and overachieving Zafar thus becomes the champion of everyman in the quest of life. As he surpasses the perfect diasporic character being interpellated and manipulated by the societal institutions, we witness the revelation where even knowledge fails to grasp the truth and hope fails to endure. Thus men left with insurmountable raw emotions in their ruinous retribution speak through the voice of the Parrhesiastes Zafar, and demand a conscious effort to achieve an enlightened understanding of the self and the time for the dream of a reality less bloodthirsty.