Desplazamiento e identidad en la novia oscura y la multitud errante de Laura Restrepo

Abstract

The central question underlying the present study asks how displaced individuals are affected by their forced uprooting. This question is analyzed vis-avis a literary and critical analysis of two novels by contemporary Colombian writer and journalist Laura Restrepo: La multitud errante (2001) and La no via oscura (1999). The protagonists of these texts are displaced beings who lose their sense of identity upon being uprooted from their communities. They are thrust into an existence of constant wandering as they attempt to find acceptance within other communities. Paradoxically, these characters seek to re-establish the same impossible relationships and paradigms that result in their displacement instead of searching for alternatives and initiating change. The texts question the perpetuation of these traditional ideologies and address the issue of personal and national identities in Colombia and Latin America.