عبدالمحمد موحد

The interminable impact of colonial discourse even after the colonized nations’ independence necessitate critical inquiry. Prominent theoreticians of postcolonialism often investigate this persistent presence in diverse fields including literature and arts. Noted for his meticulous exploration of Caribbean natural and cultural landscape, Derek Wolcott, the Saint Lucian playwright and poet, often addresses diverse themes such as identity, heritage and power dynamics in interpersonal relations within the larger social context. His play, Pantomime, is a satirical reworking of Robinson Crusoe, which injects a postcolonial critical discourse into the major characters’ improvisation of Defoe’s novel; in Remembrance what is obvious is how the colonized figure is again caught between two worlds—the dead world of colonialism and its culture, that he adores and seeks to reproduce, and the new world of post-independence Trinidad with which he cannot reconcile. Drawing upon Homi Bhabha’s seminal concepts of mimicry, hybridity and third space, this study, in an analytical and critical framework, examines Walcott’s presentation of the colonizer/colonized power struggle. In the former mentioned play, It is suggested that though initially aimed to entertain, the pantomime in the play turns out to entail a deliberate act of rethinking the impact of colonization and decolonialization in the aftermath of the country’s independence. Also, in the latter, he once again reveals a postcolonial concern by depicting a typical subaltern life in a postcolonial world. The language and acts of performance employed by the main characters, both in Pantomime and Remembrance, delineate that, though attenuated, the colonial discourse still holds dominance; each character, nevertheless, strives to attain presence, agency and power despite the historical and cultural setbacks, inequalities and dysfunctional human connections. It is concluded that Walcott’s plays are subversive texts which are intended