Emotional Disturbance In Arun Joshi’s Novel The Last Labyrinth

Abstract

Arun Joshi has concentrated much on the existentialist philosophy and the issues related to several aspects of life.  The author explores the depth of human psyche to deal with the factors affecting the balance in life.  The novel, The Last Labyrinth, deals with an obsessive and highly sensitive individual of Som Bhasker whose feelings grapple with the adventure and romance of his life.  It explores to dilemma of existence in the life of Som Bhaskar, a millionaire industrialist and his incessant urge to understand the labyrinth of life.  The protagonist experiences innumerable pressures psychological, political, cultural and spiritual in the course of his life.  This paper examines how the novel has the influence of the various factors which include the protagonist’s sufferings and stream of consciousness. In the present study, an attempt has been made to explore the fictional world of Arun Joshi in which he evolves a process of probing the uncertain, mysterious and inscrutable dark regions of human psyche. He explores the truth about the complex nature of life, besides attempting to comprehend it the perennially irresolute elements of deep-down process governing the human psyche as interacts upon the absurd reality and culminating into the disintegration temporarily, and finally tries to overcome the sense of absurdity with life-affirming values.