Fantasy versus Authenticity in Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child (Review Completed - Accepted)
Doris Lessing, the Nobel Laureate, is known as one of the most prominent British novelists. Adorned with many achievements she focuses on the identity as a major issue though here both the protagonists (Harriet and David) fail to build their own identity. The aim of this paper is to show the importance of dreams or fantasies in our practical life. In The Fifth Child the novelist has merged reality and imagination altogether. David and Harriet have fantasy or earlier dreams to have a big (traditional) family. Though in the era of sixties the bulk of society had changed its mind in relation to women and the family but Harriet and David neglect the drawbacks of a big family. And they also feel good with their family until they get the fifth child, Ben, who is abnormal. Even with the pregnancy of Ben Harriet feels much trouble and unnatural. Due to this child the relation between Harriet and David becomes bitter and troublesome. They feel the reality of life that is quite different from their imagination. Ben is sent to an orphanage but Harriet takes him back to home that is more problematic. Neither of the parents can love Ben because they are afraid of him and his monstrous activities. Thus this paper relates subconscious state of mind to the consciousness through the fantasies or dreams.
Keywords: Abnormal, Consciousness., Drawbacks, Fantasies, Identity, Problematic, Reality, Sub Consciousness, Unnatural