Phyllis Shand Allfrey’in The Orchid House Romanında İklimsel Melezlik

Öz

Homi Bhabha'nın melezlik kavramı, genellikle kültürel çalışmalarda, sömürgeleştirilmiş olanların baskıya karşı bir direniş biçimi olarak incelenmektedir. Ancak, The Orchid House adlı eserinde Phyllis Shand Allfrey, bu kavramı yeni bir bağlamda ele alarak yalnızca kültürel söylemlerin ötesine taşır ve onu patolojinin, iklimin ve psikolojinin kesiştiği noktada konumlandırır. Yazar, okuyucuları, tropikal iklimin zorlu koşullarıyla bağlantılı olarak ırksal kök salmışlık, aidiyet ve siyah-beyaz ikiliği kavramlarını yeniden düşünmeye davet eder. Anlatıdaki beyaz kreoller, ateş, sıtma ve güneş çarpması gibi tropikal hastalıkların yanı sıra böcek ve sivrisinek ısırıklarına dair sürekli bir korkuyla kuşatılmış hissetmektedir. Güneşin yoğun sıcağı, ciltlerini bronzlaşacak kadar yakarken, tekrarlayan tropikal hastalıklar fiziksel güçlerini tüketerek ani sağlık bozulmalarına yol açar. Fiziksel etkilerin ötesinde, tropikal iklim derin psikolojik sonuçlar doğurarak depresyon ve anksiyete hislerine neden olur. Irksal üstünlük ve aidiyet duyguları sarsılan beyaz kreoller, bu psikolojik çalkantıdan kaçışı Batı topraklarına göçte ararlar. Ancak, bedenlerinin hiçbir toprak ya da iklime tam anlamıyla uyum sağlayamadığını fark ederler.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Phyllis Shand Allfrey
• The Orchid House
• melezlik
• iklim
• hastalık

Climatic Hybridity in The Orchid House by Phyllis Shand Allfrey

Öz

Homi Bhabha's concept of hybridity is predominantly explored within cultural studies as a form of resistance by the colonized against oppression. However, in the novel The Orchid House (1953), Phyllis Shand Allfrey recontextualizes this concept, shifting it away from purely cultural discourses and positioning it at the intersection of pathology, climate, and psychology. The author invites readers to reconsider notions of racial rootedness, belonging, and the black-white dichotomy in relation to the challenging environment of the tropical climate. The white creoles in the narrative are portrayed as feeling besieged by tropical illnesses such as fever, malaria, and sunstroke, as well as by the pervasive fear of insect and mosquito bites. The intense heat of the sun burns their skin to the point of browning, while recurrent tropical diseases sap their physical strength, leading to sudden health deterioration. Beyond the physical toll, the tropical climate induces profound psychological effects, resulting in feelings of depression and anxiety. With their sense of racial superiority and belonging destabilized, they seek refuge from this psychological turmoil through migration to Western countries. Yet, they find that their bodies are unable to fully adapt to any land or climate.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Phyllis Shand Allfrey
• The Orchid House
• hybridity
• climate
• disease

Kaynakça

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