Voluntary Migration and Internal Displacement: A Study of Unhomeliness in Thrity Umrigar’s The Museum of Failures

Migration in today’s world is the most debatable topic that involves the movement of people from one place to another both individually or collectively. The traditional notions of voluntary migration often highlight the movement undertaken by an individual as a search for a better lifestyle, a better job offer, or for educational purposes. This study attempts to break this traditional notion of voluntary migration by stating that movement is also triggered by pain. This article is a study to examine the underlying causes of migration that had driven Remy, the protagonist in Thrity Umrigar’s The Museum of Failures. This study employs Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of unhomeliness to examine Remy’s experience of unhomeliness within the homeland. Remy is the younger son of Shirin and Cyrus, living in Mumbai. Remy desires to move to the United States owing to multiple factors like his repellence towards his mother along with the city’s lack of opportunities. This study attempts to examine Remy’s identity both as an insider and an outsider in his home space, by illustrating the ongoing inner turmoil that results in his relocation. Remy’s internal crisis leads to conditions of insecurity, estrangement, and fractured selfhood. The study demonstrates how these disruptions frequently catalyse migratory movements, as individuals seek to negotiate or escape the sense of estrangement and dislocation that arises within their familiar settings.