The drama ‘Dream on Monkey Mountain, a phantasmagorical and
bright example of post-colonial literature, was produced by one of
the most prominent literary figures of Caribbean literature, Derek
Walcott. This drama revolves around the themes of self-discovery, a contradiction to
contemporary culture and tradition.
The drama is a kind of dream within a dream and folklore, representing the aspirations of the people linked with the mountain. Colonialism is being rejected with fantasies, and it represents the wishes of local people that’s why it can be placed under the post-colonial literature.
The play is based on
the main protagonist Makak's dream when he is spending a restless night in jail. Makak
appears in the dream as a sort of Black Messiah on a journey back to Africa in
quest of personal identity. His search is sparked in part by the appearance of
a white woman, who represents Western Europe's institutions and is embodied in
reality through a white mask. Makak discovers at the end of the play that he
can only be free to develop his own identity if he kills the white ghost,
freeing him from Western European culture's constraints. Makak beheads the
phantom and wakes up, bringing the dream to a close.
Read also, Post-colonial Theory and Dream on a Monkey Mountain by Derek Walcott
Let’s take a closer
look at the themes to understand the viewpoint of the dramatist.
The play's central
theme is self-identity and the process of forming it. Makak's timid steps
toward self-realization and eventual identity are alluded to in the play's
conclusion. Makak, as a symbol of the black West Indian, is crucial in noting
variations between a colonizer-created identity and the culture it represents.
The death of the white ghost, a symbol for Western European civilization,
results in the formation of a black West Indian identity. The drastic-ness of
this transition is most likely due to a need to disassociate the reader from
their pre-existing associations.
Makak awakens from his
dream after beheading the white ghost. Makak is permitted to leave the prison
after killing the white ghost and waking up from his dream. Before departing,
Lestrade presents Makak with the white mask that he initially mistook for the
physical presence of his muse. He refuses the disguise and exits the prison
alone in a defiant gesture.
I love to add the words
added by Hogan.
According to him "Makak departs without the mask, probably for the first
time since his youth." The mask is just one piece of evidence of his new
self-identity. Makak, on the other hand, is no longer Makak. He remembers his
real name (Felix Hobain) and throws away his alias when he wakes up. Not only
does he leave the prison without his white muse, but he also leaves as a man
rather than a monkey.
The article is written
by MSM YAQOOB, the CEO and Founder of this platform.
