GOAT DAYS❤️

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

 
                                                                               
 
                                    Contents 

Chapter 1                                                               1                                                                                                                                               

Introduction  

Works Cited                                                             14 

Chapter 2                                                               16 

Identity Crisis of the character Najeeb  

Works Cited                                                             34 

Chapter 3                                                               36 

Black Humour 

Works Cited                                                             43 

Chapter 4                                                               44 

Conclusion 

Works Cited                                                             47 

Select Bibliography                                                     48 

Appendix                                                                51 

 

 

 
                                                                               
 
                                    Chapter 1    


                                 Introduction 

      The dissertation tries to trace out the identity crisis portrayed in the novel Goat Days by 

Benyamin through the character of Najeeb. This dissertation also tries to explore the Black 

Humour that is present in the novel. The research comes under regional Malayalam Literature 

within the wider domain of Indian Literature within English Studies. Indian literature is one of 

the major domains under English literature. Study of Indian literature is gaining much 

prominence now. Malayalam literature had contributed much to the greater domain of Indian 

literature as a whole.   

      Goat Days is the translation of the famous Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham by one of the 

recent bright Malayalam writer Benyamin. It is being translated into English in the name Goat 

Days by an English Professor Joseph Koyipally. Among the recent books that have been 

published in Malayalam literature, this book is a personal favourite. This book has also won the 

Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and several other prominent awards and that justifies the 

selection of the book for the research. It is always good to analyse a text that has received such a 

massive appraisal within a short span of time. The research is based on the qualitative method of 

data analysis, textual analysis and an interview that was conducted in relation to the research. 

The whole research is looked at from a psychological point of view.   

      Several psychological theories were made in use to get a conclusion. The whole approach 

of identity crisis that this dissertation is focusing depends on the general post-colonial view
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This dissertation helps further researchers to look into the new aspects of identity and identity 

crisis in the novel „Goat Days‟. Often people look at this novel from a view point of 

sufferings, play of fate, presence of the element of faith, and other such common aspects. 

This research will lead them to think about the novel with a different and better insight. 

Further researchers can analyse identities of other characters in Goat Days like Arab, Ibrahim 

etc.   This also gives them a better knowledge of one major narrative technique called black 

humour. This will help them to place black humour in other major pieces of Malayalam 

literature.  This research has taken into consideration only one narrative for in depth analysis 

of the identity crisis that occurs to a character. 

      Some studies / research have been conducted on this novel.  All the studies are related 

to the circumstances or cruelties that a man is forced to face in a desert. The elements of faith 

and fate in the novel have also been the subject matter of discussion. The narrative techniques 

of the novel have also been a subject of study. But the aspect of identity crisis and the usage 

of black humour to talk about serious issues in the novel have not been explored yet. That is 

why this topic was selected to explore identity crisis and black humour in the novel.    

      Goat Days tells the story of a man named Najeeb, who went to Gulf from Kerala in 

order to earn a livelihood. He gets trapped in a masara and suffered much for three years, 

nine months and four days.  Najeeb, the main protagonist in the novel desired to work abroad 

and earn money to look after his family. Although a little late, he achieves his dream of going 

abroad. But what awaited him there was weary work, weird and harsh life, world of slavery 

etc. Memories of his place, his acquaintances, especially his family worried him since he got 

trapped between thousands of goats and hundreds of camels. What comforted him there was 

the company of goats.  
                                                                          8 
 
Towards the end he somehow escapes from his dreadful imprisonment in the desert with the 

help of a man called Ibrahim. He actually plans a dangerous arrangement to flee from the 

cruelties of Arab. This work can also come under the kind of diasporic writing. He suffers a 

lot there. He even forgets that he is a human and thinks as if he is a goat. He identifies with 

other goats by relating them with his acquaintances and with other people that he knows from 

his past life.   

      Aadujeevitham was published in Malayalam and it turned out to be a best seller. The 

Indian Express describes it as “one of the dazzling new talents of Malayalam literature, 

Benyamin‟s sardonic and kind-hearted telling changes this strange and bitter comedy of 

Najeeb‟s life in the desert into a universal tale of loneliness and alienation.” 

      Eric Erikson, in his article, “What is an identity crisis? How identity grows out from 

personal conflict?” opines that the basic notion of identity is a biased and personal sense as 

well as a noticeable quality of personal sameness and permanence of some shared world 

representation. In the novel, Najeeb‟s identity that he already had before coming to masara, 

and also the one that he has formed later is the result of his personal and biased sense and it is 

also a product of his shared world representation. That is why he gives names of people that 

he already knows from his earlier life, to the goats and is trying to relate to those names and 

is attempting to place his identity along with those goats and their names. It is part of his 

subjective choice. He talks about the basic facts of identity crisis in this article. Without a 

basic definition or basic information of identity crisis it is difficult to have a dissertation on 

some aspects of the above mentioned topic. So this article and especially this piece of 

information are helpful for the dissertation. 

 In an interesting passage in „A Turn in the south‟, V.S. Naipaul conveys his fret regarding 

losing one‟s history and one‟s past identity in the complex world of the  present (qtd.in Sen 
                                                                          9 
 
18). In the novel Najeeb loses his past identity, during his present terrible and complex life in 

the masara. This article talks about his idea of identity from a cultural point of view. Different 

perceptions of identity have to be examined while writing this dissertation.  

      „Moratorium‟ is one of the identity statuses explained by Erikson. It is the state of a 

person who explores different identities, but is unable to commit to any of those explored 

identities. Since the dissertation is about identity crisis, all studies about identity crisis will be 

a help for this dissertation (Erikson What is identity crisis?). Najeeb, the chief protagonist in 

Goat Days, explores different identities while he was in the masara but is not able to commit 

to any of these identities. So notion of Moratorium is also essential for this dissertation. 

Najeeb can be included in the Moratorium status, since he is exploring many identities for 

him in various parts of the novel.  

      Cherki Karkaba in his article “Deconstructing Identity in Postcolonial Fiction” deals 

with postcolonial view of identity and identity crisis and difference between traditional 

discourse of identity and postcolonial view of identity. Traditional discourse conceives of 

identity as being related to a fixed point, a particular set of values that serves as a hallmark 

for the individual in society. Stuart Hall goes further to suggest that identity is a discourse 

which does not change the person over time. Identity is a kind of origin that secures or 

guarantees originality, fixity and stability. The postcolonial theory subscribes completely to 

the new identity discourse which acknowledges the fragmented and the destabilised concept 

of identity. The destabilisation of the concept of identity stems from the growing awareness 

that identity is a question involving the relationship of the self and the other. Without the 

other, there would be no self, no identity. The now concerns with otherness highlights the 

proposition that the difference or the existence of the other determines the process of 

identification. Postcolonial theory perceives identity as a process in which the self is in its 

perpetual negotiation with the other. It enacts a self-interrogating mechanism, a self-centred 
                                                                         10 
 
process of interrogation by establishing a deconstructive apprehension of identity. According 

to Jacques Derrida, the self, “in departing from itself, lets itself be put into question by the 

other” (1978, 96). In its encounter with the other the self, indulges in a process of becoming 

other than itself (ibid. 119, 133). In its “adventuring outside oneself towards the 

unforeseeably-other” (ibid. 95), the self has to face “the impossibility of return to the same”. 

The acknowledgment of this inescapable impossibility of return to the same plays an active 

role in approaching postcolonial identity crisis. Since this research is taking a postcolonial 

view too, this article is important for the dissertation. 

      According to traditional discourse of identity, if there a flux in identity occur, there 

can be an identity crisis. Here in the novel Najeeb‟s identity is in a flux sometimes. So there 

an identity crisis occurs in him due to this reason. So flux in identity is an important concept 

that has to be looked at for the purpose of this dissertation. 

      As per Rick Iedema, Identity trouble discusses identity from the points of view of 

expression, challenge, and resistance. The authors have looked at it from the disciplines of 

semiotics, cultural theory, and pedagogy studies. Identity trouble or identity crisis is a term 

that retains the mounting work that goes into defining and identifying ourselves, our 

practices, our communities, and our understanding of contemporary social life. Identity crisis 

is a situation where an individual feels misplaced in terms of their personal appearance as 

well as importance of existence. Such people are perplexed thinking about the purpose of 

their life and the roles they are supposed to play. Studies have revealed that identity crisis 

problem recur and can come up any time in adulthood when they face difficult changing 

times and problematic conditions. If identity crisis recurs in adulthood, it can create chaos 

and disorientation in the person‟s life. Identity crisis can upset a person‟s career or even 

relationships since such people cannot take right decision and are incapable of trusting others 

due to lack of confidence in themselves. Since this book deals with identity crisis and its 
                                                                         11 
 
effect on people of different stages of their life, it is important to know identity crisis from 

this aspect (1). 

      The concept identity crisis was not a sudden invention or it was not produced by a 

single individual. It took years of hard work and research by many scholars to establish or 

invent this concept. Erik Erikson was the first scholar and psychologist to noticeably 

pronounce its significance and implications. Erikson opines that, whenever a human being 

mislays sense or feeling close to personal similarity or historical continuity, he is distressed 

by identity crisis. This crisis does not cover up the concept of individual identity or national 

identity. Rather, each one of us has some particular individual qualities which are peculiar 

and unique and illustrates the importance of our personality as an individual. If an individual 

drop in to a new land or country he has to adjust and behave according to the status quo and 

necessities of that region. In those circumstances an individual may have to counter the issue 

of identity crisis. 

      Identity crisis is not restricted to any particular characteristics or component. Different 

aspects or areas can cause problems of identity crisis. When a person is uncomfortable in the 

present situation and has the thought that he is actually get caught in a distressing and 

troublesome situation in which he is completely powerless and lack the control over his 

future. Here in the novel Najeeb is uncomfortable to a great extent in the masara and he is 

facing really distressing situations and he lacks any power. Thus this aspect is important for 

this dissertation to investigate about the identity crisis in Najeeb. 

      He again talks of uncertainty about self in which a person is not able to associate to 

any particular image of him and is unable to convey his/ her identity to himself. Najeeb 

identifies different identity to himself like that of a goat, scary figure etc. But he is unable to 
                                                                         12 
 
express himself through these identities. Thus this aspect is also important for this 

dissertation. 

      He then talks of experimenting role in which an individual experiments different 

responsibilities and roles and but is yet not able to realize the role or responsibilities best 

suited to him. Najeeb is given many responsibilities, but is not happy with any of those. He 

wants to escape from the masara and wants to do some responsibilities which suit him. Thus 

this aspect too is important for the current dissertation.  

      Yet another aspect of identity crisis he talks about is about anticipating failure or 

results. In this aspect of identity crisis one is not confident about anything or even about 

himself. S/he usually is expecting dead failure in all his/her attempts. Najeeb is not different 

from this aspect. He does not have any self-confidence. So this aspect is also important for 

this dissertation.   

      Yet another factor that is brought under consideration by him is ideologies and values 

in which individuals are not allowed to follow any of his/her values and ideologies. It doesn‟t 

matters whether it is moral, social, or any other values. They slowly will get detached from it. 

Najeeb is also not allowed to follow any of his values and beliefs. This aspect can also be 

examined to prove that Najeeb faces identity crisis. Thus this aspect is also important to take 

into consideration for this dissertation (What is an identity crisis?). 

      Identity is in one way a product of society. The term identity is associated with the 

query of agency in the discipline of cultural studies. Agency is the capability and the ability 

to decide on his/her actions and life. Agency can also be considered as the product of society 

in one way or other. A person behaves in a certain way depending on the situation and 

condition in which s/he lives. It is restrained depending on his/ her situation.  Identity 

comprises of experience. Experience is in turn an important part of representation.  People 
                                                                         13 
 
don‟t often have the power of choice. Discourses and representations often decide an 

individual‟s identity. Discourses are power structures that produce specific meanings or 

identities. Individuals usually react emotionally to things and this can be an important part of 

their identity.” (Nayar 26-29) 

      In the book Sociology, James Flucher and John Scott speak about socialization, 

identity and interaction. When he looks the society and human beings from a sociological 

point of view, he says that individuals are social animals. It talks about Socialization as the 

process through which an individual of a certain society discovers on how to be a good 

citizen of that society. It is through this process that people get hold of their customs and 

traditions, their specific talents and capabilities, and knowledge of what kinds of people they 

are. Socialization doesn‟t end with our native place relations. There is Secondary 

socialization and it extends into adult life. In actuality or in reality, individuals are 

continuously being socialized into their particular society, studying and discovering new 

things about it, until the very moment of their last breath. Individuals obtained a sense of 

social identity and an image of himself or herself as a human being through the process of 

socialization. Human beings attribute all sorts of personality characteristics to themselves and 

others. An individual‟s characters and behaviours can also be defined by the people with 

whom they come into contact in various situations. Individuals may take on some of other‟s 

characters and intermingle with others in terms of that borrowed identity(121-139).We and 

even others may think that we are that kind of person. There are identities based on different 

occupations. Each chooses a particular type of real or imagined person, to whom certain 

moral characteristics and social and cultural capabilities are attributed. With them human 

beings can identify themselves or they can be identified by others (Scott 129-131) 

      This book speaks about the importance of socialization in the formation of identity. It 

also talks about the occurring of the problem of identity crisis in the absence of socialization. 
                                                                         14 
 
It is important to look at the various reasons that cause identity crisis in human beings. It is 

through Najeeb‟s socialization with Arab and the goats and camels, he was able to study, how 

to look after these animals, and how to live as per the order of Arab, although it is entirely 

opposite to the habits that he has followed throughout his earlier phase of life. It is this same 

socialization that leads him to think about or relate himself to a goat, at some point of his life 

in the masara in the desert. He had acquired an identity from his earlier phase of life. But it 

was not static. It changes when circumstances need them to change. His life in the masara 

demands an entirely different identity from the one that he has already acquired. He had an 

identity that said he is Najeeb, he is from this place, he is married and he knows so many 

people from his place etc. are part of his social identity. But based on his occupation, he had 

to change his identity from a man to an animal. He at many times, consider himself as just an 

animal, and he thinks that he and goats have so many common traits. 

      In the studies conducted by N Radhakrishnan on Goat days, he establishes how this 

text can be called a novel. He also says how God plays a prominent role in the novel. He also 

compares the life of Najeeb with Job, the character in the Bible. For the tragedies that Job and 

Najeeb are suffering, both are responding in the same way. Both do not blame God for their 

condition of suffering. Rather they think that, God gave me this, so I have to suffer. Also, 

some of the characters in the novel really represent God. He also tells how much the author is 

related to the narrative. He also explains what does Goat life actually means. He tells that 

every human life has some common traits with goat life and human life is actually similar to 

goat life. Other studies on the novel include the sufferings faced by the people working 

abroad (Benyamin 4-8). Many people have the assumption that people working abroad are 

very lucky and they have abundance on money. But the studies on this novel state that it is 

only one side of the coin. There are millions and millions of people who have been trapped in 

the desert. Some have escaped, while some others are still trapped, and yet some others have 
                                                                         15 
 
even gone from the world. Some studies also focused on the presence of hope in the novel 

Goat Days.  

      When gone through the interviews conducted on Benyamin, it became easier to 

understand his experiences while writing the book. He had also talked about the need for 

writing such a book with such an intense story in various interviews. He also talked about the 

need of writing the book about Najeeb, after hearing Najeeb‟s story. He said about his 

experiences during his initial days at abroad. It is important to know author‟s perspective on 

different aspects of his work, since he is the one who gave flesh and life to the skeleton of 

Najeeb‟s story.  

      Nobody has explored the identity crisis faced by the character Najeeb in the novel. It 

is an important area to be explored, which is why this research is focussing on the identity 

crisis present in the novel. 

      Black humour can be defined as humour that searches for enjoyment in cruelty, 

turning ethical values disordered, inducing the smile from the harsh realities. The English call 

these as horrific. Black humour is a type of comedy that reduces the seriousness of otherwise 

serious subject of thought. Black humour can otherwise be defined as the menacing, 

immature, or useless characters in a fiction, which act out their parts in which the incidents 

are usually concurrently humorous, horrible and meaningless (Shipley 32) Basic information 

about black humour is necessary for this research dissertation, since it will help to get clear 

the fundamental idea about black humour. 

      Black humour is to create connections regarding an individual‟s private and past 

experiences to satisfy his/her own logical need for stability. Through black humour  Najeeb 

relates his past and present private experiences in order to continue his life there. 
                                                                         16 
 
      Surrealist Andre Breton was the first one to coin the term black comedy. It was to 

explain a sensibility that queried and destabilized societal customs and values. He somewhat 

agreed to the notion of existentialism by Albert Camus, which shared the notions of 

irrationality and uselessness. (Conrad 12). Black humour in Goat Days make the readers 

think about the degraded moral norms and values, thus making the above mentioned point by 

Andre Breton important to consider for this dissertation. 

      As per Max Schulz, The Black Humorists search for a humorous perception on both 

awful realities and ethical conviction. Black humour emerged from American fiction of 

1960s. It was then used to discover the then America with its blunders and issues, in a comic 

way (148-151). The purpose of black humour still remains the same in contemporary works. 

Goat Days is not an exception. 

      Stephen Conrad in his “Comedic Base of Black Comedy: An analysis of Black 

Comedy as a Unique Contemporary Film Genre” opines that, on a straightforward, direct 

level, black humour produces nervous or uncomfortable mirth or delight. There is an 

amalgamation of conflicting emotions resulting from the combination of independent (out-of-

context) and contradictory actions. This usually leaves the readers with an uncomfortable 

reflection that the world is hopelessly absurd and any effort to find some sense in life is 

impracticable.  (Conrad 12). 

      In Goat Days, whenever there is humour, it is not a product of enjoyment of the 

characters in the novel, rather it is emerging from the tragic situation of Najeeb, the chief 

protagonist in the novel, and there arises conflicting emotions. While reading Goat Days, 

readers will definitely think about the absurdity of human life. So Conrad‟s perspective is 

important for this study. 
                                                                         17 
 
      Black humour needs someone or something to play down the significance of the 

situation. His inappropriate, casual talk challenge or deny the seriousness of the instant. There 

is a difference or space between anticipation and the presentation. People look forward to a 

sort of behaviour which is suitable to the serious occasion but are actually offered with 

something entirely different.  (Conrad 12, 13) 

      In Goat Days, Najeeb plays down the significances of problematic situations through 

humour. He behaves differently to serious and problematic situations. Thus the above aspect 

of Conrad is also essential for this dissertation. 

      Alan Pratt in his work “Black Humour: Critical Essays” states that two points of 

agreement stand out: Black humour includes the funny treatment of something that is bizarre, 

gloomy or horrifying. And while it resentfully mocks establishments, value systems and 

customs, black humour presents neither overt nor implied proposals for recovering or 

transforming the hurting realities on which it focuses. Pratt later notes that, black humour 

occurs when the individual who bears pain or hardships seems unconcerned or even pleased 

by those realities. 

      In defining black humour, Robert Bruce in his PhD dissertation „That‟s Not Funny, 

That‟s Sick‟ gives more importance on the rational outcome of black humour. "Black humour 

is a particular type of art that employs violent inconsistencies to break through and not only 

warn, but also to crush our fixed concepts of the way things have to be. 

      Today the more invasive black humour, attacked by many, is called healthy by those 

who argue for it. To the inquiring, disrespect, or denial of moral principles, to the unreason or 

bareness or vice that we see in life, there are three common reactions: distrustful reception 

(and search of delight, profit, or authority); revolution; or abandonment- and amusement. The 
                                                                         18 
 
terrors one see cannot be liberated by acceptance, or mitigated by desolation; but they can be 

confronted, perhaps can be overpowered, by laughter. 

      Since Robert Bruce is also describing some of the important aspects of black humour, 

especially focuses on the reasons behind the importance of black humour. So it too can be 

taken for the betterment of this research dissertation. 

      Thus through black humour people laugh at those things that threaten us, and by 

laughter mount above those threatening events. Black humour brings laughter into situations 

where people usually turn to tears. This could be the motive why Walter Kerr commented 

about black humour as: “Evil is fun”.  

      The same thing happens when Najeeb uses humour in his terrifying situations. Those 

situations are more than enough to make the readers cry. 

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       
                                                                         19 
 
                                Works Cited 


                                                  

 


                                  Chapter 2 


                      Identity Crisis of the Character Najeeb 

Personal Identity 

       Carl Rogers opines that, identity constitutes our dressing, hair, appearance” (Rogers 4). 

In the novel Goat Days, there is a part in which Najeeb is given a „thobe‟ (the dress of the typical 

Saudi Arab man, a long, white, shirt-like garment, loose fitting, long-sleeved, and extending to 

the ankle, usually made out of cotton) and a pair of boots. When he unfurls the outfit that was 

provided to him, he feels like nauseating due to its fusty stench. “He himself says that it was his 

first entering to the stench, the first step to becoming another scary figure”. With this line it is 

possible to realize the situation which he has undergone. The clothes worn by a person will be a 

part of his/her identity. Here Najeeb doesn‟t like to wear that dress. He himself says that wearing 

that dress will make him a different person whom he is unaware of, and he will lose many of his 

traits that he had acquired from his past life.   

      When Najeeb arouses on the next day his hands, legs and his whole body was aching. But 

what annoys him most, even more than the pain, is his inability to clean himself after his tiring 

and weary work. He usually had the habit of coming out of the river after bathing. He is horribly 

affected by the restlessness of sleeping in the same outfit he wore in the sun, working among 

foul-smelling goats leading to sweating, and being soaked in their urine and dung. His thobe 
                                                                             3 
 
“sticks to his armpits and in between the legs”; to say nothing regarding his pair of shoes which 

is drenched in sweat. 

In chapter 24 of the novel, there is a scene describing the masara and its surroundings filled with 

dust. He too is not an exception. He describes himself as a clown in various movies, since his 

complete body was filled with layers of dust and he also said that he himself feels like laughing 

when he has a look at his body.  

      He suffered from severe itches from the unclean hair and beard sometimes. He already 

had several eruptions from the muddy hair in his armpits and pubic area and had even become 

disgusting to look at. Fleas, bugs, and other parasites had spread from the goat‟s bodies and it 

caused severe itching especially when he sweated at night. His body had served as the home of 

several pests. Parasites and bugs formed an outer layer on his skin. The frustration he has to bear 

from the lack of cleanliness and neatness is evident from these instances. 

      In the beginning, Najeeb felt that the whole thing in the masara had a disgusting odour. 

There was reek coming from goats‟ urine, the stinking of the droppings, and the stench of grass 

and hay that got soaked with the urine. There was a bad odour even for goat‟s milk. Here, his 

frustrations to cope up with those surroundings are clearly visible. He had certain bodily 

characteristics that were a part of his identity. The smell that he likes and dislikes is a part of his 

bodily characteristics. His bodily characteristics are changed to such an extent that, he lost his 

ability to smell something, he lost his bodily smells. His bodily smell was a part of his identity. It 

changed not because he applied some perfume to the body. Here one element of his body identity 

is changed through force. Now Najeeb is not the same Najeeb who came from Kerala, with 

particular likes, dislikes, and particular body features. Those identities are changed and he is 
                                                                             4 
 
unhappy with that. It is not that he enjoys all these changes. So there is an identity crisis 

especially in his personal identity.  

      Habits form a major part of one‟s personal identity. When a person is not able to continue 

his/her habits, there s/he faces an identity crisis. In the novel, it is clearly given that Najeeb is 

forced to violate all his hygiene rules like, bathing, brushing, sleeping at nine after dinner etc. 

According to his routine, he wouldn‟t have even taken his coffee without taking his bath. He also 

had the habit of bathing twice or thrice a day. “Cleanliness had been his ideology”. But he says 

that violation of all his habits began the day on which he came to the masara. His ideologies and 

habits are affected. This ban on his sanitation affects his identity, since sanitation has been an 

important element of his identity till then. Thus, his inability to follow habits develops an 

identity crisis in him. Without these habits, he is not the original Najeeb. These were the 

characteristics that had contributed a lot in creating the past identity.  He becomes another man 

without his habits. Habits help to form a past identity and help to form a strong present and 

future identity.  

Conflict between Real self and Ideal self 

      As per Horney, the concept of Real self means the inner core of personality that 

individuals recognize about themselves. (qtd.in Friedman 135) Najeeb before going to Gulf was 

a man who had been diving for a living. He was working as a person who was doing sand mining 

from the river. For him everything revolved around his family. His habits, likes and dislikes, his 

love and care for his family etc. shaped an important element of his real self. He had the 

perception that he is the one who needs to look after his family.  
                                                                             5 
 
      Horney opines that, Ideal self is what one visions as perfection and wishes to achieve. It 

comprises all the “should” that an individual wants to achieve in his life. When there is a conflict 

between ideal self and real self, there arises an internal conflict, or an identity crisis, since 

perceptions about himself forms an important part of his/her identity (qtd.in Friedman 135). In 

the novel, he projects an ideal self before going to Gulf. He tells that, he should go to Gulf only 

long enough to settle a few debts. Since his wife is pregnant, the expenses will now rise like a 

heap of sand and he will need more money to look after his family. He even dreams of 

possessing some material goods like a gold watch, fridge, TV, car, AC, stereo, video player etc.  

      In between the novel, there is a scene in which Najeeb writes a letter to Sainu. There, he 

writes to Sainu about many of his dreams. In other words it can also be called as ideal self. But in 

the real story, he is not any of the things he mentions in the letter. There also arises a conflict 

between ideal self and real self.  

      But after getting trapped in the masara, he loses his real self and he is also not able to 

achieve his ideal self. He is not able to realise any of his dreams that were a part of his ideal self. 

Also he is forced to keep away his real perceptions of his self. He is not able to continue any of 

his habits that were a major part of his real past identity. At times he even forgets his family. His 

family was a major part of his identity. When Najeeb forgets his family, he is not the same 

Najeeb who came from Kerala to Gulf. A different identity creeps into him. It is because of the 

crisis in his past identity which he has gained from his past life. Thus when he is not able to keep 

up a balance between his ideal self and his real self, a conflict in his identity was risen. In other 

words, it can be said that he faces an identity crisis when there is a conflict between his real self 

and ideal self.   
                                                                             6 
 
Moratorium 

      „Moratorium‟ is one of the identity statuses discussed by Erikson. It is the status of a 

person who is actively involved in exploring different identities, but is not able to make a 

commitment to any one of those identities. A person explores various identities when there is a 

clash within his existing identity. In the novel, Najeeb explores different identities like that of a 

goat, the scary figure, and he also tries to relate to the goats by giving them the identities of 

people that he knew. He explores all these identities because he was no longer able to relate to 

his past identity like that of a person who thought of his family all the time, a person who had 

kept cleanliness as one of his ideology, a person who wanted to be with his friends and relatives 

all the time etc. Here in the novel, Najeeb is facing an identity crisis since he is not able to hold 

on to his identities of the past. One day when Najeeb went for sleep, his uneasiness kept back 

him awake even though he was weary. His house, his wife, his mother, his unborn son/ daughter, 

his grieves and fretfulness or his fate didn‟t come into his realm of thought. All such thoughts 

that were a major part of his identity or the elements with which he identified himself, had 

become alien to him as if they were dead and had reached the other world. Many may doubt 

whether it happened so shortly. Najeeb says that it is useless in being confined by these thoughts. 

They only setback the process of realization that we have gone out to circumstances, in which we 

are forced to move away from our sweet memories and that there is no going back. Thus the 

world of his acquaintances had become alien to Najeeb. And he is forced to explore the identity 

of a goat.  

       


7 
 
Identity Confusion 

      According to Erikson, an individual should have an understanding of his own or her own 

identity, which is very exclusive to every human being. The individual becomes conscious of 

his/her innate characteristics. When there occurs an ambiguity about one‟s capabilities, relations, 

future objectives, strength and power to control one‟s own destiny and future, there arouses 

identity confusion. Erikson considered this confusion as an identity crisis. This state can cause 

one to feel secluded, vacant, worried, and irresolute. He/she feels they must make important 

decisions but is unable to do so. They may feel that society and other external factors are 

compelling them to make decisions. During the state of identity confusion or identity crisis, the 

individual may feel that he or she is reverting rather than progressing. His or her behaviour is 

incoherent and changeable during this confused stage (qtd.in Hall 201). 

      In the novel Najeeb is unsure about his abilities. He doesn‟t recognize his strengths. Since 

there lacks a proper society in the novel, he is not able to associate himself to anyone else. He is 

uncertain about the future as he got trapped in the masara. When he fails to work through this 

confusion or crisis, it makes him into an individual with a perpetual identity crisis- someone who 

is not sure who he is. That is more evident when he takes the identity of a goat. He is very much 

isolated from the whole world. He is so helpless and powerless that he is not able to take any 

decisions, although at times he feels that he should escape from the masara at any cost.  

Agency  

      Identity is in one way a product of society. The term identity is associated with the query 

of agency in the discipline of cultural studies. Agency is the capability and the ability to decide 

on his/her actions and life. Agency can also be considered as the product of society in one way or 
                                                                             8 
 
other. A person behaves in a certain way depending on the situation and condition in which 

she/he lives. It is restrained depending on his/her situation. There occurs an identity crisis when 

she/he does not have the authority to be in command of his/her life. In the novel, Najeeb lacks 

the capacity to control his actions. That is why he was forced to change his identity. He does 

whatever the Arab asks him to do. He can‟t even drink or eat or sleep whenever he wants. He is 

not allowed to use water even for his basic needs. He is forced to change his habits that he 

formed during his past life. Earlier, he formed a particular habit because he liked it. In the novel, 

it is obvious that he is not allowed to do anything he likes.  

      Even when the billy goat attacks him and breaks his hands, and his chest gets hurt from 

the thumping from the goat, Najeeb is forced to work for Arab. When he tells the Arab that his 

hands are broken, the Arab beats him terribly and smack Najeeb, shouts and orders him to run 

and bring all the goats quickly. There is no power of choice for him. He wants to take rest; he 

also wants to go to the hospital. But his life in masara is not under his control. He lacks an 

agency. His identity is questioned there, which leads to an identity crisis in him.  

Discourses 

      Discourses are power structures that produce certain meanings or identities. Najeeb 

relates himself to other goats by giving them multiple identities. These multiple identities are 

actually formed as a resolution for the identity crisis. By calling goats different human names, he 

gives them the identity of particular individuals. He wants to relate himself to those identities. 

Since he has a crisis with his identity, and also he is not able to live with that identity alone, he 

relates himself to others that were once his friends and relatives. Najeeb takes the power to 
                                                                             9 
 
generate such identities, and this creates specified and valuable meaning to his life that was 

trapped in the masara.  

      The identity formation relies upon the power and capability to convey and build up 

his/her skills, proficiencies, talents and interests. Adolescents, when they are incapable of getting 

an appropriate and agreeable work, they have to fight against large number covert aftermaths that 

may probably have a negative impact on identity development. If there is a problem in identity 

development, it can lead to identity crisis, since there is no scope for individual development.  

Self - Development 

      In the novel, self-development or self-growth is not happening. Najeeb came for 

construction job. But unfortunately, he got trapped or he was forced to work in a masara, under a 

cruel Arab. He does some job that he did not like. Although he learns how to look after goats and 

camels through force, this disinterested him. There is difference between learning through force 

and learning with interest. When there is forced learning, there is a creation of forced identity. 

There we become someone we are not interested. In such a context, our interests and desires 

which are a major part of our identity are suppressed. Then there will be an identity crisis.  

      In the novel, Najeeb is suppressed to a great extent such that, it is difficult to see in the 

novel his self-growth even to a small level. There is not even a single scene in the novel where 

the expression of his skills and talents are mentioned. He came for another job, but the job he got 

and the lessons he learned from there, was not the one he was expecting. He expected a job, and 

that was a part of his occupational identity. When a conflict occurred in this identity, he faced an 

identity crisis, since he was forced to keep away his desired identity and forced to take an 

identity that was disgusting for him.   
                                                                            10 
 
      Najeeb was so busy with looking after goats and camels, that he didn‟t get the time or 

opportunity to develop himself. A person, who is not capable to find fitting jobs have to counter 

a number of underlying consequences that are likely to have a negative impact on his identity 

development. They don‟t have any clear idea about their life purposes. They cannot find a 

suitable meaning for their life. They won‟t be able to understand their identity. In the novel, 

Najeeb loses all his self-confidence and self-esteem. Losing self-confidence and self-esteem 

leads to identity crisis. The nature of his job did not provide anything that suits his individual 

identity needs and interests.   

Relational Identification 

      Relational identification tries to define identity on the basis of individual‟s associations 

with each other as in relationship, occupation, companionship etc… (qtd.in Iedema 47).  As per 

Erikson, individuals have to connect their identity with others. They look for relationships of 

closeness, joint ventures and attachment and are primed to develop the essential power to fulfill 

these responsibilities, in spite of the sacrifices they may have to suffer”. But when they are 

powerless to fulfil these commitments, there begins the problem of isolation. Isolation affects 

one‟s identity. Eric Erikson opines that isolation can show the way to social identity crisis. 

Najeeb is isolated from a structured social system.  

      Fromm pointed out that when a social situation or condition alters in any important 

context, there is a chance to generate displacement in the social identity of the people. The old 

characters and formations may be ill-fitting into the new society, which leads to an individual‟s 

sense of estrangement and desolation that will lead to his/her identity crisis. In such a context, an 

individual is chucked off from traditional roots and till s/he can develop new cultural and ethnic 
                                                                            11 
 
origins and relations, one experiences complete loss (qtd.in Hall  145). According to Horney, 

alienation comes up from anxiety. Fretfulness and resentment can lead the person to think of 

his/her real self as insufficient and worthless. From such a negative self-image, a detested self 

emerges. This despised self-comprises insights about inferiority and limitations, usually related 

to others‟ negative assessment of us and our follow-on feelings of helplessness and 

powerlessness.  

      In Goat Days, Najeeb‟s social context changes from Kerala to Gulf. He is introduced to 

an entirely new society. So he is forced to change all his habits and thoughts that were a product 

of his past social and personal life. There are dislocations in his personal and social identity. He 

is alienated from his family and society. Alienation leads to the formation of identity crisis in a 

person, because he is removed from society, which had created a major part of his identity. He is 

forced to change most part of his past identity as an after effect of this alienation. This creates a 

sense of identity crisis in him. Also he is not able to form another social identity, in this 

particular condition. He is unable to create new roots and relations in his new environment. So he 

is feeling lost throughout the novel. He doesn‟t have an intimate relation with the Arab, who is 

the only human presence in the masara. But he is trying to identify himself with goats around 

him but identifying oneself with a human and an animal is different. Although he is succeeding 

to some extent in his identification with the goats, the gap for human presence cannot be filled. 

Najeeb is also culturally alienated. He was facing identity crisis in terms of culture also, since he 

is forced to move away from his cultural practices. His culture was a part of his identity. When 

he is forced to change that identity, there occurs an identity crisis. Food practices are different in 

different cultures. In Kerala, people boil milk before consumption. But here he is required to 

drink milk without boiling, and that situation was producing a disgusting effect on him. 
                                                                            12 
 
Similarly, in Kerala, little lambs are kept back with their mothers. But in the masara in which he 

worked, mother goat and child lamb were kept separately. Not even a single lamb was permitted 

to drink milk directly from its mother‟s udder. All lambs were given milk in a large separate 

bucket. Once when Najeeb helped Nabeel, the little lamb, to drink milk from his mother‟s udder 

directly, he was punished by the Arab. So Najeeb was compelled to move away from his cultural 

practices, thus forming an identity crisis in him. When he is forced to move away from his 

cultural practices, which were an important part of his identity, he faces an identity crisis. He is 

also considered as the other. Najeeb is not even given the status of human.  

      According to Fromm, individuals long for natural roots; they wish to be an important part 

of the world, to feel belongingness. An individual is most gratifying and healthiest when there is 

a feeling of some relationship with other people in the society. It doesn‟t mean it is inappropriate 

to have a sense of personal identity or being a unique individual. Usually when there is an issue 

in his personal identity, s/he tries to prevail over by identifying with other individuals in the peer 

group or society. So according to Fromm, it is true to say that an understanding of identity begins 

from a sense of belonging to somebody. Alder believed that individuals are social beings by 

nature, not by habit. So lack of interpersonal relations causes difficulty for the existence of 

human beings. (qtd.in Hall 143) 

      As it is said earlier Najeeb has some conflict with his personal identity. He is suffering 

from some personal identity crisis. So obviously, Najeeb tries to overcome his personal identity 

crisis by having some interpersonal or societal relations. Apart from overcoming personal 

identity crisis, social identity in itself is an important part of one‟s identity. But unfortunately, 

Najeeb is forced to exist in a kind of alien planet populated by some goats, camels, Arab, and 

him. There are no means existing for him to have a contact with the outside world. In the novel 
                                                                            13 
 
Najeeb says that, the only interferences to the boredom of his life in the masara were the visits of 

the water truck twice a week, the hay truck once a week, and the wheat trailer once a month. But 

unfortunately on those days when they came, Arab orders him to go to the desert early by giving 

him instructions to get back with the goats only after they had gone. Still, his heart would flicker 

with overwhelming joy whenever those vehicles arrived at the masara. Najeeb would be 

overjoyed, as if some of his dear ones had come to see him. But when those vehicles, raining 

sand, disappeared away, he felt like the world itself had gone away from him. Then a heart 

wearisome exhaustion would overcome him. (Benyamin 125) 


One day, when a truck came without any assistant to unburden, the Arab asked Najeeb to 

assist him. He was actually seeing a man who was neither his Arab nor his Arab‟s friend so close 

after a prolonged time period. Najeeb even felt that the driver‟s sweat had an aroma, since 

Najeeb had been denied normal human smells. Because of his overwhelming joy of seeing a 

human being, he even touched him once greedily.  He felt an absolute fulfillment passing 

through him. (Benyamin 126) 

      Najeeb says that we can tolerate any desolation if we have somebody to express our 

depression with. Being lonesome is very miserable. Words shuddered like silverfish within him. 

“Unshared emotions bubbled and frothed at my mouth”. (Benyamin 167) An ear to pour out my 

miseries, two eyes to have a look at him and a cheek next to me became crucial for his existence. 

In their lack of presence one may turn into mad, even suicidal. (Benyamin 166) 

It might be the reason why people condemned to solitary confinement turn insane. Getting those 

words out, expelling them provides the greatest mental peace. Those who do not get this chance 

die choking on words. (Benyamin 167) 
                                                                            14 
 
In such a terrible situation, Najeeb survived through the stories he told to other goats considering 

them as his acquaintances. 

      In the end Najeeb escapes from the masara and he gets into the prison to get a shelter. 

Najeeb considered the prison as a kind of a „disaster relief-camp‟. Inside the prison, the prisoners 

have absolute freedom to walk and talk freely. Najeeb had dreadfully desired for this chance to 

speak to someone in the past three years. In order to celebrate or implement his new found 

freedom, he continuously talked with Hameed. Najeeb didn‟t allow Hameed to talk anything. He 

talked selfishly. Najeeb constantly told his story to Hameed numerous times. But still he wasn‟t 

satisfied. This instance also explores how communication or how human contacts are necessary 

for a human to live in a satisfying manner. Here it is understood how much he have suffered for 

three to four years without talking to a human being.  

      Henry Tajfel observed that Social identity can be an individual‟s “understanding” of who 

they are and what they are when viewing from their group membership. For an individual‟s self-

esteem to be enhanced, the status of the group in which the individual exists should be enhanced. 

For social identification, we accept the identity of the community in which we have categorized 

ourselves as we think it is the right place to belong to. But for Najeeb, there is no group to get 

identified with. There is not even a single human being other than the Arab. He is not able to 

express himself to Arab, due to his superior power and also because of the ignorance of 

language. Najeeb wants to express himself to any person. He wants to develop his social identity. 

Social identity is an important part of a person‟s identity.  When a person is unable to build up 

his social identity, there an identity crisis occurs. Najeeb is facing an identity crisis, since he is 

not able to communicate or express or identify with others. Arab didn‟t allow Najeeb to have 

contact with anyone. Once, a driver arrived with water attempted to talk to Najeeb, the Arab 
                                                                            15 
 
literally jumped out with his revolver. Najeeb remembered the Arab yelling at and beating the 

driver of the water truck with his rifle butt for the sole reason of attempting to speak to Najeeb.  

      In order to prevail over his frustration, he identifies himself with the goats. He gave each 

goat the name of his friends and relatives. He identified certain characteristics that were there in 

his friends and relatives in each goat and started communicating to them. It shows how difficult 

it is for a person to live without proper communication. His friends and relatives were the people 

he could relate and identify with. The main protagonist in the novel, Najeeb, before coming to 

Gulf had certain influences from the relationships with his family, friends and relatives. When he 

lost their contact, he felt certain aspects of his identity as incomplete and difficult to sustain, thus 

leading to an identity crisis in him. In order to overcome this identity crisis, he also identified the 

little lamb Nabeel as his own new born baby. It was an attempt to regain some part of his lost 

identity or it was an attempt to overcome his identity crisis. Family is an integral part of his 

identity, especially of a person like him.  

      He was not able to identify himself with others, since there was no one in the place he 

was trapped, other than the Arab. His irritation and bitterness is clear from the above lines. He 

says that, he poured out the words that were mounting up in him to the goats. He continuously 

talked to them as if he were talking to dear ones. He talked to them when he had “walked them, 

milked them, filled their containers, and gave them fodder”. He emptied out his cries, soreness, 

emotions, and desires to him. He did not care whether they have grasped anything he said, but he 

knew that they paid attention to him, looked at him with caring eyes, even cried with him. In this 

terrible condition, he was forced to satisfy himself with their presence and attention. With this, it 

is understood how much he wants to express and identify himself to others. 
                                                                            16 
 
He named almost all the goats. All the names were the names of the people that he knew from 

his past life. The relation with these people was a part of his identity. That‟s why Najeeb was 

able to remember most of their characteristics.  

Inferiority complex 

      According to Adler, when an individual feels a sense of incompletion or lacks perfection 

at any point or any sphere of life, or when an individual has an overpowering sense of 

defenselessness, or experience something that makes them helpless and weak, there is a 

possibility for them to feel inferior. When such feelings become invasive, an inferiority complex 

may develop. When one person has inferiority complex, it will affect his identity. He won‟t be 

able to live on his own interests, and then he won‟t be able to express his own identity, thus 

giving rise to identity crisis in him. 

       In the novel, Najeeb is helpless and powerless. On the first day, before Najeeb went to 

work, Arab showed him a binocular and then drew out a double barrel gun from under the 

pillow. He aimed at a bird that was flying high up and fired a shot. The bullet hit the bird and it 

fell. Najeeb was petrified. The Arab was actually giving him a warning that, if he ever tried to 

escape or ever try to make fool of Arab, then his fate will be same as that of the bird. With the 

help of binocular, Arab will be able to follow him to a large distance. He felt powerless and 

helpless when he discovered that he actually got trapped in the Arab‟s hands. At that moment 

Najeeb realized that his life had become inescapably bound to those goats. This realization 

clearly shows how much he felt powerless and helpless on the first day itself. All his dreams got 

shattered. 
                                                                            17 
 
      The scary figure ran away from the masara one day. The result was Najeeb was forced to 

do the scary figure‟s work along with his own work. On the day the scary figure got his freedom, 

Najeeb after doing his work along with scary figure‟s work, Najeeb fell down, shattered, due to 

the heavy workload.  When the scary figure had gone, Najeeb was forced to do back breaking 

labour; he got beatings that he would always remember; he also had to go hungry the whole day. 

Najeeb‟s helplessness and powerlessness are obvious in this instant too. He is helpless and 

powerless to do anything. He is unable to react against the injustices done to him.  Again 

Najeeb‟s helplessness can be understood from the instance of him getting hurt from the 

throbbing of the goat.  Even after he got hurt he is forced to do whatever the Arab orders. Even 

in that terrible pain, he obeys whatever the Arab says. He is helpless and powerless to react.  

      Throughout the novel, the Arab cruelly punishes Najeeb for no fault of his. He suffers all 

these pains just because he is helpless. Also, when Najeeb found out that the scary figure was 

murdered by the Arab, he was more afraid. Najeeb fell at the feet of the Arab, and cried saying 

he does not want to leave this place and go anywhere. He won‟t even attempt to escape from this 

place. He just wants his life. It is enough that the Arab does not kill him. He did not even care 

existing like this. He is terrified of death. In that instance also Najeeb‟s helplessness and 

powerlessness is clearly visible.  

      Najeeb is working as a slave for the Arab. Arab is also treating him as a slave, not even 

as a human being. Arab is showing his superiority throughout the novel. While Arab shows his 

superiority to Najeeb, he feels inferior. He feels like, he is useless and powerless. Many a times 

Najeeb doesn‟t consider himself even as a human being. He even believes that goats have more 

value than him.  He considers himself as even inferior to a human being. This is forming a 

conflict in his identity. With the concept of inferiority complex comes the notion of inequality. 
                                                                            18 
 
When one feels inferior then his self-confidence is affected. He even loses his identity as a 

human being. When there arises a conflict in one‟s identity as a human being, identity crisis is 

formed. The same happens in Najeeb‟s case, because of his inferiority complex, he is facing 

identity crisis. Whatever Najeeb does is criticized by the Arab in the novel. Many times the Arab 

addressed him as useless. In all these circumstances, his past identity that he formed from his 

past life is affected.  

Biological Capabilities 

      One‟s biological capabilities are a major part of his identity. Not all male goats in the 

masara are permitted to survive with virility. Some of the he-goats, that the Arab found useless 

were de-sexed and made into eunuchs. One day the Arab was pointing to the goats that were to 

be de-sexed. One among them was Nabeel. Najeeb didn‟t want Nabeel‟s virility to be cut off.  

But he had no choice. And the day Nabeel lost his maleness, Najeeb lost his virility too. He 

hasn‟t yet understood the secrecy of how his virility has gone with that of goats. This instance is 

a good example of his identity crisis being portrayed in the novel.  Najeeb is a male. And his 

virility was a major part of his male identity. He is categorized as a male because of his virility.  

Now he has lost that identity in the novel. And that lead him to question himself, that, whether he 

is a man now. Since he can‟t be categorized as a proper male in the social sense and also in the 

biological sense, he is in a great identity crisis. He lost the ability to call himself as a male. He 

was born as a male and he grew as a healthy male. But when suddenly he loses his maleness he 

is in a chaos. Lacking an identity as a proper male or female is a major identity crisis one has to 

face. 
                                                                            19 
 
When asked about the identity crisis faced by Najeeb in his work to Benyamin in an interview 

that was conducted in relation to this research, he replied: 

      “Every person living abroad faces an identity crisis. He cannot keep an identity of his 

origin or the migrant country. He will be always in between these two identities.  In this work, I 

tried to picturize the identity loss of a person as a human being. His identity trapped in between 

animal and human being. In the desert his identity became completely paralleled with animals 

and his escape is to retrieve the human identity.” 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
                                                                            20 
 
                                 Works Cited 

Abrams,  M.H  and  Geoffrey  Galt  Harpham. A  Handbook  of  Literary  Terms.  New  Delhi:    

    Cengage Learning India, 2009. Print. 

Austin,  William  G.,  and  Stephen  Worchel. Psychology  of  Intergroup  Relations.  Chicago: 

    Nelson-Hall, 1986. Print. 

Benyamin. Aadujeevitham. Thrissur: DC Books, 2008. Print. 

---. Trans. Joseph Koyippally. Goat Days. New Delhi, Penguin Group, 2012. Print. 

Cherry, Kendra. “What is an identity crisis? How our identity forms out of conflict.” About.com. 

    N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec 2013. 

Friedman,  Howard  S,  Miriam  W  Schustack. Personality;  Classic  Theories  and  Modern  

    Research. New Delhi: Pearson Education Pvt. Ltd, 2003. Print.  

Fulcher, James and John Scott. Sociology. New York: Oxford UP, 1992. Print. 

Hall, S Calvin, Gardner Lindzey, John B Campell. Theories of Personality. New Delhi: Wiley 

    India Pvt.Ltd, 2011. Print. 

“Identity”. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopaedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web. 

    1 Dec 2013. 

Identity  Trouble;  Critical  Discourse  and  Contested  Identities.  Ed.  Carmen  Rosa  Caldas  and          

    Rick Iedema. New York: Palgrave Macmillan,2008. Print. 

Key terms in post colonial theory.Dbu.edu.com. N.p, n.d. Web. 14 Jan 2014 
                                                                            21 
 
Kroger,  Jane. Identity  Development;  Adolescence  Through  Adulthood.  New  Delhi:  Sage  

    Publications, 2007. Print. 

McLeod, S. A. .“Social Identity Theory.” Simply Psychology.org. N.p., 2008. Web 13 Jan 2014 

Nayar, Pramod K. An Introduction to Cultural Studies. New Delhi: Viva, 2008. Print. 

What is an Identity Crisis?. Innovate Us.com. N.p, n.d. Web. 23 Dec 2013. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
                                                                            22 
 
                                  Chapter 3 


                                Black Humour 

      Najeeb and Hameed, in Goat Days, had done many things to get into the prison. It seems 

funny that someone deliberately works hard to get captured by the police. For that, Najeeb once 

purposely tripped on a police man‟s legs. They did their best to get the attention of the police 

while standing in front of the police station. To grab the policemen‟s attention they walked to 

and fro in front of the police station, several days they dawdled near mosques during prayer 

times without taking part in the prayer. Finally, they even crossed the police guards and walked 

into the station especially in a foreign countries‟ police station. All their activities are described 

in a funny manner. But there is something to think of beyond their activities.  

      Najeeb says, “It was after days of deliberation, reflection and calculation” that he had 

decided to come to prison. Despite its severity, he determined that prison was the best choice to 

exist in his condition. He agreed that he landed himself in prison because of his strong longing to 

live his life. Can an external person imagine how much torments he must have suffered to 

willingly prefer captivity? 

      The scene of waiting to get into the prison appears at the beginning of the novel. When 

we read the novel for the first time, we won‟t understand why he had chosen prison to live since 

his story comes only after that instance. Usually in films, there are comedy scenes in which lazy 

thieves and other such people work hard to grab the attention of the police to get into the prison, 

as they don‟t want to work. These thieves know that, in prison they will get food without any 

hard labour. When people read the novel for the first time, there is a good chance to think about 
                                                                            23 
 
Najeeb and Hameed with the same intention.  But later, when his story is revealed, people come 

to know about his desire to live, his desire to see his family, desire to see his first child, desire to 

see his native land again, more importantly, desire to live as a human being and with human 

beings.  

      Najeeb went to Gulf with the ambition of making some money to look after his family. 

He landed there with the visa of construction job. But for his bad luck, he gets trapped by an 

Arab. Instead of construction job, he gets the job as that of a shepherd.  The job he got doesn‟t 

have the romantic notions of shepherd. What awaited him were the cruel punishments and brutal 

behaviours of the Arab. Najeeb had to work hard during the day time, but he didn‟t get enough 

food to eat or enough time to rest. The Arab didn‟t even consider him as a human. He suffered 

for three years, four months and nine days.  Then he somehow escaped from the masara. And 

because he didn‟t have any other option he landed up in prison. His desire or his activities to 

somehow get inside the prison is not an instance of humour in the normal sense that is to make 

the readers happy. It is a technique used by the author, in order to make the readers understand 

the depth of Najeeb‟s suffering. 

      When Najeeb and Hameed came to prison, they were directed to the prison barber. 

Najeeb was sitting in front of the barber with a bowed head, he steal a look of Hameed waiting 

for the barber next to him. After they were done their cutting and shaving, they looked at each 

other, and they saw two full baldies. They laughed so much. The way they see each other‟s 

baldies is a funny scene. As the readers imagine the situation, the readers will also have a 

tendency to laugh at imagining their bald heads. But that was actually for them, especially for 

Najeeb, an exceptional moment of fun, in midst of great sorrowfulness. Najeeb was not allowed 

to clean his body, at the time of his suffering. His hair was grown from most of his body parts 
                                                                            24 
 
like head, face, armpits etc. The hair was full of mud, sand and dust. With the hair grown, Najeeb 

actually looked like a scary figure. The technique of humour is used in this instance to show in 

depth the human condition in certain circumstances. When the readers go through the tragic 

suffering of the Najeeb, with the parallel construction of humour, the readers will reflect upon 

the human conditions deeply. 

      When Hameed grumbles about the lack of a bathroom to clean him in the prison, Najeeb 

teases him. Najeeb even giggled when he heard Hameed murmur to himself about damp air and 

increasing body stink, in the prison. The way in which Hameed complaints and Najeeb‟s 

sarcasm, Hameed arises laughter in reader‟s minds. This instance again encourages readers to 

think about his past life. While Najeeb was teasing Hameed, Najeeb was also thinking about his 

past life. He just calculated his days of imprisonment in the masara, and it reached around four 

years. Najeeb laughed aloud again when he thought about it and again teased Hameed. Najeeb 

was not allowed to bathe for four years.  

      How could a man who lived by sand mining in river, and whose major habit was taking 

bathe two or three times a day, who spent most part of his life in water, live without bathing for 

four continuous years. Once it rained in the masara and on that day, initially it caused him much 

pain when the rain water fell on him. He contorted like he had been pierced with knife, when the 

rain water drops fell on him. That incident was really hurting. Unable to withstand the 

unbearable pain, he covered himself with a coverlet. His body was alternately shuddered and 

scalded. He greatly desired to get wet in the rain, but the experience was so painful that he 

couldn‟t bear it. Worst was the condition of Arab and goats and camels.  
                                                                            25 
 
      Alan Patter in his Black Humour: Critical Essays describes black humour as a kind of 

humour that chuckles at the darker sides of life - at pain, misery, vice, or demise or an 

individual‟s or communities‟ specific taboo, such as rape, slaughter, suicide, defacement or 

lunacy. It is said there is black humour when an individual who bears pain or hardships and 

troubles reacts indifferently. Once Arab punishes Najeeb for using water for cleaning purposes, 

he consoles himself by saying that water in the masara is not appropriate for cleaning his bottom. 

The reality is that if he takes or uses the water for any other purpose, the Arab will kill him. 

Najeeb was not allowed to use water even for toilet purposes or clean himself. On the first day he 

came, he took water to clean himself, but even prior to using it, he got a beat on his back. He 

even flinched at the force of that lash. The Arab took away the bucket of water from him 

forcefully and scolded him loudly. When he tried to defend himself, the Arab beat him more 

fiercely. After suffering that much, he responded in a funny way. He used the words in such a 

way that it aroused laughter in the readers. He had already mentioned in the novel that 

cleanliness had been his ideology. When he was forced to move away from his ideology, it 

resulted in grief. But he uses humour in terms of his usage of words to overcome his troubled 

situation. Behind the comedy he uttered, there is pain and grief.   

      Also there are situations where he relates himself to other goats by considering them as 

people he knew. But that situation again is humorous, because the reasons he give for each name 

is really funny. The stories behind each name is funny especially the stories of Pochakkari 

Ramani, Jagathy, Mohanlal etc.  He tells it to the readers in a humorous way. Najeeb and readers 

know that the situation he is trapped in is not suitable for being happy or enjoyable. He has many 

other things to think over in order to avoid various punishments that he gets from the Arab. 

People usually shoot jokes when they are relaxed and happy. But here the situation is just 
                                                                            26 
 
opposite. He is altogether trapped in a tragic situation. Even death is nearby, because when the 

scary figure tried to escape, the Arab killed him and buried him in the desert. Nobody, except 

Najeeb, even came to know the fate of scary figure. So the same can happen to him too. He also 

faces identity crisis in various ways, which is yet another problem he faces. He is hopeless and 

desperate. To overcome his hopelessness, depression and dejection he uses humour. Although he 

is giving humorous stories and situations, he is suffering from loneliness, isolation, gloominess 

etc.  

      Stephen Conrad in “The Comedic Base of Black Comedy: An analysis of black comedy 

as a unique contemporary film genre” (Conrad, 12) opines that, Black humour needs someone or 

something to play down the significance of the situation. His inappropriate, casual talk challenge 

or deny the seriousness of the instant. There is a difference or space between anticipation and the 

presentation. People look forward to a sort of behaviour which is suitable to the serious occasion 

but are actually offered with something entirely different. (Conrad  12, 13)  

      In Goat Days, there is the character Najeeb, to underrate the seriousness of the tragic 

moments in masara. In some of the situations, it is his response or it is his mode of reaction that 

leads to laughter in the readers. For example, one day during his initial days in the masara, he 

was asked to milk the goat. His first response in his mind was by telling God that he had never 

seen a goat so close in his whole life, although he is a Keralite. That response was described in a 

funny way. Then he started thinking about the goats of his neighbours. He also recollected how 

beautiful ladies of his native place milked their goats. He also recollected the features of goats he 

had studied in the school. He understood that even his knowledge about the features of the goats 

is limited. The whole situation and his response seems funny, but just think of the context in 

which he dreams of his neighbour‟s goats and the beautiful ladies. The scene describing the 
                                                                            27 
 
milking of goats (from the entry) was also funny. He describes his running behind the goats as 

frog-leaping after the goats. He was exploring the idea of how one can milk a goat that runs, in 

his mind. It is his mode of reacting that changes the mood of the situation. 

      Although the readers can laugh at these scenes, it is important to understand his situation. 

The Arab has ordered him to milk the goat and if he fails to do that, he is supposed to face the 

consequences. For taking some water to clean himself, he had to suffer scolding and lashing. 

Here also he can get the same punishment, and even worse. He knew that, and even then he 

approaches it with a different mode. We expect him to cry over his fate or at least become a little 

bit serious and nervous in this context. But what he does is different. He adopts the method of 

applying humour to overcome his fate. Thus there occurs a gap between the expected behaviour 

and the actual response, which again is yet another feature of black humour. 

      Stephan Conrad again says that on a straightforward, direct level, black humour produces 

nervous or uncomfortable mirth or delight. There is an amalgamation of conflicting emotions 

resulting from the combination of independent (out-of-context) and contradictory actions. This 

usually leaves the readers with an uncomfortable reflection that the world is hopelessly absurd 

and any effort to find some sense in life is impracticable. (Conrad, 12) 

      In all the contexts where black humour comes in, it awakens a troubled and painful 

laughter in the readers. Here it is so, because the readers already know that his situation is so bad 

and he has to suffer much. When going through the tragic journey of Najeeb, these small 

instances provide some relief to the readers. All these instances also make the readers think 

whether humans have any value. When going through the tragic events, readers will most 

probably hate God, especially when the story of Najeeb is explored. He came for another work, 
                                                                            28 
 
and he came to earn a good living for his family. But he was not able to earn a single penny for 

his family amidst of all his hard work and sufferings.  

      Alan Pratt in his work advocates that black humour emerges where the illogical becomes 

logical. (Pratt, xix, xiv) In Goat days, the Arab is the boss. He is the one who decides everything. 

Whatever he does is right for him. He is not considering Najeeb as a human being. Arab makes 

him suffer much. In the midst of these sufferings, Najeeb finds some relief in the humour that he 

adopts. It may seem irrational for the readers since they assume him to act in a certain way that 

appears to be common for the outer world. But for Najeeb implementation of humour in certain 

circumstances is rational, although it appears unreasonable for the audience that watch him from 

exterior world. 

      When asked about the technique of black humour being employed in his work to the 

author as part of an interview that was conducted in relation to this research, the novelist replied: 

      “I think a person who went through such a struggle cannot sustain more without a sense 

of humour along with him. It was the tool he used to overcome the bad situations. Otherwise, he 

would become mad or commit suicide. This book is giving an option for another way of 

approach to our hectic everyday life”. This explains his reasoning of adopting this literary 

technique in his work.  

 

 

 

 
                                                                             29 
  
                                  Works Cited 

 Benyamin. Aadujeevitham. Thrissur: DC Books, 2005. Print. 

 ---. Trans. Joseph Koyippally. Goat Days. New Delhi, Penguin Group, 2012. Print. 

  “Black humour”. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopaedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web. 12 Dec 

       2013. 

 Bruce, Robert Grey. "American Black Humour." USA: Texas A&M University, 1997. Web. 

 Luebering , J.E. “Black Humour”. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 

       n.d. Web.27 Dec 2013. 

 O‟Neale & Matrundola &. Black Comedy Genre Report. Los Angels: UCLA, n.d. Print  

 Pratt, Alan. Black Humour: Critical Essays. New York:Garland Publishers, 1993. Print 

 Schulz, Max F. Rev of “Black Humour Fiction of the Sixties: a Pluralistic Definition of Man and 

     His  World”,  by  James  Gindin. The  Journal  of  English  and  Germanic  Philology 73.1 

     (1974): 148-151. Web. 3 Jan 2014. 

Shipley, Joseph T. Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism, Forms, Technique. The 

      Philosophical Library. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. Print. 

  
                                                                            30 
 
                                   Chapter 4 


                                  Conclusion 

      Identity crisis is one of the major problems that everyone faces at some stage of life. It 

varies from person to person depending on the context and situation in which a person is placed.  

In the novel that is taken for consideration for this research, the protagonist faces identity crisis 

in his traumatic conditions.  

      This dissertation focuses on tracing out the identity crisis faced by the protagonist 

Najeeb, in the novel Goat Days by Benyamin. The dissertation has looked upon almost all the 

instances that had led to his identity crisis in some way or the other. While working on this 

paper, there a doubt aroused that whether such a thing like dressing or cleanliness can cause an 

identity crisis. But it is proven that even these factors can lead to the development of identity 

crisis in a person.  

      While tracing out the identity crisis faced by Najeeb in Goat Days, the first factor that 

was explored was the personal identity.  It looked on characteristics like what constituted 

personal identity or what elements were included in personal identity, and how the lack of even 

one element or how some factors which can have a negative effect on the elements that constitute 

his personal identity, like habits, dress etc. can lead to identity crisis.  With examples cited from 

the text and with appropriate theories, like that of Erikson, it is proven that personal identity 

factors can lead to the development of identity crisis.  

Next factor that was explored was the difference between „Real self and Ideal self‟.  These are 

the terms coined by Horney in his book “The Crisis of Psychoanalysis” . Real self is what we 
                                                                            31 
 
perceive about ourselves, and it is portrayed in the novel through Najeeb‟s self  in the masara. 

Ideal self is the so-called perfect self that everyone desires to achieve as is represented in the 

letter written to Sainu.   

      „Moratorium‟ is yet another concept that was considered to prove the identity crisis in 

Najeeb. As per Erikson, „Moratorium‟ is one of the identity statuses, in which a person explores 

many identities but is unable to commit any of these identities. During his life in masara, he 

explores more than one identity, but, has not committed to any of those identities, thus giving 

rise to identity crisis in him.  

      Najeeb is unclear about his own capabilities, future objectives, and strength and power to 

control one‟s own destiny and future, and there arises identity confusion in him. Najeeb‟s 

identity confusion is clear throughout the novel. By examining identity confusion in Najeeb, this 

paper tried to prove his identity crisis as well. 

      Another point that has looked upon is the identity crisis that has developed from lack of 

agency. It is the capability and the ability to decide on his/her actions and life to control one‟s 

own life. Najeeb didn‟t have the capacity to control his own actions and life. Since agency is one 

of the major elements that constitute identity, lack of agency will give rise to identity crisis. 

      The paper further looked on aspects like discourses and relational identification to 

establish identity crisis in Najeeb. In Goat Days, Najeeb gives different identities to goats as a 

solution to overcome his identity crisis. Again, he is isolated in the masara, and he is not able to 

identify himself with others which give rise to an identity crisis. Thus this paper has found out 

that when viewed from the aspects of relational identification and discourses, Najeeb faces 
                                                                            32 
 
identity crisis. The paper has also looked on elements like alienation, inferiority complex, and 

even his biological capabilities to establish Najeeb‟s identity crisis.  

      Another objective of the dissertation was to trace out the technique of Black Humour that 

is prevalent in the novel as in the scene of Najeeb trying to enter into the police station. This 

dissertation has attempted to prove this point by examining and applying certain features and 

some theories related to black humour and achieved the goal in doing so. 

      One of the major findings in this paper is the problem of identity crisis faced by Najeeb 

during his life in masara as explained in Goat Days. The research has gone through various 

factors including those mentioned above to reach the objectives presented in the paper.