Objet petit a and Jouissance: A Critical Study of Gaulib Shiraz Dhalla’s The Exiles (2011)

The experiences of homosexual individuals are diverse and unique. Suppression of desire is consequential when homosexuality is considered a taboo, and heterosexuality is rooted in a social and cultural organizations. This research paper attempts to analyze Gaulib Shiraz Dhalla’s The Exiles using the concepts of Jacques Lacan’s objet petit a and jouissance. Jouissance describes the deeply rooted yearning/surplus enjoyment, and objet petit a discusses the lack that is present in an individual, which sets forth a journey of seeking fulfillment. This study also focuses on the difficulties of confronting one’s homoerotic desires and attempts to demonstrate how the deeply embedded heteronormative society, including the family, suppresses and prevents homoerotic desires from attainment. The paper found that the heteronormative society does influence one’s attainment of homoerotic desires, which results in the suppression of such desires accompanied by shame, despair, and loss. This paper also discovered how heteronormativity, especially the societal and cultural stigma, can be detrimental to homosexual individuals from achieving objet petit a and jouissance.