Language issues in Amy Waldman’s novel "The Submission"

Abstract

Amy Waldman’s novel The Submission (2011) reflects on the impact of 9/11 on American society, especially its immigrant community. One of its plot lines focuses on the community of Bangladeshis that is affected by 9/11 and its aftermath. It is represented through the character of Asma who has lost her husband, since he was working in one of the towers of the World Trade Centre on 9/11. Although many family members of American 9/11 victims have become public figures and their opinions are taken into account while discussing the future of the selected 9/11 memorial design, Asma is invisible in this process, since she does not speak any other language than her native one. The paper aims to analyse particular examples of problems that Asma’s inability to speak English causes in the novel