Deconstructing Anthropocentrism: A Posthumanist Analysis of M. P. Narayana Pillai's Parinaamam

Abstract

This paper examines M. P. Narayana Pillai's novel Parinamam through a posthumanist analytical framework, arguing that the work is a pioneering example of posthumanistic literature that critiques anthropocentrism and challenges the human-animal binary. While Pillai is often categorized as a modernist writer, this study demonstrates that his focus on the alienated lives of both humans and non-humans, particularly in Parinaamam, reveals a deeper engagement with posthumanist perspectives. The novel's protagonist, a dog named Tommy, is presented not as a symbolic animal but as a complex subject with his own ideology and revolutionary consciousness. By giving voice and agency to a non-human, Pillai critiques human-centric institutions—from the state to political ideologies—and exposes their hypocrisies. The paper employs analytical method to explore how Pillai's narrative blurs the lines of anthropomorphism and zoomorphism, ultimately envisioning a ‘zoopolis’ where animals are regarded as co-beings with inherent political and moral rights. In conclusion, this research asserts that Parinaamam is a seminal work that anticipates contemporary posthumanist thought by decentering the human and asking fundamental questions about our relationship with other species.