The Excremental Vision of the Nation in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children

This study integrates Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO), which treats all entities including objects as equally significant, and Ma (間), a Japanese concept emphasizing the meaningfulness of gaps and spaces, to analyze how objects function in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant and Klara and the Sun. Through this integration the study attempts to reconceptualize how objects are viewed in a narrative. By highlighting the complementary nature of both the concepts, this study evaluates the significance of absences, gaps and hidden meanings that are expressed through the objects in the narrative. This study focuses on the function of various significant objects in both the novels. It also analyses how those objects actively shape the novel and its themes through their placement and interaction with other objects. The analysis reveals that objects shape the narrative in their own right, beyond simply serving human characters, influencing reader interpretation and engagement. Rather than being seen as passive tools or background elements, objects are understood as having the capacity to affect relationships, emotions, and events within a story. This reconceptualization of object agency (ability of objects to influence the narrative) underscores the interconnectedness of all narrative entities and advocates for a non-anthropocentric approach to literary analysis. The study highlights the importance of what is present and what is left unsaid or unseen in a narrative, illustrating how gaps and spaces contribute significantly to the literary ecosystem.