Derek Walcott’s "Dream on Monkey Mountain": Theme/ Colonialism/ Significance of dreams/ Identity crisis/ Decolonisation/ a Post-colonial text

In Derek Walcott’s play Dream on Monkey Mountain, we come across the character of Corporal Lestrade as well as the character of Makak. Makak is an older black man. He is the protagonist of the play. He used to live alone on the Monkey Mountain. There is a search for one’s own identity in the play. The play opens in a small West Indian jail. In the play, the action occurs in  real as well as in imagined locations. The most real place is the jail. Again, on the other hand, Makak is a dreamer and full of human emotions to some extent. On a country road, Makak heals a sick man. This act throws ample light to his sense of humanity. The play has been given manifold interpretations. by many critics. Some of the interpreters have compared Makak to Christ, while the others have stressed on his name meaning ‘monkey’. The play depicts African myths and customs. Corporal Lestrade was pretty oppressing. He cannot accept his lack of identity. Since he is a Mulatto or a Metiso, he is symbolic of the grey arfea between the white and the black. Here we come across brain or cerebral colonisation. Corporal was, from the very first time, imposed upon with the view that racism is an aspect of society. This has been pointed out by Basil, a critic. Racism is a recurrent theme in this play called Dream on Monkey Mountain. However, such racial complexity is nothing but a false consciousness.