Deconstructing the Rigid Human/Non-Human Binary through Dhruba Hazarika's Luck

Abstract: This paper examines the hierarchical relationship between human and non-human entities in Dhruba Hazarika’s Luck. Drawing on Claude Lévi-Strauss’s notion of binary opposition and Jacques Derrida’s deconstructive methodology, the paper argues that the stories comprising Luck problematise the rigid human/non-human binary by revealing its inherent instability, interdependence, and permeability. Harnessing the posthuman and animal studies, the analysis demonstrates how Hazarika’s narratives blur species boundaries, allowing human and animal characters to move fluidly across categorical lines. Through close readings of all nine stories in the collection, the paper shows that animals are not merely symbolic or peripheral figures but are integral to the thematic architecture of Hazarika’s work. Luck presents nuanced human–animal encounters that challenge anthropocentric assumptions and foreground a more entangled understanding of beings within the natural world. In doing so, the text opens a literary space in which notions of human superiority are destabilized, prompting a re-evaluation of identity, agency, and subjectivity across species. Keywords: binary opposition, deconstruction, posthumanism, animal studies, human/non-human, hierarchy