Navigating Pain: Individual Trauma in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake

Authors

  • AARTHI .B Holy Cross College(Autonomous),Trichy.
  • Dr. K.Suganthi Holy Cross College(Autonomous),Trichy.

Keywords:

Jhumpa Lahiri, individual psychological trauma, pain, cultural dislocation, assimilation, dual identity and emotional struggle.

Abstract

Over the last twenty years, Jhumpa Lahiri has become a notable voice in both Indian and
American literature, especially with her work The Namesake. Lahiri explores cultural
identities, the desire for one's home country, and the challenges faced by Indians in America.
Influenced by her own experiences and family stories, much of her writing reflects her
parents' keen observations and their commitment to Indian customs. This paper focuses on
the psychological trauma experienced by individuals, especially the character Ashima.
Ashima, an expatriate’s cultural displacement, social isolation, and separation from family,
personifies the struggles faced by Lahiri's female protagonists. Lahiri often depicts these
women grappling with memories of their homeland and being caught between two worlds. In
The Namesake, Ashima vividly portrays this dichotomy, illustrating the psychological
trauma, migration, and cultural dislocation between Calcutta and America. This paper aims to
unravel the complex layers of psychological trauma faced by Ashima in Lahiri's narrative
novel The Namesake. This phenomenal feeling is a shared experience that enhances the
research paper.

References

Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. India: HarperCollins, 2003.

Batra, Jagdish. Jhumpa Lahiri’s the Namesake: A Critical Study. 2010.

John, Elizabeth. “Identity Trauma in Jhumpa Lahiri S Women Characters - Samyukta: A

Journal of Gender and Culture.” Samyukta: A Journal of Gender and Culture, 14 Jan. 2021,

samyuktajournal.in/identity-trauma-in-jhumpa-lahiri-s-women-characters.

Shyam, Himadri. “Diasporic Consciousness and Identity Trauma in Jhumpa Lahiri’s the

Namesake.” Smart Moves Journal Ijellh, vol. 8, no. 7, July 2020, pp. 88–97.

https://doi.org/10.24113/ijellh.v8i7.10660.

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Published

2024-03-17

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2024): Jamal Academic Research Journal-An Interdisciplinary (JARJ)

Section

Articles

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