Browsing by Author "Sushil Mary Mathews"

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CONFIGURATION OF MEMORY IN EDWIDGE DANTICAT’S BREATH, EYES MEMORY
(Paripex-Indian Journal of Research, Vol 6 (3), 2017-03) T, Poornamathi Meenakshi; Sushil Mary Mathews
Memory is the ability to recall or remember information or events in the past. This is carried out through three distinct processes such as encoding, storage and retrieval. Memory plays a significant role in the narratives of Edwidge Danticat, a Caribbean-American Diasporic writer. The protagonists in Danticat's novels are very much influenced by their past and its memories. These memories act both as a preserver and destroyer of life in her novels. In Breath, Eyes, Memory, it acts as a destroyer. The protagonist Sophie is haunted by the memories of 'testing' and her mother Martine is obsessed with nightmares of rape. This paper attempts to study the impact of memory on the psyche of Danticat's characters.
FEMINIST AND ANTI- RACIST DISCOURSES IN HIMMANI BANNERJI’S “WIFE” AND “PAKI GO HOME”
(International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Vol 3 (1), 2016) Sushil Mary Mathews; T, Poornamathi Meenakshi
India and Canada have always been pluralistic societies which have assimilated several ethnicities. Whenever a new community conflates into the prevalent society, it has been marked with frictions and adjustments. These frictions along with nostalgia have become the central theme for diasporic writings. Indo-Canadian writers take their themes both from India and Canada. Himani Bannerji is an Indo–Canadian writer, sociologist, and philosopher from Kolkata. She was born in 1942 in West Bengal, India. She migrated to Canada in 1969 and has published two collections of poetry, A Separate Sky (1982) and doing time (1986), a children’s novel Coloured Pictures (1991), and several short stories. She is interested in feminist theory, gender and colonialism, class and race issues. She voices against all forms of domination, whether of gender, class or race. Bannerji’s works revolve around Marxist, feminist and anti-racist themes. This paper is an attempt to study the two poems, “wife” and ““PAKI GO HOME””, of Himani Bannerji who sensitises the readers to patriarchal and racist issues. She also raises her voice offering resistance against female subordination and the racist ideologies.
GENDER,NATION AND IDENTITY IN AHDAFSOUEIF’SSANDPIPER
(Paripex- Indian Journal of Research, 2016-03) RajiNarasimhan; Sushil Mary Mathews
AhdafSoueif is a diasporic writer whose work is laced with feministic under tones, portraying the struggle between the identities of lover, mother and individual in each woman. In her short story ‘Sandpiper’ the struggle between her different identities along with her choice of nationality is portrayed. Soueif was born in Egypt and later moved to England. Her work is a mirror of the immigrant’s woes of the land that she adopted and the land that she abandoned. The layers of conflict include the identity of nationality, gender roles, and the struggle for choices. The loss of the self with the birth of a mother is brought out with craft and finesse. The research paper proposes to identify the feministic ideas in the story along with the theme of identity crises that accompanies diasporic writing. The paper attempts to highlight the contrast as seen through the eyes of the protagonist.
IDENTITY AND INTEGRATION: A STUDY OF R.CHUDAMANI’SBHUVANA AND PLANET GURU
(IJELLH (International Journal of English Language, Literature & Humanities), 2018-09) R, Maheswari; Sushil Mary Mathews
Identity of a person, identifying with the group, society is the right of every individual. In the society that is an amalgamation of varied aspects- social, cultural, ethnic, and economical, identifying oneself without being pushed to the fringe is a concern for any man. Of all these factors, economic marginalization becomes sometimes very acute even within a monolithic society. Writers have been sensitive to this issue and R. Chudamani is one such South Indian writer whose short stories are poignant narratives of such ordinary men who struggle to pull themselves from the margin to the centre of the society. This community suffers from the hurt of double edged sword- religious beliefs and economic poverty. Bhuvana and Planet Guru is one such story. This paper analyses the different contours of economic marginalization, its impact on the people.
LOVE, SUFFERING, AND HOPE IN EDWIDGE DANTICAT’S “CHILDREN OF THE SEA”
(Language in India, 2018-02) T, Poornamathi Meenakshi; Sushil Mary Mathews
Edwidge Danticat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 19, 1969. She is a Haitian-American diasporic writer who writes in English. Danticat’s first novel Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994) had been selected by the Oprah Book Club in 1998. Her short story collection Kirk? Krak! published in 1995, became a National Book Award finalist. The first story in the short story collection KK is “Children of the Sea”. In this story, Danticat vividly pictures the political violence in Haiti, which is located in the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. Haiti gained its independence from France in 1803. The aftermath of the political situation and the ruthless regimes threatened the very existence of humanity. Amidst the violence and suffering, Haitians continue to love and remain hopeful. Haiti, widely popular for its poverty and repression, has an overlooked story of resistance. Haitians have played a remarkable role in shifting the correspondence of political and social power, even as they have endured distressing state-sponsored violence which includes torture, abuse, illegal arrest, disappearance, and assassination. Danticat, who is concerned with the plight of Haiti and Haitians, fuses the political with the personal in her stories and thereby she creates testimonials which aim to address the social injustice. This paper attempts to picture the unyielding spirits of the Haitians even in the face of unfathomable loss.
NURTURING BONDS AN ECO FEMINISTIC READING OF THE SELECT NOVELS OF BARBARA KINGSOLVER
(2019) Menaka V; Sushil Mary Mathews
American literature shares a major role in the development of feminism. Feminism in America developed over three waves. During the third wave feminism ecology found its place with feminism. This has formed a new scope in literature that leads to the present day theory of ecological feminism or eco-feminism. Eco-feminism is an important part of eco-literature with its focus on domination of women and nature. The term ecofeminism was first used by French radical feminist Françoise d' Eaubonne in 1974, who combined ecology and feminism in this movement because she realised some strong interconnections between the domination of women and that of nature. Barbara Kingsolver was born on April 8, 1955, in Annapolis, Maryland. From an early age, Kingsolver enjoyed telling stories to her parents instead of listening to them. Surrounded as she was by fields and woods, Kingsolver became fond of studying nature. Mastering in Ecology and Evolutionary biology, her scientific training influenced her literary writing. The thematic concerns in her writings include feminism, environmentalism and post- colonialism. All these concerns arise because of her passion for the pursuit of social justice. Barbara Kingsolver brings out close interaction between women and nature in her novels. The thesis entitled “Nurturing Bonds: An Eco-Feministic reading of the select novels of Barbara Kingsolver” is devoted to examine these interconnections as revealed in her novels, The Bean Trees (1988) and Pigs in Heaven (1993), Animal Dreams (1990), Prodigal Summer (2000), and Flight Behaviour (2010). These novels focus on environmental challenges like climate change, animal/species extinction and loss of biodiversity, use of pesticides etc. and the struggle of the female protagonist with the patriarchal system in society. There is a systematic domination, over both women and nature, underpinned by a conceptual set of dualisms. Focusing on these themes Kingsolver’s select novels are critically studied and the ability of women to utilise the benefits of their environment and also develop a community, is highlighted. The introductory chapter focuses on the growth and development of American literature from its origin with respect to feminism. It outlines the major works in American literature starting from the classics to the contemporaries. It further traces the fictional writers of feminism and ecology, and places Barbara Kingsolver among the other eco-feminist writers. The second chapter entitled, “Re-grounding: The Bonding of Woman with Nature” delineates on Eco-feminism in Kingsolver’s novels. The study helps understand how the issues of nature and women are interwoven. Karen J Warren is a feminist writer and she speaks widely on environmental issues, feminism and critical thinking. In her book Eco feminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on what it is and why it matters? (2000) Warren elaborates on the historical and causal, conceptual, Empirical & Experiential, Epistemological, Symbolical, Political, Philosophical and Ethical connections that are basic and important to understand the connections between feminism and the environment. Kingsolver’s novels are analyzed based on these connections to understand the close relation between women and nature. Kingsolver uses coyotes as symbols of her characters’ instinct for survival in both Animal Dreams and Prodigal Summer. In the novel Flight Behaviour Dellarobia’s state of life is symbolically presented before her through the relocation of the monarch butterflies. As the butterflies take flight at the end of the novel, she also chooses her way of life. “Self-discovery: Man, Woman, Culture and Nature” is the third chapter which elaborates on the eco-feministic views in Kingsolver’s novels to show nature is exploited and over-ruled by mankind and how men and women play their part in nature and society. Sherry Ortner in her essay Is female to male as nature is to culture? (1972) makes two arguments about the relationship between nature and culture. First, she sees culture as an object that has the ability to act upon and transform nature. Second, she equates the relationship of nature and culture to the universal devaluation of women. The novels are studied on these two parameters. Prodigal Summer exposes the dichotomy of nature vs. civilization in which nature is coded non-white and female while civilization denotes the white and male. Kingsolver’s men fail to see the destruction that arises out of their activities. The water pollution at Grace in Animal Dreams is an example. The men living at Grace think that they can shift their place once the mountain is entirely polluted, and can stay away from harm. Women on the other hand are keen at noticing the changes in nature as they are closely related to nature and they can also not be entirely parted from culture. Codi and Dellarobia, respectively from Animal Dreams and Flight Behaviour enlighten the people around them of their ignorant state, because they are the initial indicators of natural calamities. They are interconnected with men, culture and mainly with nature. The study reveals that men and women should be seen as active members of culture, for positive development. The fourth chapter entitled “Space, Place and Ecology” brings out the essential space that women and the eco-system need. The interconnections of Nature, Woman, Man and Society are explored. In Prodigal Summer Garnett uses pesticides and herbicides to keep his land tidy and protect his saplings. But he is not aware about the deadly consequences of its effects. The dislocation of monarch butterflies in Flight behaviour indicates the consequences of deforestation that lead to the deluge and landslide. All of nature and the environment are connected in the web of life and if any single part of it is lost the entire eco-system gets affected. So the eco-system needs its own place. Mankind and nature are mutually interconnected. Each should be given the due space, for them to flourish, which will ensure a healthy environment. The Summation brings together all the ideas of ecological feminism and shows how it is all treated in the novels of Kingsolver. It brings to the forefront the struggle for survival of both, the women and nature together. The relationships between Kingsolver’s women are similar to the relationship between the rhizobia and the wisteria vines. As a result, like the wisteria vines, the women flourish with the support of community. The style in Barbara Kingsolver’s novels highlighting her symbols, style, themes, and her vision for a better future is delineated. This also proves Kingsolver as an eco-feminist writer committed to writing for the welfare of the society and the greatness as a contemporary American novelist who not only cares for human beings but also for nature. Eco-feminist literature asserts that the notion of power must be re-structured and relationships should be nurtured. Creating an interconnected community, in spite of the patriarchal or other forms of hierarchy is the aim of eco-feminism. Kingsolver tries to recreate this interconnected society through her novels. The future needs women and nature, so they should both be protected. Barbara Kingsolver focuses on the natural connections of suffering between nature and the female, dominated by the patriarchal society, and as an effective eco-feminist writer, gives a clarion call to join hands against the exploitation of nature as well as women.
PARTICIPATORY EVOLUTION TOWARDS WOMENS LIBERATION A STUDY OF THE SELECT NOVELS OF GAIL GODWIN
(2018) Saritha M; Sushil Mary Mathews
RETURN TO INNOCENCE – A STUDY OF JACK LONDON’S THE CALL OF THE WILD
(International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Review, 2016-03) RajiNarasimhan; Sushil Mary Mathews
Jack London's Call of the Wild is a novel that revolves around Buck, a well built dog who lives a comfortable and relaxed life in California. The transformation from a well trained house dog to a wild dog again is the journey that London impresses his readers with. The novel has a psychological strain where Jung's collective conscious plays a role to show how innate qualities of a species lies hidden for many generations to express itself when the need to survive arises. Jack London draws his young readers to empathize with his animals and feel the anguish of separation and loneliness. Adolescence is a challenge for everyone concerned. Parents teachers and teenagers themselves are in the dark about how to deal with emotional upheavals. Torn between childhood and adulthood, it is a stage of confusion and learning. London's novel portrays this struggle and expression in animals with whom the readers can readily relate to. This seminar paper intends to bring out the emotional turmoil and coming of age ideas that Jack London portrays in his novels which have a psychological bearing on his young readers.
TECHNIQUES AS DISCOVERY OF IDENTITY IN THE SELECT NOVELS OF HARUKI MURAKAMI
(2016) Raji Narasimhan; Sushil Mary Mathews
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TRAUMA NARRATIVES AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SELF A STUDY OF THE NOVELS OF EDWIDGE DANTICAT
(2018) Poornamathi Meenakshi T; Sushil Mary Mathews
Edwidge Danticat is a Haitian-American diasporic writer who writes in English. She was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 19, 1969. Her literary oeuvre consists of novels, short stories, travelogue, and memoir. She has written five novels: Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994), The Farming of Bones (1998), The Dew Breaker (2004), Claire of the Sea Light (2013), and Untwine (2015). The introductory chapter concentrates on the blossoming of Caribbean literature from folklore and oral traditions. It delineates the major works in Haitian literature starting from the classics to the contemporaries. It gives an aerial view of Haitian-American diasporic writing, highlighting Edwidge Danticat and her works. As Danticat’s novels are intertwined with the politics of Haiti, a brief political history of Haiti has also been described. The historical and geographical backgrounds of Haiti are analysed. Trauma is universal and it is omnipresent in Danticat’s narratives. It is a rigorous emotional shock caused by an extremely distressing experience. Chapter II titled “Society, Culture, and Politics as Agents in Creating Trauma” focuses on the social, cultural, and political factors prevalent in Haiti and US which create dark episodes in the lives of the Haitians. The trauma that the protagonists experience is embedded in social evils like racism and corruption which is apparent in The Farming of Bones, gangster culture in Claire of the Sea Light, and child trafficking in Untwine. Poverty and rigid social codes add to their unhappiness. Women in Danticat’s narratives are victims of cultural practises like testing and female genital circumcision. Danticat pictures their agony in Breath, Eyes, Memory. The atrocities of the Haitian paramilitary are detailed in The Dew Breaker. Danticat’s fusion of the personal with society, culture, and politics cultivates a new insight and addresses the contemporary dilemmas of injustices. The protagonists are caught in the swirl of these factors which force them to live in exile, prod them to adopt a secluded life, and ultimately result in their trauma. The aftermath of these traumatic events has a huge impact on the psyche of the protagonists which will be analysed in the next chapter. Chapter III titled “The Magnitude of Traumatic Memories” deals with the impact of traumatic memories on the individual’s psyche. Trauma has been the central concept in psychology of the present day. The increase in violence all over the world had received more attention which led to the growth of professional research in this field. Psychic trauma deals with extreme personal suffering and memory becomes a source of trauma. This chapter traces the history of trauma in the field of psychology beginning from Freud till date and analyses the role of memory in trauma studies. The trauma inflicted by the memories has a strong impact on the psyche of Danticat’s characters as it surfaces in the form of psychotic symptoms like restlessness, anxiety, fear of future, visual intrusions, flashbacks, and nightmares. As a result they suffer extreme anxiety disorder known as Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This chapter analyses the symptoms of PTSD exhibited by the protagonists using A dual representation theory of PTSD framed by Brewin. The Caribbean concept of recovery from trauma opens up new avenues which offer possibilities for survival and healing. Chapter IV titled “Strategies and Factors for Survival and Healing” sketches out the diverse strategies and factors which help the trauma-stricken protagonists in their journey towards survival and healing. While some of them surrender to fate, a majority of them display a heroic courage in their battle against trauma. They adopt various strategies to overcome the catastrophic loss and embrace life. There are also few factors which aid them in recovery. The characters reconstruct themselves with the help of these techniques and emerge successful in life. The final chapter of the dissertation summarizes the previous chapters and discusses the style of the writer. It details on the symbols, themes, and techniques used in the novels. A real life case study is cited to emphasise the extent of truth in Danticat’s trauma narratives. This study attempts to highlight the fact that healing is possible for trauma survivors.