The SPL Journal of Literary Hermeneutics: A Biannual International Journal of Independent Critical Thinking

Manju Bala’s “The Housemaid Special”: A Study in Dalit Consciousness and Resistance

2024-07-21T16:41:55+00:00

Aims: Dalit literature in Bangla, more often than not, has been written by Dalit men. However, there is a body of Dalit literature in Bangla written by Dalit women, where gender and caste identities intersect and manifest themselves. This paper seeks to address how this complex identity politics plays out in Bangla Dalit woman writer Manju Bala’s short story “The Housemaid Special”.

Methodology and Approaches: The methodology of my research has been a close reading of the short story in question as well as a parallel reading of other Dalit literary works such as Manohar Mouli Biswas’s Surviving in My World: Growing Up Dalit in Bengal and other theoretical and critical texts on Dalit literary history and aesthetics (as cited at the end of the paper) to drive home the challenges confronting Dalit literature in bringing about material changes in Brahminical socio-political structures.

Outcome: Bala’s story in question deftly weaves in concerns of the three axes of class, caste and gender, and exposes with a typical Dalit consciousness the muted existence of casteism in Bengal, thereby unravelling the Savarna politics of epistemic violence in silencing the Dalit voice as part of a centuries-old process of ‘othering’.

Conclusion and Suggestions: Dalit literature has developed into a body that is ontologically and epistemologically productive for understanding and transforming the social and political contours of contemporary India. In order to dismantle the long-entrenched caste structure, the Dalit has to combat the ideological state apparatuses of upper-caste canonical literature that propagates Brahminical values and aesthetics and pass them off as the universal and ahistorical Hindu/Indian experience.

Trauma and its Manifestations in Saadat Hasan Manto’s “Toba Tek Singh”

2024-07-26T15:17:02+00:00

Aims: The present paper entitled “Trauma and its Manifestations in Saadat Hasan Manto’s “Toba Tek Singh” aims to elaborate the concept of trauma both in clinical and psychological terms. It also tries to establish a link between trauma and its various manifestations in Manto’s short story “Toba Tek Singh”.

Methodology and Approaches: The paper is primarily based on the elaborations of the various events occurred in “Toba Tek Singh”. The character of Bishan Singh has been analyzed showcasing him as a typical case of psychological trauma. The analysis has been made in such a way that can lead to a larger understanding of literary narratives as an outcome of traumatic psyche. The methods and approaches adopted for writing of this paper are explanatory, analytical and reinterpretive.

Outcome: The paper offers a new approach to relook into certain literary texts. It also raises question on the role of memory as a device to ascertain historical facts in a troubled time.

Conclusion and Suggestions: Trauma is an overwhelming experience of sudden or catastrophic events, in which the response to the event occurs in the often delayed, and uncontrolled repetitive occurrence of hallucinations and other intrusive phenomena. Saadat Hasan Manto's "Toba Tek Singh" stands as a powerful indictment of the trauma inflicted by the partition of India and Pakistan. The characters of Manto’s other short stories such as “Mozail” and “The Return” can be analysed from the perspective of physical trauma.

Identity Crisis and Diasporic Elements in Jhumpa Lahiri’s, The Namesake

2024-08-04T17:52:22+00:00

Aim: In this paper, the main aim is to describe the requisite issue of the migration to present the pain and the problems that are faced by the immigrants by understanding the term ‘Diaspora’ in Jhumpa Lahiri’s, The Namesake. The novel, The Namesake, has so many diasporic expressions such as language as a barrier, alienation, culture identity, relationship between parents and children and nostalgia. The novel tells a story about the assimilation of an Indian Bengali family from Calcutta, the Ganguly into America, over thirty years (1968-2000).

Methodology and Approach: The author has consulted the primary and secondary sources as part of her research. This research uses qualitative literary analysis of Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, which focuses on the themes of the identity crisis and diasporic elements. The paper is based on textual analysis aided by secondary sources to explore the impact of migration on identity formation.

Outcome: Through this paper, the researcher has found that “The Namesake” complexly portyrays the intense struggles of identity and belonging faced by migrant people. It outlines how cultural heritage and personal yearning shape as well as complicate the protagonist’s and his surroundings journey.

Conclusions and Suggestions: The study concludes that this novel profoundly captures the complexity of identity crisis. The researcher has tried to explore comparative analysis with other diaspora literature also to get to know more about how different cultural backgrounds shapes and influence identity formation to enrich the understanding of multiculturalism more effectively.

Becoming an ‘In/Outsider’ in an ‘Unhomely’ World: A Reading of Siddhartha Deb’s The Point of Return

2024-09-06T05:38:48+00:00

Aims: The paper entitled “Becoming an ‘In-Outsider’ in an ‘Unhomely’ World: A Reading of Siddhartha Deb’s The Point of Return” deals with the complexities of ethnic violence in Meghalaya post-independent India. The plight of the Bengalis who fled their previous homeland and settled in the new country is addressed. Even though they became citizens of the new Indian nation, they struggled to belong to their place of settlement.

Methodology and Approaches: The research methodology for this analysis is qualitative and based on textual examination of primary and secondary sources. It takes both the subjective approach as well as objective historical sources to interpret the text in the context of the spatio-temporal setting of events and places.

Outcome: There have been attempts to deconstruct binaries in postcolonial studies. Drawing from these postcolonial theorists, the paper attempts to deconstruct the insider-outsider dichotomy prevalent within India’s Northeast, particularly in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. Instead of overtly demonstrating the fluidity of identities or essentialising a cosmopolitan outlook, the narrative situates itself within while at the same time deconstructing the binary of who belongs and who does not.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The conundrum on the question of who is the real insider/outsider remains complex. In such a scenario, those migrants or refugees who find themselves belonging “neither here nor there,” find themselves occupying a “third space.” Their voices need to be heard and there is a need to be more open-minded so that a more inclusive society can be built.

Cross- Cultural Conflicts and Diasporic Sensibilities in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Arranged Marriage

2024-09-10T15:08:13+00:00

Aim: The primary goal of this paper is to define the essential aspect of migration in order to highlight the suffering and difficulties that immigrants encounter by comprehending the meaning of the term "Diaspora" in Citra Banerjee Divakaruni's collection of short stories, Arrange marriage. The anthology features numerous diasporic expressions that the female characters must deal with. They discovered that they were caught between traditional and modern values, experiencing alienation, identity crisis, and cultural clash.

Methodology and Approach: A detailed reading of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's collection of short stories served as the research methodology. As part of her research, the author has consulted both primary and secondary materials. Qualitative literary analysis of Arranged Marriage is used in this study. The purpose of the paper is to investigate how migration affects the construction of identity using textual analysis supported by secondary sources.

Outcomes: As the research found that, the story collection Arranged Marriage attempts to portray the lives of female characters who are caught between the worlds of the East and the West. They are having difficulty identifying as neither American nor Indian.

Conclusions and Suggestion: The present study focuses on the main idea of this story collection is that the native tradition always peeps through the live of these women characters unable them to cope with in alien culture, leaving them with a sense of nostalgic pain. The voice for these underrepresented women has emerged in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Arranged Marriage.

Quest for Identity: Laxmi Narayan Tripathi’s Me Hijra Me Laxmi

2024-02-23T19:08:45+00:00

Aim: The present research paper aims to examine the quest for identity and creation of identity through individual effort in the lives of the transgender people. Role of people in society in the plight of marginalized transgender community is critically evaluated through the autobiographical literary texture Me Hijra Me Laxmi. The paper also seeks to critically study the psychological trauma of the transgender when they are denied of fundamental opportunities like other human beings.

Methodology and Approaches: Critical and analytical methods have been applied in the present research paper examining the reasons and effects of biased attitude regarding transgender. Expectations and attitudes have been kept in mind in analyzing socially and psychologically with a view to find out the ways for betterment in the lives of transgender people.

Outcome: Exclusion from the society is the root cause of suffering of transgender people in the society is the outcome of the present research paper. It is education that is of great significance to resolve the problem and bring a change in the existing situation in the society.

Conclusion and Suggestion: In conclusion it is found that individual is also responsible for happiness and sorrow. As suggestion it can be pointed out that education, inclusion, positive attitude, personal effort, opportunities in every walk of life among others will be successful pillars in making the life as human beings for transgender people.

Femininity Redefined: Cinematic Portrayal of Intersection of Disability and Sexuality in Margarita with a Straw

2024-09-26T15:14:19+00:00

Aim: This research paper aims to examine the relationship between disability and sexuality in Margarita with a Straw, a film directed by Shonali Bose. It also investigates how Laila (the protagonist), a young lady with cerebral palsy, manages her relationships and sexuality while overcoming the obstacles imposed on her. In my opinion, the film subverts the widely held belief that people with disabilities are asexual and incapable of feeling love or sexual desire by showing Laila's sexuality and desire as significant aspects of her existence. The article discusses how Laila's intersectional identity as a bisexual, disabled woman complicates her journey of life.

Methodology and Approach: The study is primarily qualitative and employs textual analysis as a theoretical tool for critically evaluating the film. Both primary and secondary sources have been examined. In addition, it has been studied in the context of feminist theory and disability studies.

Outcome-The researchers have discovered through this paper that the film Margarita with a Straw undermines ableist and heteronormative presumptions about sexuality and relationships by offering a complex and inspiring portrayal of disability and desire. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for changes in how disabilities are portrayed in popular media and aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge concerning the relationship between sexuality and disability.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The film "Margarita with a Straw" is a potent example of how cinema can redefine gender and subvert social standards. By focusing on the experiences of a protagonist with a disability, "Margarita with a Straw" fosters a more diverse and inclusive cinematic landscape, increasing comprehension, empathy, and acceptance of underrepresented identities. Disability awareness's objectives and tenets are to protect individuals with disabilities from prejudice, promote their equal involvement in society, and ensure that they have access to the same opportunities and rights as persons without disabilities.