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

Portrayal of Communal Harmony and Religious Discord in Never Together Never Apart

2025-05-25T13:07:44+00:00

Aim: This paper aims to explore the portrayal of communal harmony and the underlying discord caused by religious differences in Professor Vikas Sharma’s novel Never Together Never Apart. It investigates how literature can act as a reflective medium for socio-political realities, particularly the dynamics of interfaith relationships and communal violence in contemporary India.

Methodology and Approaches: The study employs a close textual analysis of the novel, focusing on character development, narrative structure, and thematic depth. A qualitative approach is adopted, with the novel examined through the lens of cultural studies and postcolonial theory. Attention is given to historical and social contexts, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the author emerged as a voice of social concern.

Outcome: The analysis reveals that Never Together Never Apart is not merely a love story but a layered socio-political commentary that critiques the fragile nature of communal relationships in India. Through its characters and plot, the novel reflects how deeply religious prejudices can fracture human bonds while also offering glimpses of hope through moments of understanding and empathy.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The paper concludes that literature such as Sharma’s can play a vital role in promoting communal understanding by presenting humanized narratives of conflict and coexistence. It suggests that more literary works engaging with interfaith themes should be incorporated into academic discourse to broaden perspectives and foster social sensitivity.

Reframing India: Mahesh Dattani’s Exploration of Cultural and Social Diversity in Contemporary Theatre

2025-05-31T18:56:46+00:00

Aim: This paper aims to explore how Mahesh Dattani’s dramatic oeuvre reconfigures Indian identity by engaging with the complex cultural and societal dynamics of contemporary India. The focus is on how Dattani challenges monolithic narratives rooted in patriarchal, heteronormative, and hegemonic structures through plays such as Tara, Final Solutions, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Seven Steps Around the Fire, and Dance Like a Man.

Methodology and Approach: The researcher adopts postcolonial and multicultural theoretical frameworks to analyze Dattani’s plays. The study involves a close reading of primary texts supported by critical secondary sources. Attention is given to Dattani’s dramaturgical techniques, including non-linear narratives, naturalistic dialogue, and Brechtian distancing, to understand how these elements contribute to his critique of societal norms.

Outcome: The analysis reveals that Dattani’s theatre foregrounds marginalized voices—women, LGBTQ+ individuals, religious minorities, and hijras—while exploring the tensions between tradition and modernity. His plays challenge communalism, gender inequity, and social exclusion, presenting India as a pluralistic society that embraces diversity.

Conclusion and Suggestions: Dattani’s work positions theatre as a powerful medium for fostering dialogue and inclusivity. By reimagining Indian identity through the lens of heterogeneity and social justice, his plays advocate for a society that acknowledges and celebrates difference. The study suggests that future theatrical and literary research should continue to focus on marginalized voices to further enrich the discourse on Indian identity.

Cultural Narratives and Poetic Imagination: Myths and Fairy Tales in Robinson Jeffers’ Poems

2025-05-28T19:46:43+00:00

Aim: This study aims to establish the idea that myths and fairy tales in various literary forms and environments are reflections of the socio-cultural constructs in a particular society. It is also the objective of this essay to highlight the various pros and cons of myths and fairy tales in the poems of Robinson Jeffers.

Methodology and Approach: This essay discusses the terms ‘myths’ and ‘fairy tales’ in brief and their role in poems as socio-cultural constructs. It is also the essay’s objective to reconsider the purpose of poets and other creative writers in telling and retelling myths, legends, and fairy tales in literature and other artistic discourses. Besides, this essay also tries to have an analysis of the experience of traveling or journeys while meditating through different myths and fairy tales through wonderlands, miraculous worlds, elfin grots, and fairy castles along with the realization that all these provide a sufficient background for poetry, drama and literature with the purpose of constructing culture, the ideals and values accepted by society

Outcomes: This study has sought to establish that myths and fairy tales, as socio-cultural constructs, play a vital role in shaping and reflecting societal values, beliefs, and norms

Conclusion: Myths and fairy tales not only preserve cultural heritage but also provide a platform for engaging with contemporary issues, offering new perspectives on identity, power dynamics, and social hierarchies.

Female Characters in Prof. Vikas Sharma’s Sana and the Issue of Women Empowerment

2025-05-31T18:14:06+00:00

Aim: This paper aims to identify the issue of women’s empowerment as demonstrated in Vikash Sharma's novel Sana through the eventful lives of several female characters. Prof. Sharma highlights various important issues faced by women in contemporary times, marked by complexity. The paper focuses on their struggles with career building, marriage, adultery, and many other social problems, as well as how they quest for their identity. The clash between traditional values and modern Western attitudes toward life is also clearly emphasized. This paper attempts to examine these points from different angles.

Methodology and Approach: The author has consulted both primary and secondary sources as part of his research. Furthermore, feminist theories have been applied to analyze the problems faced by the female characters. Additionally, several online materials have been utilized in this paper.

Outcome: Through this paper, the researcher found that in the cities of today's postmodern India, rich and educated women have established themselves as independent human beings, revolting against the social bondage of patriarchy. The paper highlights different issues in which female characters emerge as a dynamic force in society, capable of writing the script of their own lives.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The paper concentrates on the conflict between tradition and modernism in Indian society regarding women’s emancipation. It focuses on how the new age welcomes women endowed with the spirit of independence, while their minds remain deeply rooted in tradition.

The Poetics of Pain: Trauma and Memory in Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

2025-07-09T11:03:40+00:00

Aim: This paper investigates how Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous expresses trauma and memory through lyrical language and narrative fragmentation. The aim is to examine how the novel captures intergenerational pain rooted in war, displacement, and cultural dislocation, and how these emotional experiences shape identity.

Methodology and Approach: The research follows a qualitative approach, focusing on close textual analysis supported by postcolonial and trauma theory. The study applies frameworks developed by Cathy Caruth, Dominick LaCapra, and others to explore how Vuong’s stylistic strategies convey psychological rupture. Primary emphasis is placed on the novel’s epistolary structure and its use of poetic imagery to understand the link between memory, narrative, and healing.

Outcome: The study finds that Vuong’s narrative turns pain into artistic expression, making trauma visible through literary form. The novel highlights how suppressed memories—both personal and collective—emerge through fragmented storytelling. Vuong’s prose enables both the narrator and readers to confront suffering while navigating loss, identity, and belonging. The research also reveals how literature can create spaces for emotional recovery and cultural memory.

Conclusion and Suggestions: Vuong’s novel demonstrates that writing can become a therapeutic act. This study recommends further interdisciplinary research connecting literary trauma narratives to psychological resilience, with particular attention to diasporic voices and their unique modes of remembering, expressing, and surviving trauma.

Forsaking the “Mere”: Embodying the Art of Impassioned Performance/s in Peter Shaffer’s Lettice and Lovage

2025-07-09T11:12:44+00:00

Aims: A playwright’s acquirement of a talent for the uniqueness of stagecraft is a potential acknowledgement that can be accorded to Peter Shaffer. His acumen to perceive vibrant life stories that are conveyed in the most suitable artistic expression is most felicitous in the way that we have come to appreciate Peter Shaffer as a playwright.

Methodology and Approaches: The play Lettice and Lovage focuses on a compelling tale of a burgeoning camaraderie between Lettice and Lotte, a story about how two women cross each other’s paths and are overawed in their ability to see the banality of human existence caught in the wrangles of prosaic colloquiality of their surroundings.

Outcome: Lettice and Lotte, though binated in their obvious professional appearance, are seen as characters who eventually want to alter strictures of established discourse that prey upon the possibilities of human intellect. The need to renounce the claptrap of “mediocrity” and the horrors of the “sameness” of human imagination is what the play seriously contests.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The play’s projections of the stage are a symbolic return to the unceasing phantasm of theatre, to have sustained human imagination since times immemorial. The paper dwells on this intellectual enquiry of how the play awakens its audience from the long silent stupor of a perpetual intellectual stasis that has eschewed human capacities as “beings” who can rightfully exist in the vibrancy of an ever-creative and flourishing experience of life, but are often overwhelmed by the insinuating hold of “mediocrity” making the creative imagination compellingly ordinary.

From Overt to Covert Treatment of Dalits- A Study of Shudra: The Rising and Quota: The Reservation

2025-07-18T16:50:59+00:00

Aims: The present paper attempts to study the covert oppression of Dalits in Indian academia through an analysis of two independent movies- Shudra: The Rising and Quota: The Reservation. The two movies have been selected to depict the changing nature of oppression in the forms of caste-based profiling and the use of languages as a tool for differential treatment meted out to Dalits by the upper-caste people. This paper traces the various trajectories of Dalit education in India. The present paper attempts to show that there are caste hierarchies in the educational system and the caste-based profiling and language are the two important aspects of practising castes.

Methodology and Approach: The present paper takes recourse to the cinematographic techniques like editing, movement, distance, height and angle of the camera as well as the pro-filmic elements like setting, props, costume and lighting to study the representation of Dalits in the select movies.

Outcome: Through the analysis of the two movies, the present paper concludes that despite several efforts made by the reformists to provide Dalits an opportunity for higher education, academia still remains an anti-assimilationist space.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The priority should be the merit, not the caste. There should be policies and laws which can reduce educational inequalities by finding out the newer forms of caste-based oppression which can help Dalits achieve intergenerational mobility.

Transnationality, Trauma and Emotional Estrangement in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Selected Short Fiction

2025-07-18T17:00:33+00:00

Aim: The purpose of the present research article is to explore the interrelated themes of transnationality, trauma, and emotional estrangement in Jhumpa Lahiri’s acclaimed short fiction, with a special focus on Interpreter of Maladies and Mrs. Sen’s. Lahiri masterfully and intricately captures the psychological and emotional complexities faced by diasporic individuals who navigate multiple cultural landscapes.

Approach and Methodology: This study adopts qualitative approach based on close textual reading of selected short stories to depict fractured and ruptured identities, disrupted and destabilized relationships, and the nuanced complexities of intercultural existence. The research relies on secondary sources from literary criticism, scholarly articles, and peer-reviewed journals. MLA 9th edition citation style is followed throughout.

Outcome: The analysis reveals that characters such as Mrs. Das and Mrs. Sen embody the deep psychological conflict between cultural heritage and the pressures of assimilation. Mrs. Das, though ethnically Indian, experiences a profound sense of estrangement in her role as an Indian-American tourist, while Mrs. Sen, as a recent immigrant, struggles with emotional detachment from her immediate environment in America

Conclusion: In both Interpreter of Maladies and Mrs. Sen’s, Jhumpa Lahiri poignantly explores the emotional toll of cultural displacement. Her narratives illuminate the silent, often invisible wounds inflicted by migration, where the idea of home becomes ironically fragmented and personal identity remains suspended between two worlds.

Tenants of the Earth: A Multidimensional Study of Nature, Culture, and Resistance in Narayan’s Kocharethi: The Araya Woman

2025-07-21T03:03:56+00:00

Aims: This paper undertakes an ecocritical analysis of Kocharethi: The Araya Woman, examining the novel through interdisciplinary lenses such as theological ecology, postcolonial environmentalism, Marxist ecocriticism, and animal studies. It investigates the erosion of indigenous ecological knowledge and spiritual cosmologies, critiques the forces of capitalist and colonial exploitation, and interrogates the anthropocentric paradigms that dominate the Anthropocene discourse.

Methodology and Approaches: The research adopts a qualitative, interpretive literary methodology, guided by an ecocritical theoretical framework. Primary attention is paid to close textual analysis of Kocharethi: The Araya Woman in English translation.

Outcome: The study reveals Kocharethi as a significant ecocritical text that intertwines indigenous ecological sensibilities with a pointed critique of capitalist and colonial modes of environmental exploitation. Through its emphasis on reciprocity, spiritual ecology, and ancestral wisdom, the novel articulates a vision of sustainable living grounded in indigenous epistemologies.

Conclusions and suggestions: Kocharethi: The Araya Woman presents a nuanced ecological vision, revealing how external disruptions fracture indigenous systems grounded in reciprocity, spiritual continuity, and ancestral stewardship. It emphasizes human responsibility as transient custodians, advocating a relational ethic vital to contemporary environmental discourse. Despite being written in 1988, published in 1998, and translated into English by Catherine Thankamma in 2011, the text remains underexplored in scholarly discourse.

Dusting the Past: Mapping the Politico-Historical Representation of Sudan in Jamal Mahjoub’s Wings of Dust

2025-07-21T03:11:56+00:00

Aim: This paper examines the fictional representation of Sudan’s political and historical trajectories in Jamal Mahjoub’s Wings of Dust. Mahjoub documents significant political events and historical shifts in Sudan through the narrative voice of his protagonist, Sharif.

Methodology and Approach: Employing the inductive method and close textual analysis, the study reflects on the burden of Sudan’s historical traumas, rooted in colonial domination, postcolonial repercussions, ongoing civil wars, and the rise of religious fundamentalism.

Outcome: The research identifies Sharif as a symbolic victim of postcolonial Othering, reflecting the broader socio-political landscape of Sudan marked by corruption, internal conflict, identity crises, favouritism, racial discrimination, systemic inequality, political chaos, ethnic clashes, and persistent civil unrest.

Conclusion and Suggestion: The study unfolds the socio-political and historical realities of Sudan as represented in Wings of Dust, and suggests the need for further in-depth research into the ongoing conflicts and unrest in the region.

Magic Realism as a Corrective Discourse to Counter Environmental Degradation and Violence in Easterine Kire’s Son of the Thundercloud

2025-08-03T17:28:56+00:00

Aim: This paper aims to explore the use of magic realism in Easterine Kire’s Son of the Thundercloud as a narrative strategy to blend myth, memory, and lived reality. It seeks to analyze how the author employs magical elements within a realistic setting to reimagine Naga folklore, address historical trauma, and offer a vision of healing and regeneration.

Methodology and Approaches: This paper adopts a qualitative research approach, grounded in literary textual analysis, to examine Easterine Kire’s Son of the Thundercloud through the framework of magic realism.

Outcome: This paper is expected to demonstrate how Easterine Kire employs magic realism as a powerful narrative tool to revitalize indigenous Naga myths and address themes of violence, loss, and renewal. It also highlights how Kire’s use of magic realism contributes to a unique literary voice that bridges the local with the universal, affirming the value of indigenous storytelling in contemporary literature.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The conclusion establishes how the novelist employs magic realism to expose violence in present-day Northeast. Future research could compare Son of the Thundercloud with other global magic realist texts to highlight regional variations and thematic convergences, especially with works by writers from other indigenous or postcolonial cultures. Scholars might benefit from incorporating ethnographic or anthropological perspectives to deepen the understanding of the novel’s mythic references and their cultural significance.

Representing the Unpresentable: Traumatic Realism in the Holocaust Narratives

2025-08-03T17:57:35+00:00

Aims: This paper aims to critically examine the representational challenges posed by the Holocaust as both a historical and cultural trauma. It investigates the tensions between Realist and Anti-Realist narrative modes and introduces Michael Rothberg’s concept of Traumatic Realism as a mediating framework capable of addressing the complexities of Holocaust representation.

Methodology and Approach: The study adopts a comparative literary analysis, drawing on Rothberg’s theoretical model to evaluate how Traumatic Realism integrates the structured coherence of Realism with the fragmented, non-linear characteristics of Anti-Realism. Two key texts are analysed as case studies: Ruth Kluger’s Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered and Charlotte Delbo’s Auschwitz and After.

Outcome: The analysis reveals that both Kluger’s and Delbo’s narratives embody the principles of Traumatic Realism by simultaneously acknowledging the incomprehensibility of Holocaust experiences and maintaining a tether to historical specificity.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The paper concludes that Traumatic Realism offers a nuanced and ethically sensitive framework for representing the Holocaust, one that avoids the pitfalls of both reductive Realism and excessive abstraction. It suggests that future representations of genocide and mass trauma should continue to adopt hybrid approaches that can accommodate contradiction, fragmentation, and affective resonance while remaining historically grounded.

Surrogating Silences: Reading Trauma in Temsula Ao’s These Hills Called Home: Stories from a War Zone

2025-08-03T18:05:54+00:00

Aim: The Northeast is one of the most contentious regions in India, which has witnessed unprecedented violence and conflict, causing atrocities against people, especially women. Despite the six-decade-long violence against women in the form of molestation, sexual harassment, and rape, little literary attention has been paid, which the paper aims to foreground.

Methodology and Approach: The paper will employ a qualitative approach to provide a descriptive analysis of the selected text through the lens of Trauma Studies.

Outcome: The study will provide a robust understanding of Trauma through the women’s perspective, which has not been a part of academic discourse so far. The female experiences of trauma can be different from the male experiences, which have been deliberately undermined, so that the paper will bring out such marginalised voices.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The study will reiterate the voices of women from the margins, as expressed through the writings of Temsula Ao, which have, for decades, survived the pangs of silencing and erasure.

War and Love as Major Themes in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms: A Critical Study

2025-08-17T18:24:23+00:00

Aims: This study examines A Farewell to Arms as Ernest Hemingway’s powerful critique of war, focusing on its destructive impact on human relationships. It explores the interplay of love, war, and suffering through Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley, underscoring themes of peace, non-violence, and the futility of armed conflict.

Methodology and Approaches: Using close textual analysis, the paper studies Henry, an American lieutenant in the Italian ambulance service during World War I, and Catherine, a British nurse in Milan. Their relationship is assessed for its emotional, physical, and psychological dimensions. Catherine’s devotion and acceptance of societal limits are contrasted with Henry’s growing disillusionment with war.

Outcome: Their love deepens after Henry’s war injury and recovery under Catherine’s care. Catherine’s pregnancy and fear of separation prevent marriage. Attempting escape to Switzerland, they face hardships; Catherine dies in childbirth after delivering a stillborn, leaving Henry alone. The tragedy reinforces war’s senselessness and the fragility of human joy.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The novel stands as a lasting denunciation of war’s brutality, urging empathy, peace, and dignity over militarism. Modern readers are encouraged to revisit it as a timeless reminder of the human cost of conflict.

Metaphysical and Mystical Dimensions in R. K. Narayan’s The English Teacher: A Critical Study

2025-08-18T13:04:45+00:00

Aim: This paper critically examines the metaphysical and mystical dimensions of R. K. Narayan’s The English Teacher, set in colonial India. It traces Krishna’s transformation following the death of his wife, Susila, charting a journey from personal grief to spiritual awakening. The narrative blends the ordinary with the transcendental, exploring love, loss, and communication with the spirit world. Themes of existence, consciousness, and the afterlife are interwoven, presenting the novel as a timeless work of Indian English literature that unites emotional healing with philosophical inquiry.

Methodology: The study employs textual analysis of The English Teacher to examine its thematic, philosophical, and stylistic elements, highlighting its metaphysical and mystical layers. Secondary sources—critical essays, scholarly articles, reviews, and philosophical writings—are incorporated to provide a well-rounded interpretation grounded in literary and spiritual contexts.

Outcome: Findings reveal that the novel transcends personal tragedy to depict an odyssey of the soul, engaging with concepts of immortality and transcendence through Krishna’s evolution. Mystical communication with Susila becomes a means for emotional and philosophical resolution, positioning the work as both a reflection of Indian spirituality and a narrative of universal significance.

Conclusion: Blending psychological realism with metaphysical depth, The English Teacher affirms the human capacity for inner peace and transcendence, enriching Indian English literature with enduring spiritual and philosophical resonance.

Applying Feminist Approach to Sundara – Kanda of Sri Ramacaritamanasa by Goswami Tulsidasa

2025-08-18T13:33:01+00:00

Aim: The aim of the paper is to find out the contribution and a critical version of female characters in Sundarkanda the fifth chapter (Pancham-Sopana) of Sri Ramacaritamanasa by Goswami Tulsidasa. One of the lines is very popular now a day, “Dhola, Gawara Sudra Pasu Nari, Sakala Tarana Ke Adhikari.” This is the version of the people who are defending the Poet Goswami Tulsidasa, on the other side a sect of people criticized him for the interpretation of the word tarna as oppressive and humiliating. Methodology and Approach :The present paper deals with the critical analysis of the sundara- kanda the fifth chapter of Sri Ramacaritamansa of Goswami Tulsidasa looking the text through Feminist lens and analyzing how the poet portrays the narrative of male domination by depicting the favorable economic, social, political, and psychological atmosphere for them and on the other hand the presentation of women's pathetic condition; in particular, the subversive and subjugated depiction of female characters.

Outcome: This paper will present the Women characters and their role as depicted by the poet Tulsidasa. In general, he is criticized for not giving the proper place to Women characters in the Epic but the paper will show the significant and dominating role of Female characters in the Sundarkanda.

Conclusion and Suggestions: A feminist examination of the Sundarkanda uncovers a multifaceted tapestry of female perspectives, each navigating power, ethics, and autonomy inside a profoundly patriarchal framework, despite its ostensibly heroic and devotional exterior. The paper suggest that Ramacaritamansa is not only the depiction of lord Rama but also has a proper place and representation of Women Characters.

Enhancing Reading Skills: A Developmental Perspective Through Cognitive and Pedagogical Strategies

2025-08-19T13:03:27+00:00

Aim: This paper provides an in-depth exploration of reading skills by examining them through multiple perspectives, including cognitive, pedagogical, and socio-cultural frameworks. Additionally, the paper highlights Kimberley Reynolds’s influential work on the socio-cultural influences on literacy. The study applies Scarborough’s Reading Rope theory to explain how word recognition and comprehension interconnect in achieving reading mastery. It highlights strategies to improve early oral reading fluency, including metacognitive techniques, reciprocal teaching, scaffolding, and repeated reading. It also addresses major barriers to literacy such as dyslexia, socio-economic gaps, and learner motivation.

Methodology: A thorough and detailed analysis of the significant models of reading with fluency and understanding was conducted to get deep insight into the science behind the phenomenon.

Outcomes: This research provides tailored solutions to address these challenges, emphasising the importance of personalised methods, especially in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Opportunities for innovative strategies include utilising advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and immersive digital tools to create customised learning experiences that cater to individual needs and preferences.

Conclusion and Recommendations: By combining strong theoretical foundations with practical, evidence-based strategies, this paper seeks to enhance reading skills. The aim is to promote lifelong learning and academic achievement by fostering a comprehensive, inclusive, and technology-driven approach to literacy development.

Reimagining History: Shashi Tharoor’s Narrative Strategy in The Great Indian Novel

2025-08-19T13:52:17+00:00

Aims: The study analyzes Shashi Tharoor’s The Great Indian Novel (1989) as a postmodern reinterpretation of Indian political history through the mythic framework of the Mahabharata. It demonstrates how Tharoor blends mythology with modern politics to create a satirical and allegorical narrative that reimagines the nation’s twentieth-century journey.

Methodology and Approaches: The analysis is based on a close reading of the novel with attention to its use of postmodernist techniques such as intertextuality, magic realism, parody, and metafiction. The narrative device of Ved Vyas dictating to Ganapathi is examined as a structural parallel to the Mahabharata. Symbolic episodes and character correspondences are studied to highlight how mythological frameworks are mapped onto contemporary historical figures and events, including the freedom struggle, Partition, and the Emergency.

Outcome: The study finds that The Great Indian Novel serves as a historiographic metafiction, challenging the idea of a single, authoritative historical truth. Tharoor’s playful yet critical approach reconstructs Indian history by weaving together multiple perspectives, humor, and satire. His narrative technique not only reinterprets past events but also underscores the continuous interplay between myth and modernity in Indian cultural consciousness.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The novel exemplifies how myth can be recontextualized to question, critique, and reinterpret history in a postmodern framework. By reimagining India’s past through satire and allegory, Tharoor makes history accessible, engaging, and thought-provoking. The study suggests further exploration of how contemporary Indian writers employ myth to address political and cultural complexities, thereby keeping ancient epics relevant in modern discourse.