Paper Contents
Abstract
In Cracking India BapsiSidhwa uses the body as a representation of the brutality during the 1947 Partition. This essay explores how gender-based violence in the experiences of Ayah and Lennyunveils national fracture, collective trauma and resistance efforts. Utilizing theory, trauma studies (including shattered-assumptions theory) and geocriticism I will analyze how Sidhwas narrative converts physical suffering into a vehicle, for conveying political messages. Sidhwa alludes to space employs storytelling and incorporates themes of honor and disgrace to depict the intersection of patriarchy and nationalism all while amplifying voices that were once silenced.The 1947 Partition of India not established fresh political frontiers but also triggered a profound ethical dilemma especially regarding gender. Bapsi Sidhwas Cracking India (initially titled Ice Candy Man) highlights this dilemma by examining the experiences of womens bodies, such as Ayah, who is kidnapped and harmed and Lenny, the storyteller, who witnessesbut grapples with comprehendingthe horrific incidents occurring nearby. This centers womens bodies, in the heart of Partitions pain and disorder. This paper contends that Sidhwa employs gender-based violence not merely to convey suffering but to challenge the ways nationalism, religion and patriarchy conspire to dominate womens bodies. Through the application of trauma theory shattered-assumptions theory and spatial analysis this paper seeks to demonstrate how Sidhwa reclaims the body as a domain of remembrance, resistance and ethical evaluation.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 Aakanksha. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
