Narrating Memory, Bearing Trauma: Identity and Resistance in Karukku and The God of Small Things

Abstract

This paper examines the intricate relationship between memory, trauma, and colonial identity in Indian literature, as explored in Bama’s Karukku and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. In Karukku, Bama recalls her experiences as a Dalit Christian woman in Tamil Nadu. She faces humiliation at school, during playtime, in church, on the streets, and in hostel life. She remembers being treated differently because of her caste and gender, even in places where equality was promised. Her memories reveal that postcolonial India is still marked by deep social inequality. In The God of Small Things, Roy tells the story of twins Estha and Rahel in Kerala, whose lives are marked by the death of their cousin Sophie Mol, caste discrimination, racial prejudice, and family restrictions. Their trauma comes from childhood incidents, broken family, falling apart, and silent suffering that continues into adulthood. The paper shows how both writers use memory to preserve truth, how trauma continues, and how the postcolonial struggle against oppression shapes identity.