Trauma and Memory in Divakaruni: The Forest of Enchantments, viewed through the lens of Dominic La Capra

Abstract

Indian mythology, mainly Indian epics, has viewed women’s suffering as acts of love, morality and divinity. These epics are viewed as cultural heritage which is maintained and inherited and normalises women’s trauma. Such pain and suffering are romanticised and aestheticised, which leads to further promotion. This article examines how Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni reconstructs the mythic suffering of women through trauma-based narratives in one of her most famous works: The Forest of Enchantments by engaging Dominic La Capra’s theory of trauma. The story lays out the suffering of Sita in the form of trauma. Dominic’s concept of trauma shows us that it is an experience which returns to us through memory and narration. He further conceptualises trauma as an act of compulsive repetition, which is acting out on it and working through trauma. This paper focuses on how Divakaruni re-vocalises mythic pain from the perspectives of women. This form of revoicing provokes patriarchy in mythology and turns cultural memory into a healing space, completely changing the context of feminist historiography.