An Estimation Of Pluralistic Traumatic Reading In Select Works Of Temsula Ao

Abstract

Memories and experiences create a vital impression on the mind of an individual. These impressions create an outline on which an individual’s life is shaped. Impressions may be happy, sad or in some cases traumatic. Traumatic incidences harvest both conscious and sub conscious reactions in individuals which manifest in ways which are most unpredictable and varied in individuals. Likewise, the ways and means used to cope with these incidences are may also vary from individual to individual. This paper traces the meaning of trauma and the pluralistic approach in dealing with it based on the select novels of North East Indian writer Temsula Ao. In her two short story collections, ‘Laburnum for my Head’ and ‘These Hills Called Home: Stories from the War Zone’ has highlighted the distressing experiences faced by the people of Nagaland. These characters and their struggle to cope with their traumatic experiences is an interesting study.