INHERITED WOUNDS AND WOMEN'S RESILIENCE IN HUSAIN’S BROKEN THREADS

Abstract

This research explores the interplay of pain and resilience within the fragmented familial narratives in Mishal Husain’s Broken Threads: My Family from Empire to Independence. Through the theoretical framework of post-memory and trauma, the study examines how intergenerational memory and inherited trauma shape identity, belonging, and historical consciousness. Husain’s reconstruction of her family's experiences spanning British colonial rule, the violent rupture of the 1947 Partition, and eventual diaspora reveals the deep scars of historical trauma on individual and collective psyche. Broken Threads illustrates how inherited wounds, carried across generations, shape women’s identities and compel them to negotiate resilience within fractured histories. The novel delves into the fragmented narratives of a family’s past, exposing the silences and secrets that perpetuate cycles of pain. Through a nuanced exploration of the protagonist’s experiences, Husain eliminates the far-reaching consequences of colonialism, partition and migration on individual and collective psyche. This study examines how Broken Threads presents the intersection of personal and collective memory, revealing the haunting legacy of trauma that permeates generations.