NARRATING TRAUMA AND EMPOWERMENT: A LITERARY ANALYSIS OF “SOMEONE LIKE HER” BY AWAIS KHAN

Abstract

This paper will provide a critical literary and textual response to the novel Someone Like Her by Awais Khan in terms of its expression of the complexities of trauma and feminine empowerment in a modern Pakistani socio-cultural setting. Based on the interdisciplinary approaches, mostly Trauma theory by Cary Caruth’s, recovery by Judith Herman and power theory by Michael Foucault, the study explores the narrative practices where personal and collective trauma is produced, negotiated, and transformed into a place of resistance and agency. Qualitative textual analysis is used in the study to investigate how the characters have been characterized, their narrative voice, symbolism and constructions of themes with particular emphasis on the psychological and social development of the protagonist. It challenges the manner in which traumatized as a result of gender based violence, marginalization in the society, and patriarchal oppression are not just presented as victimhood but re-defined as a source of self-realization and empowerment. The analysis also places the novel in the wider context of South Asian feminist literature, and how it contributes towards the undermining of the prevailing discourse which silences voices of women. This study hypothesizes that Someone Like Her redefines the empowerment concept as multifaceted, non-linear process, which is affected by both internal healing and external socio-cultural factors by foreshadowing the synthesis of both trauma and resilience. The work is a contribution to the literature field in terms of broadening the critical discourse on literature on trauma in Pakistani English fiction and the importance of literature as a transformative platform to express the marginalized identity and create a socio-cultural consciousness.