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This study examines themes of trauma and identity in Partition Literature, with focus on Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy Man. It states that Partition was not just Political division but psychological breakage which reshaped identity and gendered experience. It analyses how violence left psychological and emotional wounds. The paper shows how common people, especially women and children, faced fear, confusion, and displacement. Through Lenny’s viewpoint, the novel shows how innocence transforms into a painful awareness of cruelty. Instead of seeing the novel only from political viewpoint, the study analyses trauma as lived experience and delayed realization. The study also focuses on gendered trauma. During Partition, women’s bodies became sites of honor and revenge. This is seen through the character of Ayah, who is later abducted and loses her identity. Examining through the lens of Trauma Theory and Feminist perspectives, the paper shows how identity is broken and becomes performative under disaster.
Ishmeet Saluja, and Prof. (Dr.) Kum Kum Ray. “Trauma and Identity in Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy Man in Partition Literature.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 155–177. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.10.
Open Access · CC BY 4.0 · Crossref DOI ·
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