TRAUMA, MEMORY, AND EMOTIONAL ALIENATION IN THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY: A POST-TRAUMATIC READING OF DIASPORIC EXPERIENCE
Keywords:
Diasporic Experience, Displacement, Emotional Alienation, Kiran Desai, Literary Analysis, Loneliness, Memory Studies, Post-Traumatic Identity, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Trauma TheoryAbstract
This research paper examines the representation of trauma, memory, and emotional alienation in Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny (2025) through a post-traumatic reading of diasporic experience. The purpose of the research paper is to investigate the role of trauma, remembrance and estrangement as psychological and emotional systems that impact upon diasporic identity in the novel. The study follows a qualitative, interpretative, and literary analytical methodology, and focuses on close reading of selected passages of texts, which is done by applying the concepts of trauma theory, memory studies, and emotional alienation theory. The study draws on Cathy Caruth's conceptualisation of trauma as a delayed and disjointed experience, and on theories exploring memory studies, which highlight the reconstructive and enduring nature of memory, and alienation, which explains emotional disconnectedness and self-estrangement. The findings indicate that Desai is not merely about a traumatic incident but a chronic psychological state characterized by fear, insecurity, and emotional turmoil. Memory becomes a force that continually creates identity in the present and functions in a way that can maintain both the sense of belonging and loss. Moreover, emotional alienation is presented as a profound state of being that occurs as a consequence of displacement, unresolved trauma and ruptured relationships. The study concludes that the novel not only explores geographical displacement but also emotional and psychological consequences of trauma, memory and loneliness of the diaspora. By incorporating these perspectives, the research contributes to contemporary trauma studies, memory studies, and diaspora literary criticism.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Eram Jamil, Uzma Raza, Asif Abbas, Muhammad Umair (Author)
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