From Silence to Expression: Trauma Narratives in the Works of Jhumpa Lahiri

Abstract

Trauma has emerged as a significant theme in contemporary literature, particularly in narratives dealing with migration, displacement, cultural conflict, and identity formation. The literary works of Jhumpa Lahiri provide a powerful exploration of emotional and psychological trauma experienced by individuals living between cultures. Lahiri’s fiction frequently portrays characters who struggle with alienation, loneliness, cultural displacement, and generational conflict. These experiences often remain unspoken, producing a tension between silence and expression that becomes central to the narrative structure of her works. This research paper examines trauma narratives in Lahiri’s major literary works, including Interpreter of Maladies, The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth, and The Lowland. The paper analyzes how Lahiri portrays trauma through silence, emotional restraint, and fragmented relationships while demonstrating how characters gradually move toward articulation and self-awareness. By drawing on trauma theory and diaspora studies, the study argues that Lahiri’s narratives transform silence into a powerful form of expression. Her fiction reveals that trauma in diasporic life often manifests not through dramatic events alone but through subtle emotional tensions embedded in everyday experiences. Through her nuanced storytelling and introspective characterization, Lahiri illustrates how literature can serve as a space where suppressed emotions and traumatic memories are gradually expressed, allowing individuals to confront their past and reconstruct their identities.