Unveiling the Wounded Psyche: Female Trauma and Resilience in Mahasweta Devi’s Mother of 1084

Abstract

The present research article is a poignant critique of female trauma and resilience on Mahasweta Devi’s Mother of 1084, set against the backdrop of the Naxalite movement in the village of Naxalbari, West Bengal, India. The novel under critical survey deeply explores the psychological turmoil of Sujata Chatterjee, the protagonist of the story, a mother who struggles with the brutal loss of her son, Brati. Simultaneously, she undergoes the strangling structures of the then-patriarchal and bourgeoise oppressive measures. This study highlights the emotional, psychological, and social wounds of the female psyche represented by the protagonist. Through the traumatic journey of the protagonist, the novel seeks to critique systemic and organised violence, political perfidy and the erasure of female voices, seeking to make them voiceless. However, through this ordeal, the story also depicts resilience: the protagonist’s self-discovery becomes a form of resistance against both personal and political subjugation. By employing a feminist and psychoanalytic lens, this paper analyses the representation of grief, repression and agency in Mother of 1084. It illustrates how Devi’s work redefines motherhood, identity and female endurance in the face of socio-political turmoil.