EXPLORING TRAUMA IN CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI'S BEFORE WE VISIT THE GODDESS

In the novel Before We Visit the Goddess, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni vividly presents the life experiences of three generations of women through the characters--Sabitri, Bela and Tara. While navigating from rural Bengal to urban Kolkata and the United States, the novel depicts these characters struggling with various issues, including identity, migration, and gender within the Indian diasporic context. In the novel, Divakaruni presents a case of personal and cultural trauma originating from diverse sources such as patriarchy, migration and dislocation. In this article, we have explored various characters by employing a feminist theoretical framework, based on Hélène Cixous's concept of 'écriture féminine' (which means women's writing) and postcolonial discourse.The analysis of the novel shows how these brave women fight against the patriarchal societal norms and march towards self-empowerment despite all the hurdles and pressures from society. By analysing the novel's narrative structure, cultural interactions and resistance against patriarchal societal norms, the article highlights characters' grit, determination and resilience against the societal norms. Through this discourse, the novel gives more profound insights into the connections between gender, identity and culture and how they influence each other across cultures and geographies.