Postcolonial Gothic Psyche and the Haunted Mind: Transgenerational Hauntings in Nadeem Aslam’s Works

Abstract

Psychology and Postcolonial gothic writing often
collide. One obvious preoccupation both share is
their responsiveness to the inner workings of the
human mind; another is that both play out
implications of the repressed emotions and childhood
experiences by capturing the psychic secrets and
psychological dysfunctions. These psychoanalytical
dissonances are the defining traits of Postcolonial
gothic. Using qualitative research methodology, this
article unfolds the psychoanalytical layers of Aslam‟s
(2004) narratives. The introductory part of this
article unfolds the psychoanalytical layers of what
Aslam‟s (2004) writings conceal: the repressed
childhood fears, deep-seated traumas, and behavioral
imbalances resulting from a claustrophobic atmosphere
of the fictional world. The theoretical grid for the
article is Abraham and Torok‟s (1970) psychological
theories of transgenerational haunting and the effect
of the uncanny produced through such psychological
derangement. The article examines how Aslam‟s
(2004) fiction conjures up the terrifying psyches and
explores the characters‟ defensive positions and
strategies against the onslaught of hostile foreign
forces. The article further interlinks gothic terror
with immigrants‟ psyches and fears to highlight the
ensuing sense of displacement characters feel in the
light of the theory of transgenerational haunting. The
study is unique in that Aslam‟s work has not been
previously analyzed through the critical lens of
transgenerational haunting and postcolonial Gothic
psyche, and so far it has remained an under
researched area.