Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026)
Space and Culture, India

Research

Trauma and Survival in Sujata Parashar’s The Temple Bar Woman: A Tale of Danger, Deceit, and Daring

Published 2026-06-20

  • Jove Jerina S
    • ,
  • Dr. Chithra G.K.

Jove Jerina S
Ph.D. Scholar, Department of English, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai-600127, India

Dr. Chithra G.K.
Professor, Department of English, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai-600127, India

Abstract

Surviving trauma from an extreme incident, such as rape, includes numerous issues. Following rape, a victim must endure several physical and mental challenges. When physical wounds are involved, the psychological suffering is doubled. This study focuses on a survivor’s struggle to get through the trauma in everyday life and the challenges she faces to cope with the trauma through the ideological lens of Judith Herman and other trauma theorists. It includes struggles due to self-blame, guilt and the societal pressure the survivors face after the rape. The study elucidates the arguments through Sujata Parashar's novel The Temple Bar Woman: A Tale of Danger, Deceit, and Daring. According to the novel’s background, Radha, a rape survivor, primarily experiences excruciating physical anguish. As the physical wound heals, the psychological battle emerges quickly. After her physical damage heals, her mind begins to focus extensively on the mental trauma. In order to comprehend, the article closely examines the text to understand the challenges Radha faces following the rape and how she overcomes the trauma.

Keywords

Trauma, Survival, Rape, Struggles, Physical Wound, Sujata Parashar, India

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Author Biography

Jove Jerina S

Jove Jerina S.’s research interests lie in Trauma Studies, especially in the Indian context. The researcher is also interested in Feminism, Postmodernism and Gender Studies.

Dr. Chithra G.K.

Dr Chithra G K’s research interests lie in Psychoanalytic Literature, Linguistics, Grammar, ELT, Comparative Literature and Natural Language Processing.

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