Communal Life Besides Chaos: The Reading of Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion and The English Patient

Authors

  • E. Sahaya Merlin PhD Research Scholar, PG & Research, Dept. of English, Holy Cross College (Autonomous), Ngl Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, India. | Assistant Professor of English, Jayaraj Annapackiam College for Women, Mother Teresa Women’s University, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71093/iqmrj.v1i1.202504

Keywords:

communal life, chaos, relationship, Ondaatje

Abstract

This study examines Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion and The English Patient through the lens of Trauma Theory, focusing on the interplay between individual and collective trauma, identity, and community formation. Both novels depict characters navigating cultural, linguistic, and psychological barriers in the aftermath of personal and historical traumas. In the Skin of a Lion explores the lives of immigrant workers in early 20th-century Toronto, highlighting their struggles with isolation and marginalization and their journey toward communal solidarity through shared narratives. Similarly, The English Patient portrays a group of war-torn individuals who, despite their disparate backgrounds, find healing and connection within the sanctuary of a villa during World War II. The novels emphasize storytelling, acts of kindness, and communal bonds as vehicles for processing trauma and reclaiming agency. This research underscores that amidst global disintegration and postmodern uncertainties, acts of empathy and shared experiences foster unity, proving that community life is possible, even in the face of profound chaos and fragmentation.

References

Caruth, Cathy. Unclaimed Experience: Trauma, Narrative, and History. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/book.20656

Herman, Judith. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. BasicBooks, 1992.

LaCapra, Dominick. Writing History, Writing Trauma. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.

Mittapalli, Rajeshwar and Alessandro Monti. “The Colonial Content of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient”. Commonwealth Fiction: Twenty-First Century Readings. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 2002. 51-59.

Prieto, Eric. “Introduction”. Literature, Geography, and the Postmodern Poetics of Place. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. pp1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137318015_1

Ondaatje, Michael. In the Skin of a Lion, London: Picador, 1987.

Ondaatje, Michael. The English Patient, London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 1992.

Turcotte, Gerry. “Finding an “immigrant Voice: Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion”. Canadian Literature Today. Edited by, R. K Dhawan Ed. pp. 41-53.

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Published

05.02.2025

How to Cite

E. Sahaya Merlin. (2025). Communal Life Besides Chaos: The Reading of Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion and The English Patient. International Quarterly Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 1. https://doi.org/10.71093/iqmrj.v1i1.202504

Issue

Vol. 1 (2025): Issue1

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 E. Sahaya Merlin

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