Echoes of War and Violence: Psychological and Emotional Toll in Easternine Kire’s Novels Life on Hold and A Respectable Woman

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine the psychological impact, emotional suffering, and mental anguish experienced by individuals and communities in the select novels of Easternine Kire. The paper also aims to explore how wars and prolonged violence leave lasting psychological scars and emotional imprints upon the collective memory of ordinary people. In Life on Hold, Kire foregrounds the emotional pain and psychological burden endured during the Naga War of freedom and the years of insurgency. Similarly, A Respectable Woman highlights the lingering effects of war and violence on ordinary people, and communal memory. The study further investigates how the people of Nagaland adapt to and endure the devastating consequences of war while striving to preserve their cultural identity and humanity amidst conflict. The paper throws light on the enduring effects of war,  violence in Northeast India, particularly in Nagaland.