Expression and Suppression of the Self in Sivakami’s The Grip of Change

Abstract

This article analyses P. Sivakami’s The Grip of Change, the first novel by a Dalit woman. The work is structured as two Books- Kathamuthu: The Grip of Change and Gowri: Author’s Notes. Here, The Grip of Change is examined as an autobiografiction, partly autobiography and partly fiction, which expresses and suppresses the self of the author. The prime concern of the novel is the twin oppressive structure of the society, with special emphasis on the patriarchal repressive mechanisms, that results in the objectification of Dalit Women. The Book Two is a re-entry into the novel after a decade. The Author’s Notes confirms the singularity of the narrator, the protagonist, and the author. Memories, even if blurred, defy factual rearrangements and a philosophical dimension originates. In this part the author problematises and deconstructs the produced images, representations, narrative mode, characterisation, the process of writing, and finally the authorship itself. Retrospection and rumination also lead to contrasting portrayals. The non-linear development of both sections of the work moves from memory to memory and reflects the sophisticated psychological journey of the author. The confusions regarding entangled emotional and behavioural patterns and formations of misleading remembrances, causing instability in the author’s conceptual map, finds expression in the novel and with more significance in The Author’s Note.