Mapping Trauma and Memory: Physical Journeys and Emotional Landscapes in Anuradha Roy’s Sleeping on Jupiter

Abstract

Conventional trauma studies often explore the psychological aftermath of trauma, focusing primarily on the individual’s internal landscape. This study shifts attention to the interplay between trauma, memory, and physical landscapes in Anuradha Roy’s Sleeping on Jupiter, where the protagonist’s journey to Jarmuli serves as both a literal and symbolic confrontation with a traumatic past. Set against Jarmuli’s sacred temples and serene beaches, this journey reveals repressed memories of childhood abuse, which resurface as the protagonist grapples with the boundaries between reliving trauma and seeking healing. Through a fragmented narrative structure and evocative settings, Roy mirrors the protagonist’s fractured memories and internal struggles, depicting trauma as inseparable from space and psyche. Drawing on Trauma and Memory Studies, the article explores how physical journeys function as memory landscapes, mapping the complexities of memory and survival. By juxtaposing external landscapes with internal emotional states, Roy suggests that healing is deeply intertwined with revisiting spaces imbued with painful memories. In a broader context, the study posits that Sleeping on Jupiter advances an understanding of trauma that encompasses both personal and societal dimensions, inviting open dialogue in a cultural milieu that often suppresses discussion on traumatic experiences.