Certificate by Adviser This is to certify that the thesis entitled “Exploring the Selected Novels of Khushwant Singh, Chaman Nahal and Bapsi Sidhwa in the Light of Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Nachträglichkeit ‘Deferred Action’” submitted to the Department of English, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English is a record of original and independent research work conducted by Amrik Singh (41400094) under my supervision and guidance. The thesis has not formed the basis for the award of any degree/diploma/associateship/fellowship or another similar title to any candidate by any university/institute. The candidate has pursued the prescribed coursework of research, and he has incorporated all the suggestions given by the Departmental Doctoral Board of the university during his annual presentations and pre-submission seminar held on 7 April 2018. Place: Phagwara Adviser Date: 21 May 2018 Dr. Ajoy Batta Associate Professor and Head Department of English School of Arts and Languages Lovely Professional University Phagwara-144411 (Punjab) i Declaration I do hereby acknowledge that: 1. The thesis entitled “Exploring the Selected Novels of Khushwant Singh, Chaman Nahal and Bapsi Sidhwa in the Light of Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Nachträglichkeit ‘Deferred Action’” is a presentation of my original work completed under the kind guidance of my adviser Dr. Ajoy Batta. Every effort has been made to incorporate the opportune suggestions provided by the Departmental Doctoral Board of Lovely Professional University, Phagwara. 2. The thesis is free from any plagiaristic material, and it doesn’t transgress the rights of other researchers and authors. Additionally, the researcher confirms that he has obtained permissions from all the copyright owners whose reading material has been consulted and utilised in the thesis. 3. The final version of printed and soft copies of the thesis is proofread. The completion of the thesis is in line with the assimilation of the suggestions given by the Departmental Doctoral Board of the university. 4. The submission of the final version of the printed copy of my thesis is in accordance with the guidelines and the exact same content in CD as a separate PDF file to be uploaded to Shodhganga. Place: Phagwara Amrik Singh Date: 21 May 2018 (Reg. No. 41400094) ii Contents Sr. No. Chapter Name Page No. 1. Acknowledgements v-vi 2. Introduction vii-xvii 3. Chapter 1: Brief Candle 1-58 4. Chapter 2: Khushwant 59-101 Singh’s Train to Pakistan: Application of the Freudian Theory of Nachträglichkeit 5. Chapter 3: Chaman Nahal’s 102-147 Azadi: A Psychoanalytical Approach 6. Chapter 4: Re-reading Bapsi 148-195 Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy-Man: A Freudian Study of the Deflation of the Self 7. Chapter 5: Postulates of 196-231 Trauma: A Comparative Analysis of the Selected Novels 8. Conclusion 232-253 9. Bibliography 254-268 iii List of Figures and Tables Sr. No. Name of Figure/Table Page No. 1. Image 1.1: The Freudian structural model of the psyche 22-22 2. Figure 5.1: A comparison between the two rape-victims who 199-199 reflect different corollaries and undergo revivification of their respective past in the light of the Freudian theory of Nachträglichkeit 3. Figure 5.2: Influence of rape on the life of Hamida in Ice-Candy- 202-202 Man 4. Figure 5.3: A comparison between the three victims who get 212-212 traumatised by witnessing the same traumatic incident, but who reflect different repercussions and undergo revivification of their respective disturbing past in the light of the Freudian theory of Nachträglichkeit 5. Table 5.1: List of reasons leading to psychosis in the selected 217-218 novels iv Acknowledgements First and foremost I thank Almighty God for giving me perseverance, diligence, and strength to start, ameliorate, and complete the present thesis. The journey of writing the thesis would have been very arduous for me if I hadn’t been supported by dozens of irreplaceable individuals whom I wish to thank for their ceaseless guidance. Firstly, I want to thank my research adviser, Dr. Ajoy Batta. It has been an honour to be his PhD scholar. Dr. Batta has guided me consciously from his ginormous experimental perspective. I appreciate his contributions of time and immense knowledge to make my PhD experience productive and stimulating. The research cognizance and enthusiasm of Dr. John Eliezer and Dr. Yash Deep Singh have also been empowering and motivational for my PhD pursuit. I’m deeply thankful to Professor Dr. Christian Gaebler the team leader at Clinic for Trauma Surgery (University of Vienna, Austria) for making my rapport with the librarians of University of Oxford and Brunel University, London. The members of the Doctoral Research Board of Lovely Professional University (LPU) have contributed immensely to my professional growth. The panel has been a source of good advice and inspiration. I am deeply grateful to the faculty members of School of Arts and Languages especially Dr. Pavitar Prakash Singh, Dr. Sanjay Prasad Pandey, Dr. J.P. Aggarwal, Dr. Jayatee Bhattacharya, Dr. Avtar Singh and Dr. Kirandeep Singh for asking me germane questions which led me to the right track of research. I would also like to thank Dr. Anil Kumar and Dr. Bhupendra Koul, Assistant Professors at Lovely Professional University for their interest, time and helpful comments on my thesis. I’m really indebted to Dr. Navjeet Kaur and Dr. Sunaina Khanna, the librarians of Panjab University, Chandigarh; Mr. Martin Hodgson, the librarian of Brunel University; Mrs. Carolyn Smith, the librarian of University of Oxford and all the librarians of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjabi University, Patiala, and Lovely Professional University, Phagwara for providing me apposite novels, research books, journals and articles on neurosis, psychosis and partition literature. I would like to thank my parents and in-laws for their deep-seated love, trust, and encouragement with which I could continue my PhD. It is vitally important to appreciate v my beloved spouse Prabhdeep Kaur for her loving, reassuring, and encouraging support both in India and England. Finally, I thank my cutest daughter Hasreet Kaur Dhaliwal who invigorated me constantly through her bracing role. It wouldn’t have been possible for me to complete this research without the extensive support of all the above-mentioned advisers, panelists, librarians, friends, and family members. Amrik Singh vi Introduction The introductory part of the thesis sheds light on the title of the thesis, the statement of the problem, the hypothesis of the study, the research objectives, the research methodology, the applicability of the Freudian theory of Nachträglichkeit in the selected novels, and a glimpse of the research gap. The present thesis entitled “Exploring the Selected Novels of Khushwant Singh, Chaman Nahal and Bapsi Sidhwa in the Light of Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Nachträglichkeit ‘Deferred Action’” aims at the investigation of reasons, repercussions, and revivifications of trauma. The psychic disturbance and debilitation of the victims of neurosis and psychosis have enthused the scholar to conduct the present research. In the modern world, millions of people are suffering from psychosomatic disorder created by a number of distressing factors which lead to trauma either immediately or through a ‘deferred action’. A detailed exploration of the reasons for trauma and its repercussions on the lives of traumatised victims is required for the worldwide trauma treatment centres dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to alleviate the travails of the victims of trauma. American Psychological Association documents in The Effects of Trauma Do Not Have to Last a Lifetime that there are a number of post-traumatic rehabilitation organisations and centres such as Disaster Response Network (DRN), Federal Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, Disaster Mental Health Institute at University of South Dakota, Vermillion and National Center on the Psychology of Terrorism at Stanford University, California which are coping with the problems of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (American Psychological Association 1). As each distressing factor is different, so are traumatic experiences and repercussions of trauma. There is no single protocol for grasping and treating the patients of trauma; therefore, the exploration of covert factors and ramifications of trauma is required for worldwide trauma treatment centres so that psychosomatic illness and corporeal pain of traumatised patients will be effectively alleviated. The present study has hypothesized some of the factors such as killings, failure of administration, police brutality, harassment, gender and racial discrimination, domestic violence, inferiority complex, life-threatening medical conditions, loss of property, loss vii of home, loss of reputation, injury due to an accident, sexual abuse, plundering, mass violence, and extreme poverty which could be responsible for traumatising people. The study also hypothesizes that the repercussions of traumatic incidents on the lives of the victims could include schizophrenia, dementia, restlessness, debility, late responses, loss of concentration, repetitive pains, insecurity, confusion, uncertainty, and violent behavior which possibly turns victims into perpetrators, kidnappers, and rapists. The hypothesis of the study is followed by its objectives. The first research objective is aimed at the augmentation of the Freudian theory of Nachträglichkeit. Sigmund Freud advocates that trauma originates only because of a subject’s sexual exploitation. The researcher agrees with the Freudian aspect of trauma that sexual exploitation is a reason for trauma and maturity gives better comprehension of a primary traumatic incident, but sexual abuse is not a single reason for traumatising someone. Trauma can take its course because of several other factors such as the death of a loved one, accident, ill-treatment and a terror attack. Some of these factors are hypothesized and the other veiled factors are explored through the analysis of the selected novels.