The Nexus of Trauma and Memory in the Genesis of Bipolar Disorder in Preeti Shenoy’s Life Is What You Make It

Mrs. S. Shyamala¹, Dr. M. P. Anuja²

¹Research Scholar, Research Centre in English, Sri Parasakthi College for Women (Autonomous), Courtallam, Tenkasi – 627802. (Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli), Tamil Nadu, India.

² Associate Professor & Research Supervisor, Research Centre in English, Sri Parasakthi College for Women (Autonomous), Courtallam, Tenkasi – 627802. (Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli), Tamil Nadu, India.

Abstract

This article examines the psychoanalytic components that comprise trauma and memory in Preeti Shenoy’s work of fiction, Life Is What You Make It, focusing on the relationship between repression and its reemergence. With an emphasis on Freudian theories, the research explores how suppressed memories affect the characters’ identities, exacerbating their current circumstances and highlighting the effects of bipolar disorder in the novel. Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness, and it occurs in recurrent phases of mania and depression. It disrupts a person’s ability to think rationally and triggers sudden shifts in their state of mind and energy. The psychoanalytic approach highlights Shenoy’s depiction of memory as a tool for acknowledging and reconciling with the past to obtain an understanding of the perennial nature of trauma and its consequences.

Keywords: Psychology, Repression, Trauma, Memory, Bipolar disorder.