Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost: A Study in Post-Colonial Trauma
The paper investigates the multiple layers of post-colonial trauma reflected in Michael Ondaatje’s (2000) Anil’s Ghost. It examines how colonialism dismantled individual and social identity in a post-colonial context, specifically how trauma, memory, and identity formation are intricately bound. The study focuses on the complexity of post-colonial trauma and its legacies through closely reading the novel and its characters, plotting, and historical backgrounds.
The study uses a qualitative research design and analyzes the novel, focusing on literary studies, historical context, and trauma theory. By exploring the experiences of its protagonist, Anil Tissera, who fights against the state and others in his environment, the study describes the effects of trauma felt in personal and individual forms in fragmented memories and the search for truth and justice.
The paper’s results underscore colonialism’s deep and lasting legacy on the lives of people and communities in post-colonial societies. The research shows its traumatic effects on identity, memory, and the necessary conditions for healing and reconciliation. By examining the post-colonial trauma that resonates throughout Ondaatje’s text, this study adds to the existing literature. It furthers our understanding of the issues afflicting post-colonial nations struggling to come to terms with the legacies of their histories.
Keywords: Colonialism, Identity, Memory, Narrative, Post-Colonial Trauma, Sri Lanka, Truth
