Loss And Grief In Natasha Trethewey’s Memorial Drive A Daughter’s Memoir -Payosmi Mishra & Subismita Lenka

Abstract

The paper proposes a critical reading of the themes of grief and loss reflected in the memoir Memorial Drive A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey. Loss of a beloved one overturns the cyclic routine of a person. It disrupts the normalcy of life. The memoir is set in 1960s in the town of Mississippi were racial conflicts dominated the cultural scenario of America. The study is conducted with a view on racism and domestic violence that is perpetuated in society till date. History is replete with such instances of voices being subdued by the patriarchy. However, Trethewey gives voice to her mother’s suffering through dedication of this memoir. The article attempts to explain how the racial prejudices in America had formed an impression upon the mind of Trethewey. It attempts to evaluate how a sense of isolation pervades into the Trethewey’s world following the brutal murder of her mother when Trethewey was nineteen. Trethewey was severed from her mother which deepened her emotional wounds. Instead of absolutely being devastated from within, the author beautifully purges her emotions of sorrow and suffering in the form of this memoir. The study seeks to analyze the idea that intense mourning can lead to catharsis or relief from the burden of sadness. This memoir is the outcome of the intense grief she experienced and involves a close textual analysis along with a brief study of the history of racism in America.