The Stigmatization of Trauma: A Reflection on Mahesh Dattani's Select Works

Abstract

Trauma is a response to an experience that devastates a person mentally. It frequently causes shock, denial, and changes in the body, mind, and behavior. People witness difficult circumstances and long-lasting repercussions on their psychological and physical well-being due to trauma. The chosen plays Tara and 30 Days in September are examined using trauma theory. The traumatic stigma of victimized characters and their offenders are explored and brought to light in the present study. The paper maps out the common aspects of trauma in Mahesh Dattani's plays and creates a portal for scholarly reflections on the author's ideology of trauma. It attempts to explore the reason behind the abnormal behavior of the characters and argues that childhood plays a major role in shaping the behavioral attributes of the adults. The researcher has made thematic analysis on the select plays through attentive reading. The study aims to develop an in-depth understanding on the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on the characters taken for study and the possible ways to liberate from traumatic disorder. It strives to cease the stigmatization of trauma and emphasizes the fact that proper counseling, care and support will help the trauma affected characters to recover from the disorder.