Smart Moves Journal IJELLH (International Journal of English language, literature in humanities)
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Unlearning Sacred Motherhood: Ambivalence, Memory, and Female Autonomy in The Lost Daughter
Full text linkElena Ferrante’s novel The Lost Daughter and its 2021 film adaptation directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal offer a disturbing yet deeply honest exploration of motherhood stripped of its idealised aura. Moving awayfrom the culturally sanctified image of the self-sacrificing mother the narrative foregrounds maternal ambivalence, female desire, and the psychological cost of caregiving. This paper examines how The Lost Daughter destabilises dominant narratives of motherhood by presenting motherhood as fragmented, contradictory, and emotionally taxing. Through the character of Leda, the text interrogates memory, guilt, and autonomy, exposing the silences imposed on women who deviate from normative maternal expectations. Using feminist theory and film -literary analysis, this study argues that The Lost Daughter Functions as a
Relational Selfhood and Moral Consciousness in George Eliot’s Fiction: A Philosophical Reappraisal of Human Nature
Full text linkThis article offers an extended philosophical reappraisal of George Eliot’s conception of human nature, arguing that her fiction articulates a relational anthropology grounded in sympathy, moral accountability, and communal embeddedness. Engaging with the intellectual influences of Ludwig Feuerbach, John Stuart Mill, and G. W. F. Hegel, the study situates Eliot within Victorian debates concerning determinism, secularisation, gender reform, and moral psychology. Through sustained close readings of Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss, and Silas Marner, the article demonstrates that Eliot rejects both rigid determinism and radical individualism in favour of a morally situated selfhood shaped through sympathy and social interaction. Eliot’s fiction emerges as an ethical project that reconceptualises human nature as historically embedded, psychologically complex, and transformable through relational responsibility
The Gift of Legacy from a Father: A Transnational Study of Abdulrazak Gurnah’s The Last Gift
Full text linkTransnationalism is sustained linkages and ongoing exchanges among non-state actors based across national borders--- businesses, NGOs and individuals sharing the same interests such as same religious beliefs or common cultural and geographic origins. There arises a kind of multistranded identity; multifaceted cultural and socio-economic relationship across geo-political boundaries. When a Black African emigrates to a white European country, usually immigrant\u27s ethnocultural self faces challenge in the face of dominant host culture, undergoes identity reconstruction through the process of inculturation or deculturation or hybridization and emerges as a confused, new assimilated cultural identity or a fragile attempt to keep pure past ethnic self-leading to identity crisis and quest for lost homeland. This article endeavours to map out the typical cultural conflict in the face of burning apartheid, faced by Abbas, an East African immigrant and his family in England and his ultimate gift to his children of his rich cultural heritage and ancestry in a country which hitherto deliberately denies any. 
The Political Economy of SRK Fandom: An Affective Labour Analysis across Class and Place in Shrayana Bhattacharya’s Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh
No full textFandom encompasses collective enthusiasm, practices, and communities that emerge around shared interest in cultural texts, public figures or ideas fostering a sense of belonging, identity, and emotional support through shared passions. Shrayana Bhattacharya\u27s Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh (2021) uses Shah Rukh Khan fandom to explore how Indian women navigate patriarchal capitalism across class and geography. His romantic persona enables imagining alternative gender relations and self-worth. Beyond leisure, fandom drives
cultural production and discourse through fans\u27 interpretations and challenges to dominant narratives. This article argues that fan affect itself is a productive labour and an economic activity, with class and place functioning as interlocking determinants of how fandom is experienced, practised, and mobilised. Drawing on Karl Marx\u27s labour theory of value and Pierre Bourdieu\u27s analysis of cultural capital the article demonstrates how Shah Rukh Khan\u27s female fans generate value through immaterial fan labour, even when they cannot consume his films. The article further argues that fandom operates differently across class positions and spatial contexts structuring the relationship between affective attachment and economic value. This analysis contributes to celebrity studies, feminist political economy, class and geographies of fandom
Invisibility and the Fragmented Self in H. G. Wells’s The Invisible Man
Full text linkH.G.Wells novel “ The Invisible Man” delves into the multifaceted character of the invisible man in H.G. Wells\u27 iconic novel. This study explores the transformation of the protagonist from visibility to invisibility and the profound psychological and ethical dilemmas that ensue. The paper delves into the scientific and moral aspects of invisibility, examining the character\u27s descent into secrecy, alienation, and ultimately, madness. It scrutinizes the ethical implications of wielding the power of invisibility and how it leads to moral degradation, shedding light on broader philosophical questions of identity and accountability. Furthermore, this analysis discusses the broader implications of the invisible man\u27s character within the context of H.G. Wells\u27 body of work, emphasizing the recurring theme of the consequences of unchecked scientific experimentation and the impact on human psychology. In conclusion, "Invisibility Unveiled" offers a comprehensive exploration of the complex character in \u27The Invisible Man,\u27 highlighting how Wells masterfully weaves science, morality, and psychology into a narrative that continues to captivate and provoke thought, leaving readers to ponder the intricacies of invisibility and its consequences on the human psyche
An Analysis of Typographical Elements in Laurie Halse Anderson\u27s Wintergirls
Full text linkYoung Adult novels of the twenty first century have been instrumental in addressing mental health issues, offering the readers an insight into various challenges faced by young adults. Authors often incorporate the symptoms of mental illnesses into their narratives while employing stylistic techniques to enrich the storylines. These techniques serve to convey the complexities of mental health struggles, making the narratives more impactful and relatable. This paper aims to explore the innovative use of typographical tools by Laurie Halse Anderson in her novel Wintergirls. The study investigates the use of typography, like punctuation marks, fonts, symbols, layout, and unconventional writing styles as tools for portraying the protagonist’s symptoms of the mental illness. The method combines textual analysis with a semiotic study of the novel’s typographical features to explore their interpretive significance. These stylistic choices not only enhance the reader’s immersion in the character’s internal world but also portrays theme of emotional turmoil as well as the psychological struggles of the protagonist by blending content and form hence offering a deeper understanding of the themes and conflicts of the novel
Resilience and Resistance: Women in Sudha Murty’s Select Short Stories
Full text linkSudha Murty is celebrated globally for her remarkable storytelling expertise, who intricately weaves poignant narratives that navigate the spectrum of human emotions and experiences. The collections of short stories Three Thousand Stitches, Wise and Otherwise and The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk written by Sudha Murty serve as a treasure trove, delving into prevalent societal issues with keen sensitivity. Through relatable characters navigating life\u27s challenges, Sudha Murty adeptly sheds light on themes like gender equality, poverty, women empowerment, and education disparities. By interweaving such societal issues into her narratives, she not only raises awareness but also prompts for introspection among readers. They offer a nuanced exploration of the challenges faced by women in traditional Indian society and their journey towards empowerment. Moreover, Sudha Murty\u27s stories feature ordinary women facing extraordinary circumstances, making a lasting impact on society. Accordingly, this research paper explores the select short stories of Sudha Murty to examine the theme of women empowerment. It investigates how female characters in the select short stories of Sudha Murty assert their rights and redefine their roles in the face of patriarchal structures, societal expectations, and personal challenges. Thus, the purpose of this study is to demonstrate how contemporary literature represents women\u27s empowerment, resilience, and resistance
Embodied Conflict and the Politics of Redemption: Female Subjectivity in P.Sivakami and Malsawmi Jacob\u27s Novel
Full text linkThis paper undertakes a comparative study of P. Sivakami’s The Grip of Change and Malsawmi Jacob’s Zorami: A Redemption Song to examine how cultural conflict shapes female subjectivity within marginalised Indian communities. Situating both novels within Dalit and Indigenous (Mizo) contexts, the study argues that cultural conflict is not merely a thematic concern but is constitutive of the protagonists’ ontological formation. Sivakami foregrounds the “double marginalisation” of Dalit women through caste hegemony and internal Dalit patriarchy, while Jacob explores the collective cultural trauma produced by insurgency, state violence, and patriarchal silence in Mizo society. Through sexual violence, both texts inscribe political domination onto the female body, rendering it a primary site of contestation. Yet the novels also articulate modes of resistance and redemption—education, voice, spiritual healing, and cultural memory—through which fractured identities seek recovery. Together, these works assert that liberation demands confronting both external oppression and internal hierarchies
The Propensity of Survivorship and Self-Accomplishment Tendency: A Psychological Scrutiny in Charlotte McConaghy’s - Wild Dark Shore
No full textThis article explores, Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in a harsh and isolated environment as a conceptual framework to analyse Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore. The characters in the novel navigate Maslow’s multi-layered foundation of human motivation, starting with their struggle for safety and physiological survival in an uncertain environment and moving on to the pursuit of love, belonging, respect, and, finally, self-actualization. The novel Wild Dark Shore, highlights the fluidity of human desires through times of familial bonding, environmental stewardship, emotional instability, and introspective growth, indicating that people frequently seek various levels of satisfaction at the same time rather than in a rigid hierarchy. The Ecological landscape serves not just as a backdrop, but also as a psychological arena for exposing undesirable trauma, building strong resilience and facilitating with the reflection of inner development. By combining humanistic psychology and eco-fiction, the article asserts that McConaghy’s work provides important insights into the interdependence of surrounding nature, finding true identity, and the human ability for healing
Gendered Marginalization in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: Insights from Judith Butler and Michel Foucault
Full text linkThis paper explores the theme of gendered marginalization in Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness using the ideas of Judith Butler and Michel Foucault. Butler’s concept of gender as performance and Foucault’s idea of biopolitics help examine how power, cultural norms, and societal expectations shape and marginalize gender identities. The novel challenges the social and political systems that uphold inequality, offering a strong critique of the connections between gender, and class. This study shows how the characters\u27 struggles against cultural and institutional oppression reveal the complex relationship between personal identity and societal control