Narrating the Unrest: A Critical Study of ‘Haunting’ in C. Ayyappan’s Ghost Speech

Abstract

C. Ayyappan, known for his poignant depiction of the angst and struggles faced by Dalit communities in Kerala, has employed distinctive narrative techniques to capture the profound depth of their suffering and marginalization. One of the unique characteristics of Ayyappan’s narratives is that they comprise ghost speech or spectral speech. The spectres in Ayyappan’s stories script their lives, and in a sense, their narratives can be described as ‘Autothanatography’, where individuals narrate or reflect upon their own death. Haunting emerges as a central theme across all these narratives. This paper, titled ‘Narrating the Unrest: A Critical Study of ‘Haunting’ in C. Ayyappan’s Ghost Speech’, examines the manifold dimensions of haunting, with a particular focus on its psychological undercurrents. The study incorporates the psycho-analytic framework of ‘Phantom’, ‘Crypt’, and ‘Transgenerational Trauma’ laid down by the Hungarian-French psychoanalyst
Nicholas Abraham to explore how suppressed histories and unresolved grief haunt individuals across generations.The study also examines the sociogenic roots of such psychological hauntings and critically evaluates them.