The Trauma of Memory: Maternal Ambivalence in Burnt Sugar.

Abstract

Maternity comes with unrealistic notions attached to it. In any culture, mothers are expected to show selflessness, unconditional love, and emotional consistency; however, the truth is much more complicated than that because being a mother is never an easy task. Academics and scholars who examine motherhood have recognised the gap for several years now and found out that there exist feelings associated with this identity, known under the term maternal ambivalence. Mothers are said to harbour both positive and negative emotions toward their offspring at the same time. In India, maternal ambivalence is especially complicated because mothers receive the status of being divine and holy figures; therefore, acknowledging such feelings seems to be akin to treason. The novel Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi dares to explore a topic that is forbidden to most Indian women. This paper attempts to show how maternal ambivalence is reflected in the novel and why it appears the way it does. It shifts back and forth between the perspective of the mother and her daughter, depicting ambivalence in relation to motherhood for both individuals – being a mother and being mothered poorly, respectively. In conclusion, this paper will show that denial of any negative feelings in connection with maternal relations within cultural constructs of motherhood leads to passing these experiences