Construction of Pariah Figure: A Feminist Study of Toni Morrison’s Sula and Qandeel Baloch

Abstract

Afro-American novels constitute social, cultural and economic aspects, which deal with the individuality and the social milieu. The novels deal with the exploitation of the black society, their self and identity with psychological and socio-economic dimensions. This critical study analyses Toni Morrison’s Sula and the figure of Qandeel Baloch and her sensational life as presented by Sanam Maher’s The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch, from the perspective of Rene Girard’s theory of Violence and Scapegoat and Sigmund Freud’s concept of Trauma. This research aims to analyse the timeliness and continuing psychological trauma, abusive relationships, rejection, dependence, physical assault, discrimination, brutality, being the victim of a society and the threat of violence from the society. This research deals with the two different perspectives of societies: one is Afro-American and the other is Pakistani. According to Girard’s thought, mimesis is the main characteristic of humans but when it becomes rivalrous it creates conflict and violence between society and individuals. Girard thinks that antiquated religion was founded on the substituting victim and their main goal is to salvage the society from ever-spreading conflict and dissension by conducting violence into a scapegoat. Communal violence, in the form of scapegoating, destroys the subjectivity of the scapegoat or the victim. According to Sigmund Freud, a traumatic event or situation creates psychological trauma when it overwhelms the individual's ability to cope with traumatic events like war and scandals. The traumatic events leave the subject fearing death, annihilation, rejection, mutilation, or psychosis. Toni Morrison’s novel focuses on the psychological aspects of trauma in her work. The traumatic aspect meant to be an innovative experiment in which literature can exceed its precincts by merging into the psychological phenomena. The contradictions and tensions exhibited by Toni Morrison’s characters are the inevitable which is transforming the individuals into the ideal subjects for psychic profiles.