A Fragmented Self in Domestic situations in the selected Poems of Jean Arasanayagam

Abstract This paper evaluates why Jean Arasanayagam is able to explore the fractured self at home through selected poems in a very few. Using feminist and psychoanalytic frameworks, the study focuses on the effects of gendered expectations, emotional repression, and cultural conflict in causes of inner dislocation. Arasanayagam poetry reminds the readers of the conventional conception of home as a symbol of tranquility by appealing to a different aspect of home, namely blurred identity, isolation and silence. In her poetic voice the writer illustrates that the home may tend to be a place of resistance but also a place of alienation, and describes the psychological turmoil that women experience, particularly with respect to marriage, motherhood and ritual. Performance: feminist tropes, getting married, being a mother, ritual, housewifery, Jean Arasanayagam, Sri Lankan poetry. Overview: The poems of Jean Arasanayagam poignantly redefine the home in a very disturbing way. Her challenges at work.