Tradition: Trauma in Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret Joy

Abstract

Tradition, culture, religion all these are too much cling to human life and society. Traditions, cultures include some events, customs, rituals of the society. Most of the society of different countries set many events, customs and rituals to be performed by women. And when it is about African American women, who have been discriminated throughout ages for their race class and gender. The women are underrated, marginalized in the society. They are treated as slaves under go many struggles i.e. race, class, gender discrimination. These women are deprived of their basic rights. By maintaining the values of the tradition these women forget the value of their own Life, Identity and Body. They have been affected psychologically and also faces trauma. To bring all the truth behind the traditions and to emancipate these women, some African-American women writers come to the front and make these African-American women realise about their self-esteem, selfhood through their writers. They paved way for the liberation of African-American women. Among the praiseworthy writers Alice Walker is another, who is not only a writer, but also an activist. She rises voice for the betterment and settlement of subjugated women. This paper brings light on the horrible practice of Female Genital Mutilation in Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy. Removing female genital parts for the pleasure of man and in the name of tradition which brings trauma to the African women.