Incest and the Silences: Reading Nandini Sahu’s “that elusive orgasm”

Abstract

Nandini Sahu’s collection of short stories Shedding the Metaphors engages with myriad complex human emotions. Sahu pours herself into the stories that she tells in retrospect. The autobiographical elements provide the stories a personal touch that compels the readers to delve deep into the characters and introspect on the intricacy of human nature. This paper attempts to critically analyse the story “That Elusive Orgasm” and understand the dynamics of incest and the related silences. The paper refers to Sgroi, Blick and Portar’s conceptual framework to understand how a child gets entrapped in the cycle of sexual abuse. The paper further explores the psychoanalytic perspective of Laurence Joseph to comprehend the psycho-social aspects of silences. The paper also refers to Ricahrd P. Kluft to examine the ramifications of incest on adult survivors.