The Reconstruction of Coherent Identity in Baby Halder’s A Life Less Ordinary

Abstract

Baby Halder’s autobiography, A Life Less Ordinary (2013), documents the life of an ordinary domestic worker who stood unabated amid her life crisis. In the book, Baby recollects her lived experiences as an abandoned child, a married woman trapped in a violent marriage, a domestic worker, and subsequently her transformative journey to becoming a writer. She was a victim of child abuse, domestic violence as well as psychological harassment. However, her unyielding resilience and determination have left an indelible mark transforming her struggle into a remarkable strength and a unique representative voice for the marginalized. Baby Halder’s autobiography has primarily been studied through themes of caste, class, gender, patriarchy, marginalization, domestic labor and poverty. But attention to the theoretical functions of Autobiographical Memory remains relatively limited. Hence, the present paper addresses this gap through a close reading of Baby Halder’s autobiography by employing the directive, self, and social functions of autobiographical memory. The present paper examines how memory helps Baby Halder reconstruct her identity, understand her past, respond to the present situation, guide future choices, and maintain social relationships. The paper contends that Baby’s recollection is a transformative process through which her memories from various life events are reconstructed into a coherent sense of self. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates how autobiographical memory enables Baby Halder in transforming her marginalized position into an empowered identity.