Totalizing Metanarrative of Bangladesh in the Light of Tahmima Anam’s Bengal Trilogy

Abstract

The objective of metanarrative is to retell the stories, experience and norms of the previous generation to create meaningful guidance for the future generation. However, the metanarrative of Bangladesh gradually becomes totalitarian by silencing different coexisting voices and becomes sexist, racist and stereotypical resulting in a meaningless and unrelatable guideline to the future generations. Tahmima Anam’s A Golden Age, The Good Muslim and The Bones of Grace include the narratives of women, working-class people, and Urdu-speaking community who are never represented or misrepresented in the metanarrative of the country. The first book represents Rehana as Urdu speaking non Bengali who is misrepresented in the metanarrative of the war by omitting their contribution and popularizing negative stereotypes. The second book presents the sufferings of women from all walks of life. Their contribution to the war is minimized in the metanarrative by misusing religious teaching, superstition and moral policing. The third book focuses on the downtrodden working-class people who are exploited by the powerful class and are never properly represented in the metanarrative. Be it in the pre-war or post-war times, their condition remains the same and gets worse despite the change in government. Social mobility for these marginalized people is limited or near to impossible, forcing them to live in misery. Thus, people of different marginalized groups can rarely speak against the totalitarian metanarrative for their rights, safety and respectable place in the society. This paper aims to prove that Anam intentionally gives voice to the marginalized people that create a scope for a progressive and peaceful future by showcasing the shortcomings of the totalitarian metanarrative of Bangladesh.