Home, Identity, and Survival: A Study of Pandemic Experiences in Homebound by Puja Changoiwala
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global societies brought unprecedented challenges, particularly for marginalized communities. One of the most striking manifestations was the migrant crisis in India during the 2020 nationwide lockdown, which rendered millions jobless and stranded within urban centers. Puja Changoiwala’s novel Homebound provides a powerful literary reflection on this crisis, chronicling the struggles of a young girl, Meher, and her family as they embark on a treacherous journey from Mumbai to their ancestral village in Rajasthan. This research paper seeks to critically examine the representation of home, identity, and survival in Homebound, situating the novel within the wider framework of pandemic literature and social testimony. Through qualitative content analysis, the study unpacks how the idea of home is deconstructed and reconstructed under the duress of displacement, exposing the fragile claims of migrants to both city and village, and highlighting the deep emotional and psychological impact of forced migration. Furthermore, the paper explores the crisis of identity faced by the protagonists as they oscillate between visibility and erasure, aspiration and marginalization, demonstrating how the narrative technique—especially the novel’s epistolary form—enables the reclamation of agency. The novel’s vivid portrayal of survival incorporates not only the physical hardships endured by migrants but also their emotional resilience, solidarity, and moments of hope amid despair. By contextualizing Homebound within socio-political realities and the growing corpus of pandemic literature, the research underscores the significant role of fiction in documenting lived experiences, shaping cultural memory, and humanizing statistics. The findings highlight that Homebound is more than a chronicle of crisis; it is a testament to the enduring human spirit and an urgent call for empathy and systemic change in times of disaster. The study aims to bridge literary analysis with social insight, demonstrating the indispensable value of such narratives in comprehending and addressing contemporary crises.
Authors: Nagrale, Sanket Sanjay, Tapadia, Harish G.
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7083330541
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: