Strategic analysis of intimate partner violence (IPV) and cycle of violence in the autobiographical text –When I Hit You

Abstract

Objectives: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a globally recognized societal problem that requires intensive research to raise public awareness. Aim: Accordingly, the purpose of the study is to analyze IPV at the physical, psychological, and social aspects of abuse. Method: The methodology of the study correlates IPV to the personal experiences of notable Indian writer, Meena Kandasamy, according to the autobiographical account of her abusive married life in the award-winning novel When I Hit You, which depicts the horrible treatment of women by their perpetrators within a closed sphere. To substantiate, the selected autobiographical work is compared with Lenore Edna Walker’s prominent Cycle of Violence theory, which best describes why women become victims and also the abuser’s tactics in controlling the women in a violent relationship. Results: The study’s findings suggest that IPV, a serious global problem, requires government intervention and severe legal enforcement to protect women’s lives from the clutches of the abuser.

Keywords

• Intimate partner violence
• Marital violence
• Social awareness
• Violence prevention