Witnessing Trauma through Discordant Chronology of Words in Yvonne Vera’s Under the Tongue

Yvonne Vera is a reformist writer of Zimbabwe who agitated the society to attendto serious issues in the life of a Zimbabwean woman. This paper will examine YvonneVera’s Under the Tongue in which representations of language of monologue contributeto the creation of an atmosphere in which the pain of female body is obviously felt. Thelegacies of colonialism and strategic policies of nationalism collaborate to facilitate thevulnerability of women thus contributing to their violation of rights and victimisation. Itis a metaphorical representation of female resistance against violent male Zimbabweansociety. The trauma of the victim is thoughtfully integrated into linguistic and symbolicsystems aesthetically created by the writer. Using the discordant chronology of words ofthe female protagonist, Vera stylistically identifies the silence of a girl who is captive offlashbacks and intrusive thoughts but struggles to liberate herself from the discourse ofpain. Restoration of confidence does take place with the power of language. By articulatinga private experience of a victimised young girl, the writer reclaims the essential power of women’s speech and silences in the context of gendered nationalist ideology wheresacrifices of women have been reduced to an invisible state by historiographers.