The Sea as Sanctuary and Specter: Gender, Nature, and Trauma in Soosaiya Anthreas’ The Dance of the Sea

Abstract

Soosaiya Anthreas’ The Dance of the Sea is a survival novel that explores the intimate bond between coastal communities and their surrounding environment. Through the lens of ecocriticism, particularly as defined by Cheryll Glotfelty, this paper investigates how the sea functions not just as a setting but as a living force that shapes culture, identity, and survival. The novel provides deep insight into how natural forces influence gender roles and trauma narratives in the context of the 2004 tsunami that devastated Tamil Nadu’s coastline. The main objective of this paper is to understand how the sea is more than just a background in the story. While earlier studies may focus on trauma or women’s issues alone, this paper fills the gap by connecting environmental forces with emotional and cultural survival. Drawing from Judith Herman’s theory of trauma as a disruption of memory and meaning, the novel reflects how survivors often live in fragmented states of fear, dissociation, and haunting silence. The characters' struggle to restore normalcy illustrates the long-term psychological imprint left by environmental catastrophe. The research focuses on the double nature of the sea, the psychological effects of disaster, and how the people rebuild their relationship with nature after trauma.