Grim Issues in Children’s Literature: A Study of the Impact of Terrorism on the Young Psyche
Abstract:
Terrorism as an issue in children’s literature may be bemusing but we cannot deny the fact that today we live in a world where terrorism has become a global phenomenon with bomb blasts in crowded areas and ISIS as a part of everyday life. The prevalence of the crucial issue of terrorism in the realistic narrative Weed by Paro Anand, provides an opportunity to view the narrative as an important socio-cultural and socio-political document to expose the effects of terrorism on the young psyche as well as the life of children living amidst fear and violence. The research can aid to get clarity regarding the fanciful notions associated with terrorism which lure today’s youth towards the path of violence. Also an in depth analysis of the narrative sheds light on various other social problems connected with terrorism. Thus the study of this young adult fictional narrative explores terrorism and brings to surface the emotional and sensitive workings of the child psyche along with the attitude and treatment of society in dealing with terrorism.
Key Words: Children’s Literature, Kashmiri youth, Terrorism, Psychological Trauma.
Introduction:
The Himalayan region has been divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in full by both, since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947. Due to the frequent clashes between the Indian and Pakistani troops on either side of the valley, the civilian population is stuck in the middle – and badly exposed. Life remains uncertain. The situations, in which the Army would seal off an area suspecting militants to be hidden there, is not uncommon. Army men frisking the male members of the family and going desperately looking through houses is a sight witnessed often by the Kashmiris. Even the children there are exposed to violence and explosions from their early life and often hear and sometimes witness firings and grenade attacks. Kashmiri people suffer from both ends in the fights between the army and militants. Peace, stability, law and order is the Utopian dream and people are stuck in conflicts between the two forces resulting in crops being destroyed, schools being forced to close for weeks and shops remaining open only long enough for people to buy essentials. But still the people do not want to leave Kashmir – their motherland and amongst the brutalities and violence life goes on. People go to offices, bazaars, picnics, weddings, schools, banks. People laugh, cry and get angry, all felt as anyone else feels.
However life surviving amidst the constant threat of terrorism and violence is not easy. Life in Kashmir is comparable to living in a cocoon where physical violence and mental torture are a commonplace. The ongoing violence has a deep impact on the personal life of people staying there. The ability to lead healthy life and contribute meaningfully to society is deeply impaired. Fear prevails and people are scared to express new ideas and opinions. Parents do not allow young children to leave homes or visit friends after dark because young males are the most vulnerable sections of society. The threat of terrorists luring young males of the family is all pervasive and this generation of young people has absolutely no experience of normal living. The psyche of Kashmiri youth is subjected to trauma and torture from every side and everyday of their lives. Being the most vulnerable section of the society, the youth are deprived of their basic rights including the right to education. Many of the innocent children in Kashmir yearn for a decent education and normal childhood when their family is disintegrated due to terrorism.
Paro Anand in her book Weed brings forth the plight of the young children of Kashmir who are left unnoticed and uncared by the society after their family’s disintegration and linkage with terrorism. It speaks of the struggles of a child who against all odds tries to attain his basic right to education and lead a normal life but fails to do so. The Weed exposes the life of people in Kashmir and gives an insight into the plight of parents. It dwells into the psychological trauma experienced by children who reside in areas of uncertainty, violence and terror. The narrative talks about a disintegrated family, with two children who are left to the care of their mother when the father decides to abandon the family to join the Jihad. The sons too want to accompany their father without the understanding about the consequences and the functioning of Jihad. The mother assumes the role of protector and caregiver for the family after the father’s departure and makes up her mind strongly that she would not let her sons trod on the path of violence. But poverty and social stigma weaken her resoluteness and she ultimately has to surrender when her younger son is rock firm in meeting his father. She allows her younger son Umed to make a choice between his father and her. The strong hold of terrorism and the longing to meet the father is able to separate the child from his mother and Umed decides to leave for the valley to search for his father much against the mother’s will. Thus the mother even loses her son who unknowingly succumbs to terrorism by choosing to look for his father and stay with him forever, never to return back. But the elder son Umer decides to stay with his mother despite his yearning to accompany his brother. The social stigma and the neglect of the society does not let Umer lead a dignified life and he too makes attempts to desert his mother to look for Umed. However the narrative ends on a positive note where Umer meets an elderly man who accepts Umer with open arms and guides him to return back to his mother. Not only this, the man also provides employment to Umer and his mother so that they can once again lead a respectful life forgetting the past. A note of optimism strikes as Umer and his mother get a chance to become accepted by the society once again.
Children of Terrorist Parents Impacted
The narrative raises complex questions regarding the future of children whose parents choose the path of violence. Umer undergoes victimization by the society as he is subjected to unfair judgments of the society. He is neglected and despised by society for no fault of his own.
Weed – a wild, unwanted thing to be weeded out. That’s me – a weed. Not wanted to be thrown out.
Left to fend for myself – if I must. Left to die – if I can.
Out. The word describes the circles of society in relation to me. Go on out. Get out. Out. (Weed 1)
Anand here questions the sense of fairness of society and brings to surface the plight of children who have to bear it all just because their fathers chose a wrong path – a path blighted and unaccepted by the civilized world. “And I didn’t even do anything. Ah yes, my father did. And aren’t sons forever following in their father’s footsteps? Even if those footsteps are blighted? So, this weed, filled with bitter bad blood, was cast out. To follow in his father’s footsteps” (Weed 3).
E. Mosely in his article Incarcerated - Children of Parents in Prison Impacted points out that “When a loved one is sentenced to prison, the emotional turmoil is difficult for everyone to handle. Perhaps the heaviest burden is felt by those who are unintentional victims of crime - children of incarcerated parents'' (E. Mosley 2008). The children love their parents even if they are wrong. When Umer’s father resorts to terrorism, an emotional tumult and burden is felt by Umer who finds it is difficult to admit the immorality of his father or suppress his love for his father. In the narrative Umer too shares his secret aloud with the readers. The innocence of the child is reflected when he admits to loving his father dearly despite being aware of his father’s secret activities. “All right, I’ll share my secret with you. My deepest darkest secret. I loved my father. There, I’ve said it. I’ m sorry that I did. Love him, I mean. That I still do. But what could I do? I loved him. Like sons love their fathers, I too loved mine” (Weed 3).
According to Stewart Gabel the suddenness of the father’s departure from the family has lasting impressions on the young psyche. “The male child between 11 – 13 years of age, who was usually the oldest in the family, was apparently most vulnerable to being affected” (Gabel 36). Such children are forced to adopt adulthood, where they are burdened with responsibilities they were unaware of so far. Umer too has to grow up overnight when his father bestows him with the charge of being “the man of the house”. “Day broke, spreading its cold grey light on the newly fragmented family. On the new ‘man of the house’- who was so full of fear and foreboding. A child. Not ready to take them on. A child chilled to the bone by the enormity of his loss and the long, bleak October night. Alone now. A child. Me” (Weed 13).
Also it is widely known that children without parents or in the care of a single parent tend to become mature early. Particularly in the absence of the father, children are pushed to assume the role of an adult. In the narrative, Umer too embraces a fatherly role and becomes protective and caring for his younger brother just like his father. “I suddenly loved him more than I had ever done before. Suddenly, quite unexpectedly, I felt like a father to him. Knew I’d have to protect him, no matter what. Knew I’d do anything for him” (Weed 25).
The separation of parents is a stressful period for children. The publication regarding Children and Separation by the Australian Government substantiates this. “Separation is often a surprise for children and they generally experience many of the same feelings as adults. Children can also grieve for quite a long time. They may be unaware of the problems their parents were having and they may feel shocked and confused when the separation occurs” (Children and Separation). Separation is extremely traumatic for children – they can see the dramatic changes in their world as a loss of care and stability. Here too in the narrative, we find Umer taken into a shock when his father reveals that he had decided to part ways with his mother who did not approve of the path chosen by him. Umer wants to remind his father about his responsibilities towards his family but is unable to voice his mind.
But all he told me was that he’d be leaving now. That my mother, his wife couldn’t accept his chosen path and that he could walk no other. They had lost all common ground and could not stand together any more. I felt the words rise up in my throat. But we are your common ground – your children are your common ground and you are our parents. You have duties towards us. But I didn’t say anything, I sat mute, listening. (Weed 12)
Separation leaves children struggling emotionally. Denise Evans, a senior Resolution Practitioner, voices the agony of such children in his critique The dilemma for children who are caught up in parental conflict and observes that separation is a phase of “dilemma for children who are caught up in parental conflict which is said to be about the care arrangements for the children where the parents don’t live in the same household” (Evans 2016). Umer too is worried about his future after his father’s departure. His father had promised that he would send money for the family secretly but it should not be known to the mother otherwise she wouldn’t accept it. Umer had given his word to his father that he would keep the money affair hidden from his mother. But he is stuck up in a moral dilemma when his mother urges him to stay away from his father and the ones like him. He is unable to comprehend when his mother forces him to slash all kinds of doings with his father. On one side there is a worry to sustain financially without the support of the earning member of the family and on other side are the strong morals of the mother who abhors ‘blood money’. “I stared back at her. I’d promised my father, assured him I’d take the money he would send for us. Take it and use it to look after Ammi and Umed. But here she was asking me to do the opposite. What was I to do now? Whose promise was I to keep?” (Weed 15).
Dilemma surrounds children when they find their parents in moral conflicts. One of the most significant qualities of being a father, and certainly the most frequently cited, is serving as a role model. Imitation, or modeling, is one of the most potent learning processes. As someone once said, “Children want to see a sermon, not hear it.” Parents are the role models for the children. Many times sons want to follow in the footsteps of their father blindly. But what if these footsteps lead to the world of violence? Umer too has high regards for his father and does not want to surrender to the idea that his father had gone astray. He is once again caught up in a dilemma when his mother wants him to see clearly that his father’s activities are not that of a freedom fighter or hero but are something that the society dreads and finds deplorable.
Terrorist, atankvaadi, separatist? Or freedom fighter, jihadi? Which of these was he? I wanted to believe the latter, but my mother, my mother knitted the fabric of the former and wrapped us tight into the thought that he was not someone to admire. Not someone to become. And she would not tolerate any other way. (Weed 22-23)
According to Barbara, “Children are dependent on the care, empathy and attention of parents who love them” (Barbara 2006). Due to separation and loss of the parent, children are forced to assume adult roles where they have often to face real life problems and their childhood is lost in the assumed adult lives. They wait to resume normal life if it ever does, and go on for years with the lost childhood and innocence which never comes back. Children are exposed to miserable circumstances and have to face predicaments independently. Umer too has to face adversities when the military troops come searching for his father after his father’s disappearance. Umer assumes the role of the protector of the family and though meek and timid tries to confront the army. “‘What do you want?’ I asked, my voice sounding high, like a peeved child. ‘Open the door!’ the command left no choice. With one last look at each other, Ammi nodded, I unlocked the door, drewback the bolt. They burst in, filling our little home with urgency and anger. And guns'' (Weed 18).
The analysis of Mary E. De Masi and Cate Teuten Bohn in their research on Children with incarcerated parents: A Journey of Children, Caregivers and Parents in New York State explicates that most children experience embarrassment when their parent goes to jail. Some children also assume they are at fault or have done something that led to their parent’s incarceration, even when there was nothing they could do to prevent their parent from going to jail. Umed and Umer too feel a sense of shame when their friends ignore them at school. “We were left alone much more now. Especially me. But even little Umed. Even his friends are friends no longer. They are warned by their parents. Don’t play with that boy any more…you must have nothing to do with him. Stay away. ‘That boy’ as if he were sick or something. As if they could catch terrorism from us or something” (Weed 24).
According to the studies conducted by La Vigne, Davies, and Brazzell published in Broken Bonds: Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Children with Incarcerated Parents, children with a parent in jail or prison are teased more often at school and “may internalize the stigma and experience lower self-esteem, especially if they identify with the incarcerated parent. Others may react with anger, defiance, and a desire for retaliation against those who reject and taunt them.” (La Vigne, Davies, and Brazzell 9) In the narrative too we find that both the children have to undergo alienation and dejection from their friends at school and the elder brother Umer responds with anger and strikes back by actually frightening, scaring and physically assaulting those who reject him and his brother. “So I started creeping up behind Umed’s friends, catching them unawares, pulling them behind the tree where I was hiding and clamping my hand over their mouths, stifling their screams, subduing their struggle. Their wide frightened eyes thrilled me” (Weed 24).
This behavior of Umer confirms with the opinion of Sack who offers the view that the boys’ antisocial behavior seemed to be a defensive attempt to continue their relationships with their fathers and maintain their identification with him by altering the internalized, previously positive qualities of the father to a new identification with the negative or “bad” aspects of the father. (Sack 1976 as cited in Gabel 1992. 36).
As mentioned by La Vinge “Separation from a parent for any reason will likely result in stress, sadness, and fear; indeed, many scholars have likened the experience of losing a parent to incarceration to that of losing a parent to death or divorce (Lowenstein 1986 as cited in Hagan and Dinovitzer 1999). However, while death is naturally occurring and final, separation due to incarceration is ambiguous; children may not know how to grieve the loss of a parent who is alive, yet emotionally and physically absent (Miller 2006). Children may be seriously emotionally affected by this sudden and ambiguous loss”(La Vigne , Davies, and Brazzell 7). In the narrative we find Umer too wrapped up in grief and anguish when he realizes that his father had gone away never to return back. A pinch of gloom always surrounds him and he secretly embraces his father’s shawl to have a feel of his presence. But the fading smell of his father from the fabric makes Umer even more distressed and desperate to unite with his father. For Umer the agony of separation is tormenting. He mourns the loss of his father who previously was ever present to take care of him and look after the financial matters which now were burdened on Umer.
Gone. More gone than if he was dead. More gone than I thought possible. I hadn’t imagined, even when he was telling me he was leaving, that he would go so far. So far away that there’d be no turning back. (Weed 29)
Where Are You Where Are You? I didn’t know when I started crying. But I knew when I stopped. Made myself stop. I made up my mind I’d try to reach him, send him messages. It could happen, I’d heard about people thinking of someone so hard and then that person knowing that they were being remembered. Just by thinking! (Weed 35)
La Vinge advances that “Children who have lost a parent to incarceration will likely experience greater financial hardship than other children.”(La Vigne , Davies, and Brazzell 5). “Several factors might explain the increase in financial strain following a parent’s incarceration. Typically, currently or formerly incarcerated parents cannot provide the level of financial support they offered prior to their arrest.”(La Vigne , Davies, and Brazzell 6). So Umer’s family, along with losing the father, also loses the financial support system too as the father was the sole breadwinner for the family. The financial crisis leads to accepting charity from the relatives – an act which Umer does not approve of but has to accept due to economic strain. “Times were harder now than they had ever been. There was no money coming in. Sabiha Khala came sometimes, bringing food. It would always be cooked so that it would look like the sharing of yesterday’s feast and not charity. But in some fold of the cloth that tied the bundles of the roti together, there’d always be a little money. Left there discreetly – never mentioned” (Weed 30).
It is observed that a conspiracy of silence hangs in the families going through financial crises. Even children avoid talking about their fears and worries. Parents too try to shield their children and attempt to protect them by avoiding conversations about money. Umer’s family too purposely avoided talking of grey issues and pretended to be leading a normal life. “Amazing the number of important things we avoided talking about! We concentrated on stupid things like too much salt in the wangan, flowers in the neighbour’s garden” (Weed 31). They were all aware about their economic uncertainty but still evaded talking on important issues as pretence helped them to hide their fears and remain normal. When their mother took to being a servant in order to sustain livelihood, both the children never gathered courage to ask her about her servant life and her worries. “So we didn’t see her being a servant. We didn’t talk about it either. . . . I’d been trying to picture her day, but even in my mind’s eye I couldn’t bear the images and shut down on it” (Weed 37).
Poverty and greed for more money often drives people to resort to terrorism. Here too in the narrative, Umer’s father is lured into terrorism for the greed of more money and is pushed to sell his sense of honesty and virtues. The greed to afford a decent living and the attempts to make ends meet drive him to resort to the path of violence.
He wanted Umed and you to have what his honest living couldn’t pay for. And he was a weak man. I see that now. He wasn’t greedy, not for himself. He was greedy for his family. And his greed made him weak. Left him wanting. And in the valley of ours, there are plenty of vultures who’ll smell of a person’s hunger, sense of wanting, his longing. And they will consume him. Like vultures on a carcass, they’ll strip him down to nothingness. To where his imam, his goodness, his sense of justice and honesty, why even his greed are consumed. He was a good man Umer, but look at what his greed has done.’ (Weed 35-36)
The only way out from the vicious circle of poverty, from the clutches of terrorism and a way to decent living is education. Umer’s mother too urges Umer to continue studies so that he could remain out from the dark shadows of terrorism. “I insist that you continue your studies. I never want you to feel that hunger, the need to fall prey to the vultures that lurk in every corner. I want you to have a full education, to get a job where you can hold your head high, walk in the sun, fill your pockets and fulfill your heart’s desire” (Weed 36).
Kishore A.N. and K.S.Shaji in their research entitled School Dropouts: Examining the Space of Reasons demonstrate that “There were several strands in the narrative around family issues and dropout from school. Parental separation and ill heath often led to the need for girl children to work or stay back at home to care for younger siblings. Older boys dropped out to find work.” (Kishore 2012). Here too we find Umer dropping out from school to find work and sustain living. “There simply wasn’t enough to pay the fees for both of us. I was being forced to take another unwilling step towards adulthood I wasn’t ready to meet just yet. No matter how much I hated school, no matter how many times I’d wished I didn’t have to go. I knew I didn’t want to leave it forever. Not yet. At least, I didn’t want to be forced into it” (Weed 54). Education is thus deprived due to poverty which is a common occurrence in India.
Mia Bloom and John Horgan in their article The Rise of the Child Terrorist: The Young Faces at the Frontlines maintain that, “Child soldiers are predominantly orphans that the group subsequently takes in and “adopts.” . . . In addition to establishing youth chapters and training camps, many terrorist organizations create targeted propaganda to lure children to join their cause, subsequently using them in support roles, such as cooks, cleaners, porters, and even weapons smugglers, until they are “old enough,” usually 16 or 17, for frontline battle” (Bloom and Horgan, 2015). Anand here has drawn out an exactly similar issue where we find young Hameed taken in by force by the terrorist groups and being employed to carry out odd jobs till he is ready for frontline battle. Hameed is just another victim of circumstances who is being indoctrinated to murder his innocence. “And that’s when I took a good look at him. And found that he wasn’t really a man at all! He was a young boy, maybe just about my age. Maybe even younger. He seemed more nervous than I. But, what was I to say? I couldn’t find the words, any words in the parched desert of my throat” (Weed 57).
After the father’s departure, the family is pushed to dire poverty. The innocence of Umed is reflected when he urges his mother to accept the money sent by his father. Umed too is aware of the crucial financial strains that the family is facing and is so happy at the prospect of receiving money from his father. He literally begs and pleads his mother to accept the money and does not understand the reason behind her refusal to do so. “‘Ammi,’ he began earnestly, smiling, almost, believing she hadn’t understood what this was and what it meant. ‘ Ammi, this isn’t filth, Ammi, it’s money. Abbu sent money. He knows we need it. See, that’s why he had to go away, to make our lives better, more comfortable. See how much money Abbu’s sent for us, Ammi’”(Weed 59).
The childish Umed urges his mother to let him unite with his father. The questions posed by him are reasonable but then there is no answer to them. Umed is unaware about the dangers and risks associated in being with his father. “ ‘Ammi, Hameed has him as his father, then why can’t I? Why can’t I? I’m his son. Ammi, please Ammi, how can you be so cruel?’” (Weed 68).
As pointed out by E. Mosely, “Sadly, 70 percent of these kids are doomed to follow in the same footsteps as their parents becoming imprisoned at some point in their lives. In fact, children of incarcerated parents are five times more likely than their peers to commit crimes. However, these at-risk children are largely ignored before they get in trouble” (E. Mosley 2008). Here too a similar situation emerges when we find Hameed taken in by terrorists to become one after his father’s death. It was his father’s last wish that his son follow his footsteps and a childlike Hameed who doesn’t have the understanding to differentiate between right or wrong is forced to make a choice about his future. It is indeed ironic that a small child is left to the mercy of terrorists to decide his future and there is absolutely no intervention by the society or police when a terrorist man takes the child away. “So he’d left his fainted mother and followed those footsteps that had led to his father’s death. And he’d never been back home after that” (Weed 65).
Even little Umed has to make a choice so early in his life between choosing to follow his father or staying with his mother to lead a life full of financial struggles. For Umed, it seemed like a perfect chance to unite with his father and stay in his protective shell away from financial worries. But little does he realize that choosing to stay with his father meant, accepting the path of violence and uncertainty from where there was no returning back ever. Even Umer longs to unite with his father but being elder to Umed he is able to predict the risks of a terrorist’s life and at the same time he does not have the courage to leave his mother forever. This cowardly nature of Umer in fact saves him from choosing a blighted path. “Umed, this is a big decision. One, I think, you shouldn’t have to make, young as you are. But circumstance has forced us, the moment is upon us. Take today to think over” (Weed 74). “I wanted so much to go to Abbu. I knew if Ammi had not put the condition that if we chose to go, there was no coming back, if she hadn’t said that, well for sure, I’d be packing my bags right now, readying to leave with Hameed tonight”(Weed 75).
As perceived by Anne B. Smith & Nicola J. Taylor in their research on Rethinking children’s involvement in decision-making after parental separation,
Children in our view are able to contribute meaningfully to discussions and decisions being made about their living arrangements (residence and contact) after their parents separate. The unfair burden of responsibility has been frequently raised as a primary reason for keeping children out of family disputes. Yet, encouraging children’s participation in family and legal processes does not necessarily mean that children’s views alone should be determinative or that children should be given sole responsibility for the decision. Children generally have some awareness of the problems facing their families and listening to what they have to say can allow any distress, anxiety or uncertainty to be properly voiced and dealt with. Participation by children may help them to accept decisions made about them and may facilitate their growth towards mature and responsible adulthood. (Smith and Taylor 201).
Here too in the narrative we find that Umed’s mother finally allows Umed to take the decision which makes him analyze and look at things more clearly and makes him more mature. Umed remains firm in his decision and shows that he is a little boy no more. “And when he spoke, it was in a man’s voice, a somber man’s voice, ‘I will go,’ he said, ‘ Bhai, Ammi has told me to sit and think over my decision very carefully. But I don’t need time, I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going'’” (Weed 77).
The insecurity and fear of losing the second child is all pervasive in parents who have lost one. Such parents become overly possessive and tend to keep the child under constant supervision. This child becomes the parent’s center of attention, which leaves no breathing space and independence for the child. This kind of excessive parental monitoring harms the well being of the child and is responsible for youth involvement in problem behaviors. In the narrative too we find Umer’s mother snatching away the freedom and space of Umer for the fear of losing him. “She watched me closely, all the time, every moment we were together. And even sometimes when we weren’t, it seemed her eyes were on me, the leash pulled taut, the invisible collar she had put around my neck tightening, choking me.” (Weed 85)
But the fears of the mother are not ill founded when she has lost her husband and a son to terrorism. Umer’s mother is very precarious and does not let Umer out of sight as she is aware of the terrorist’s tactics to lure children. Her apprehensions come true when Umer is approached by terrorists, when he has only a moment of solitude away from his mother that too on their unplanned day off from work. Only a slight flash of privacy gives a chance to the terrorists to interact with Umer who is all set and ready to break free from the tight leash of his mother. “‘Yes, yes, your Ammi will not let you talk to us. It is because of her that we have not been able to talk to you, to help you’” (Weed 123).
According to La Vinge, “Children whose parents are incarcerated are reported to experience a wide variety of behavioral and emotional problems during the time of the parent's incarceration. These problems include school difficulties, antisocial behavior, anxiety, and depression.”(La Vinge, Davies and Brazzel 8). Barbara J. notes that, “The experience of indifference from the surrounding world, or, worse still, malevolence may cause children to suffer loss of meaning in their construction of themselves in their world” (Barbara 2006). Umer too experiences alienation and withdrawal after his father’s departure and finds his life mundane and monotonous.
It was as if I had become invisible, ceased to exist. (Weed 86)
Sometimes, in the quiet of the morning, I would whisper my name to myself, just to hear it. Just to confirm I was there, present, alive. (Weed 86)
Adulthood v/s Childhood
The joys of childhood are boundless and endless. The phase of childhood is free from cares. It is a kingdom full of fun, frolic, equality and innocence. But at the same time it is also the formative period of one’s life. An individual’s character takes its shape in childhood. The mind at this stage is curious and receptive. A child is just like the potter’s clay. The impressions and experiences of childhood, mould and shape our adult life. So human character should be properly shaped in this golden period of life, which leaves deep and lasting impressions when one grows up. Compared to the simple and humble childhood, the world of adults is full of responsibilities and worries. As Roald Dahl rightly puts it, “Grown ups are complicated creatures, full of quirks and secrets.” But then too children and teens long to step into the adult world and find the lives of their adults interesting and perplexing.
It is observed that children are usually curious to know about the adult world and are eager to learn the secrets of their parents’. Umer too decides to know of his father’s secret proceedings when he discovers that his law-abiding father is going to sneak through the darkness of the night. “So when did he start breaking the law? He who always told us to be good, always to listen to our teachers, obey our parents. When did it come to pass that he would sneak out at night, like a thief, a shadow slipping away from prying eyes? Risking the anger of the uniform that patrolled the valley? I followed” (Weed 7).
The world of adults is fake and presumptuous. We usually do not follow what we teach and preach. However the adults do expect children to obey the laws and rules of the adult world with devotion and sincerity. Umer’s father too expects him to be a good and law abiding citizen even though he himself doesn’t practice it. When Umer is caught following his father to the valleys, his father brings him back and chides him for his actions. Umer is unable to understand the dubious ways of his father and wants answers though he lacks the courage to question his father.
He had gone out. He had broken the rules. I was just trying to find out what it was all about. That’s all. But I was dragged home. What have you got to say for yourself? Where the hell do you think you were off to?
How could I answer these questions? I didn’t know the answers.
My father had the answers, then why was he asking the questions? (Weed 10)
The innocent children are less malign than adults. They do not cultivate bitter feelings and are loyal friends and companions. But contrary to that, adult relations are fake and fragile. During the period of troubles and difficulties the adults often turn their backs and break trust and friendship. In the narrative too, when Umer’s family is surrounded by problems, the society turns its back towards them. The parents forbid their children to keep friendship with Umed and Umer and venom the innocent minds against them. We find that Umed’s friend Salim does not want to break his friendship with Umed even though he has parental pressure to do so.
‘Salim, he asked me, he asked why everyone’s parents were telling our friends to be careful of us, to stay away. He wanted to know what had really happened. He said he didn’t believe my father was a bad man who had run away from the police. He said he wanted to be my friend even if his parents didn’t. He said he wanted to be my friend forever…’(Weed 26)
Usually the adults believe that the children are naive and too immature to understand complexities of life and that, they are surrounded by ignorance and innocence. So parents usually do not share the real life problems with them and try to keep them out of the family troubles. But young children are smarter than what their parents think. They listen to adult conversations and grasp the majority of the talks. Here too, Umed knows about his father and very innocently shares his story with his friend at school. His elder brother Umer is surprised to know that Umed understood and knew so much about Jihad and his father becoming a terrorist, all of which was rarely discussed at home. “We sat there in the dust, I knew he would tell me, eventually, what he had told his friend. And he did. He spat out all the details he knew. I was surprised he knew so much” (Weed 26).
Conclusion
The study highlights how the life of a child exposed to situations of terror and violence results in traumatic experiences that may leave enduring psychological impacts and change in life trajectory. The research addresses the compelling circumstances that build up and force a child to deal with problems like victimization by the society, separation from parent, identification with the criminal parent, feelings of abandonment, social stigma, anti-social behavior, anxiety and depression, personal loneliness, shame, remorse and community hostility. It exposes the miserable condition of a child who is marginalized by the society thereby losing the opportunity for education and assuming forced adulthood. It dwells into the issue of community stigmatization and the socio-economic pressures which leave a child faltering between right and wrong. The study thus aids to understand the phenomenon of terrorism in its totality as we witness not only the physical loss of life and property due to terrorism, but also get a glimpse of psychological trauma experienced by youth as a result of terrorism.
References:
Primary Source: