Beyond Survival: Re-imagining Life Through Resilience and Hope in Anuradha Roy’s Sleeping on Jupiter

Anuradha Roy’s Sleeping on Jupiter is a profound, multi-layered exploration of the human capacity to endure trauma, reclaim agency, and reimagine the possibilities of life following devastation. Set against the backdrop of Jarmuli, a fictional temple town that juxtaposes sacred serenity with profane exploitation, the novel intricately weaves the lives of disparate characters united by silence and loss. The protagonist, Nomita, is a young woman scarred by childhood sexual abuse within an ashram, who returns to the site of her trauma not merely to remember, but to confront and dismantle the power structures that silenced her. Alongside her narrative, the novel traces the pilgrimage of three elderly women, Gouri, Latika, and Vidya, whose journey reveals the quiet resilience required to navigate patriarchal societal structures, aging, and widowhood. Furthermore, the sub-plot of Badal, a local temple guide grappling with his repressed sexuality, highlights the intersectionality of oppression. This research paper analyzes how Roy’s characters traverse the darker corridors of memory and societal abuse to emerge not as victims, but as survivors. It argues that resilience in the novel is not a return to innocence, but a gritty, determined restructuring of the self. Through an examination of the characters' psychological landscapes and their interactions with the oppressive socio-religious environment, this paper highlights that while scars remain, life can be re-imagined through solidarity, confrontation, and the enduring power of hope.