Shahid Beheshti University Critical Language and Literary Studies 20087330 22 34 2025 04 21 “Every Way I Turn, I Run into Dead Ends”: A Necropolitical Reading of The Girl on the Train (2016) by Paula Hawkins “Every Way I Turn, I Run into Dead Ends”: A Necropolitical Reading of The Girl on the Train (2016) by Paula Hawkins 33 41 105268 10.48308/clls.2025.237904.1279 FA Melika Ramzi PhD Candidate, Department of English Literature and Language, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences Journal Article 2024 12 09 The present study analyzes the key necropolitical thematic subjects in The Girl on the Train (originally published in 2015) by Paula Hawkins, focusing on the main character Rachel Watson’s emotional, psychological, and social deterioration. The problem of Rachel’s societal and personal disempowerment is framed through the concept of necropolitics, which highlights how systems of power enforce social and civic death in the form of living death. To address this issue critically, the paper proceeds by examining Rachel’s fractured mental state, social exclusion, and experiences of marginalization through four dimensions of necropolitical control: incarceration, homelessness, no ventilation, and malnutrition. Employing the theoretical framework of Achille Mbembe, this reading explores how Rachel’s psychological imprisonment, emotional displacement, stifling circumstances, and neglect manifest these necropolitical elements. The analysis further sheds light on how Rachel’s alcoholism, failed marriage, and self and social alienation reflect broader institutional oppressions rooted in patriarchy. The study also elaborates on how societal expectations and bureaucratic control mechanisms contribute to Rachel’s social death. In conclusion, the essay asserts that The Girl on the Train offers a compelling depiction of necropolitical marginalization, particularly as it affects women constrained by societal norms and personal trauma. Finally, the findings challenge the idea that the living-dead body is ultimately a passive, immovable, and domestic one and suggest that necropolitical forces impact not only the disenfranchised but also those seemingly in positions of power. The analysis further shows how having an immature superego and overactive id help Rachel be heard by the necropowers. The present study analyzes the key necropolitical thematic subjects in The Girl on the Train (originally published in 2015) by Paula Hawkins, focusing on the main character Rachel Watson’s emotional, psychological, and social deterioration. The problem of Rachel’s societal and personal disempowerment is framed through the concept of necropolitics, which highlights how systems of power enforce social and civic death in the form of living death. To address this issue critically, the paper proceeds by examining Rachel’s fractured mental state, social exclusion, and experiences of marginalization through four dimensions of necropolitical control: incarceration, homelessness, no ventilation, and malnutrition. Employing the theoretical framework of Achille Mbembe, this reading explores how Rachel’s psychological imprisonment, emotional displacement, stifling circumstances, and neglect manifest these necropolitical elements. The analysis further sheds light on how Rachel’s alcoholism, failed marriage, and self and social alienation reflect broader institutional oppressions rooted in patriarchy. The study also elaborates on how societal expectations and bureaucratic control mechanisms contribute to Rachel’s social death. In conclusion, the essay asserts that The Girl on the Train offers a compelling depiction of necropolitical marginalization, particularly as it affects women constrained by societal norms and personal trauma. Finally, the findings challenge the idea that the living-dead body is ultimately a passive, immovable, and domestic one and suggest that necropolitical forces impact not only the disenfranchised but also those seemingly in positions of power. The analysis further shows how having an immature superego and overactive id help Rachel be heard by the necropowers. https://clls.sbu.ac.ir/article_105268_d077cb923a485aec65066bc165cc7d15.pdf