“Every Way I Turn, I Run into Dead Ends”: A Necropolitical Reading of The Girl on the Train (2016) by Paula Hawkins

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research Article

Author

PhD Candidate, Department of English Literature and Language, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences

Abstract

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.

Keywords

References

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Critical Language and Literary studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 09 January 2025

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