Title of the Thesis : “Culture, History, Politics: The Representation of Women in The American War Novels of Ernest Hemingway, e.e. cummings, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.”
Name of the Degree and Subject: Ph. D. (English)
Name of the Examiner : Dr. Munir Associate Professor &Head Dept. of English Shibli National College, Azam
I carefully read Ms S Ramola Naidu’s Ph. D. dissertation entitled “Culture, History, Politics: The Representation of Women in the American War Novels of Ernest Hemingway, e. e. cummings, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.” submitted at Osmania University, Hyderabad. Divided into four chapters, the dissertation is neatly chalked out with a very informative introduction and a befitting conclusion. All the four novels undertaken for the study dwell upon the image of the American women against the background of the World Wars. Chapter I, “Fragmentation of Society: The Enormous Room,” shows that women are not the weaker sex but are the pillars that support family and society. Chapter II entitled “Triumph of Love: A Farewell to Arms” deals with the evil effects of the First World War on society in general and on women in particular. Chapter III, “Parental Indifference: Mother Night,” focuses on the catastrophe of the Second World War disapproving “the ultra-modern American woman who sacrifices the basic demands of her family” (page 9, Abstract). The last chapter, “Bureaucratic Callousness: Catch 22” depicts the chaotic military organizations and the ugliness and brutality of human exploitation. Ms Naidu’s topic has a great relevance to the present political context in the