Literature always presents an unsettling, dark and daring portrait of human existence tainted by trauma and its pain. The word ‘trauma’ is derived from a Greek word meaning wound. Literature voices the deep psyche of the human beings in a society captivated with the invisible wound of trauma. Patriarchy and its binding rules create a deep void in the life of women assigning them a secondary role to act within the norms of the society. Patriarchal trauma traumatized women shattering their psyche, leading them into a meaningless existence. Patriarchal trauma always subjugates and dominate the female power granting a feeling of incompleteness in women. Etaf Rum’s novel A Woman Is No Man explores this stifling pang and pains of Palestinian American women affected by the cultural and familial expectations of patriarchal society. This novel also explores the inner trauma of central female characters Isra, Deya and their struggle for survival in a male dominated society. It delineates the theme of patriarchal trauma, psychological and the emotional impact of gender inequality. It also highlights the oppression and sufferings of women within a traditional male dominated society. The novel depicts an account of the impact of patriarchal trauma in the central female characters and its perpetuations across generations. A Woman is No Man is a powerful and moving novel by Etaf Rum that delves into the lives of three generations of Palestinian-American women living in Brooklyn, New York. The novel also explores the cultural traditions and expectations placed upon women in the Palestinian community, as well as the struggles that come with trying to break free from them. This paper delves into the inner traumas of the central female characters Isra and Deya and their attempts to reconcile the realities of the present with the torturous recollections of the past.

patriarchal trauma, anxiety