https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i4.100
The Absent Leg: Bodily Alienation and Identity Crisis in Oliver Sacks’ A Leg to Stand On
SHWETHA R S
Research Scholar (Part-time)
PG Department & Research Centre in English
The Madura College (Autonomous)
2024rse002@maduracollege.edu.in)
DR. SHEELA P. KARTHICK
Associate Professor & Head
PG Department & Research Centre in English
The Madura College (Autonomous)
sheelapkarthick@maduracollege.edu.in
Abstract: Oliver Sacks was a British neurologist who faced complete paralysis of his left leg as a result of an accident while hiking. Sacks experienced tremendous pain, bodily alienation and an identity crisis because of his leg that failed to feel as a part of his body. This paper examines his memoir A Leg to Stand On (1984), in which he chronicled his journey of navigating the injury and recovery through the lens of Phenomenology. It studies how Sacks felt his body estranged from his mind and the consequential internal conflict he felt because he could not identify his injured leg as his own. By employing Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s concept of Embodiment and Lived Body and Drew Leder’s The Absent Body, this paper portrays how bodily alienation can cause identity crisis and emotional estrangement. The memoir ultimately portrays how Sacks used his willpower not just to reclaim his bodily ownership but also his sense of selfhood.
Keywords: Oliver Sacks, A Leg to Stand On, Phenomenology, Bodily Alienation, Embodiment, Lived Body, Absent Body
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