The Representation Of Trauma In Narrative: A Study Of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx And Crake

Margaret Atwood is one of the most renowned contemporary woman writers in Canada.Her works have been recognised and valued by the literary community for their thematic and narrative excellence.She has won dozens of awards,including the Governor General’s Awards,the Order of Canada,Commonwealth Writers prizes,The Man Booker Prizes,and has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.One of Atwood’s representative works is Oryx and Crake,created in 2003.The novel begins with a scene on a beach and tells the story of the protagonist “Snowman” waking up alone on a deserted beach after a deadly virus has swept the world.As the story unfolds,a fact is revealed that the creator of this apocalyptic virus is Snowman’s friend,Crake.Atwood sets up two parallel narrative lines in the novel,one using the present tense to tell the story of the Snowman,who struggles to survive in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event while witnessing the catastrophic effects of this event on human civilisation,and the other using the past tense to narrate the past story of Oryx,Crake and Jimmy(Snowman’s real name),which explores the psychological traumas of different characters,including Jimmy and Crake’s traumas from losing loved ones,Oryx’s trauma from being exploited as a sex worker,and the trauma caused by the manipulation and subversion of nature through genetic engineering and biotechnology.Overall,the novel presents a bleak and unsettling vision of a world in which trauma is pervasive and inescapable.By highlighting the similarities and differences between the two narratives,a sense of contrast and juxtaposition can be created,thereby increasing the emotional impact of the story.Additionally,using different tenses can help to differentiate between two narrations and clearly indicate when the story transitions between different perspectives or timelines.This thesis applies trauma theory to analyse the traumatic experiences and symptoms manifested by the characters depicted in Oryx and Crake,with specific emphasis on their familial and societal traumas,and focuses on exploring the underlying causes of their psychological traumas.Through trauma narrative analysis,it discusses the role of trauma narrative in shaping character images,and elucidates the realistic implications of the themes of multiple traumas in the novel.Guided by postmodern narrative theory,the thesis analyses how narrative techniques such as fragmented narrative,double time scheme,and Nachtr(?)glichkeit are utilised to portray the protagonist’s spiritual confusion and struggle for survival in the novel,while seeking to examine the function of narrative strategies in presenting trauma.In addition,the thesis analyses the protagonist’s constant switching between the identities of “Snowman” and Jimmy,using first-person narrative and descriptive narration to introduce trauma symptoms and results.By analysing the trauma narrative presented in Oryx and Crake,this thesis delves into the psychological states of characters in the aftermath of traumatic events and their subsequent behavioural responses.It reveals the additional impact of realistic concerns conveyed in the novel on reflecting human history and eliciting social emotional resonance.