The Psychic Trauma Novel: Don Delillo’s Falling Man

Don DeLillo is an outstanding postmodern writer in the American literary world.His novel Falling Man, published in2007, was received to a myriad of critical praisesand was regarded as the best one among numerous9/11novels. In this novel, DeLillodepicts a short, sheared, direct, unrestrained as well as economical account of a vastmoment that in the very slightness and clarity of its telling seizes the frightful powerof its impact, which also marks the return of a superb novelist.Adopting the methodology of trauma studies, with Cathy Caruth’s theory ofmemory and trauma as well as Chris Merwe’s perspective on working through trauma,this thesis proposes that the Falling Man of Don DeLillo addresses trauma andPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a method to observe what9/11means not just to theworld according to social, cultural, and political implications, but what it means to thevictims on the smallest details of ordinary life; besides, DeLillo explores the positiveeffects of narrating the trauma and performing the trauma in Falling Man.The thesis is composed of an introduction, three chapters as well as a conclusion.The introduction is a general research about the writer Don DeLillo, his novel FallingMan, the literature review on the former survey of this novel as well as the researchmethod of this thesis. Chapter one discloses Keith, the hero of this novel, personallyexperiences the9/11terrorist attack and as a direct victim of this event, he manifestsdissociative identity disorder, apathy and isolation, as well as melancholia. Chaptertwo discusses Keith’s wife Lianne, his son Justin and his mother-in-law Nina, as thevicarious or second-hand victims of this catastrophe, exhibit traumatic syndromessuch as Lianne’s vulnerability, anxiety, and xenophobia, Justin’s paranoia and innerdistress, Nina’s irrational indignation. Chapter three probes into the efforts andstruggle of other victims of9/11attack to work through the trauma, which includesFlorence and the Alzheimer patients narrate the trauma as well as the Falling ManDavid Janiak performs the trauma. The conclusion reiterates the topic as well assummarizes the main points of the thesis.