Trauma Witnesses History

Maria Campbell is a well-known Metis woman writer in Canada. Her memoir Halfbreed has gained an influential literary reputation and symbolizes a milestone in the renaissance of Canadian Aboriginal Literature. As one of the significant representative works of Canadian Aboriginal Literature, there is only one academic paper and one M.A. thesis so far conducting research on it, it deserves further academic attention. Since20th century, scholars have paid more attention to applying trauma study and trauma theory into literature. Trauma narrative has great significance in healing trauma and representing historical event.Based on trauma theory, this thesis, through analysis of Maria Campbell’s Halfbreed, explores how Canadian Aboriginal people face historical and racial trauma caused by colonial history in Canada and its mechanism. Through analysis of her trauma symptoms such as depersonalization, avoidance, feeling of shame and hopelessness reflected in her life, it is proved that colonial history in Canada and value and culture centered on Western country along with the process of colonization is the root of her psychic trauma. After long time’s confusion and struggle, eventually. Maria Campbell recovers from her traumatic experience. For trauma victims, reconnecting relationship with people and environment they familiar with is very helpful for them to recover from trauma. In addition, narrative also plays an important role in helping the victim to recover from trauma. Through narrative, victim speaks the unspeakable. Plus, in the process of narrative, the split-identity is re-established, which is very important for the victim. Through narrative, Maria Campbell makes her voice heard and shows people the everlasting effects of colonization on Aboriginal people and provides non-Native people a chance to review Canadian history which is told by White men. In the process of writing traumatic experience, she also rewrites Canadian history which is told from the perspective of a minority.The present thesis, being different from the previous research angles on Halfbreed, aims to broaden and deepen the scope of its studies from the perspective of trauma theory and provide effective ways to recover from trauma.