An Analysis Of Winesburg, Ohio From The Perspective Of Trauma Theory

Sherwood Anderson is one of the most important writers in American literaturehistory in the twentieth century, and Winesburg, Ohio is his most representative shortstory collection. He discovers the Eden of "small towns" to show his wisdom and talent.This book is composed of twenty-five stories; through the characterizations oftwenty-three different characters, Anderson displays the reality of life skillfully, and ona deep level, he intends to explore the reality of human soul or mind.This thesis is composed of six parts. The first part is an introduction which gives anoverview of Sherwood Anderson and this book Winesburg, Ohio. Then the literarycritics of Sherwood and his works at home and abroad are introduced. Finally, theauthor makes a statement of the emphasis and theme of this thesis. Trauma, as acommon psychological phenomenon, has always been the theme of literary narration.This thesis aims to interpret this book with the trauma theory.The first chapter is a general overview of trauma theory, including the concept oftrauma, the formation and development of trauma theory, and the study and applicationof trauma theory in the humanities, like culture, history and literature.In the second chapter, through a close reading of the text, the author points out thetraumatic symptoms of the characters in Winesburg, Ohio, including repetitioncompulsion, dissociation, repression and communication barrier.And then, in the third chapter, the author analyses the causes of the symptomsmentioned above. These causes cover the social elements and some human factorsincluding physical wound, childhood memory and love trauma. Combining with thestories of some typical characters in this book, the author dissects the causes of theirtrauma symptoms.In Chapter Four, the author discusses the literature value of Winesburg, Ohio as atrauma fiction. Through the creation of these grotesque character images, Andersonfulfills the task of healing his trauma; at the same time, he gives people who are introuble just like him enlightenment. In addition, the sense of reality, tragic beauty andautobiographical writing of the traumatic literature also have been reflected in this book. The publication of this book plays an important role in modern American literature.It is considered as a milestone, and it carries on the past heritage and opens up the future,especially in the development of American short stories.