Trauma And Recovery—A Study On Home From The Perspective Of Trauma Theory

As the first black female laureate of Nobel Prize in Literature, Toni Morrison occupies a vital position in the literary arena over the world. Up to now, she has published a total of ten novels, in which her most satisfactory one Beloved brings her enviable honor. Rich in black cultural and traditional connotations, her works are consistently concerned with the ups and downs of the fate of the black race, which forms one of her characteristics.Morrison’s Home published in May 2012 is set in America after Korean War. It provides a lively and vivid picture of the virtual conditions of America in 1950s as well as the Korean War through the narration of many characters. Discharged from the Korean War, Frank Money doesn’t obtain deserved respect and honor due to his black identity. Apart from the trauma from the Korean War, he has to suffer from racial prejudice. In order to rescue his dying sister Cee, Frank sets out the journey to Georgia. On his way to south, he witnesses how miserable life blacks lead under the prevalent racism. During the process, Frank undergoes many afflictions, which makes him recall traumatic events before and realize his cowardice. Little by little, Frank comes to regain his manhood. At length, with the help of the black community and their own efforts, Cee refreshes herself, recognizing her self-value and Frank bravely confesses his crimes, realizing his soul emancipation. This thesis attempts to analyze Home from the aspects of traumatic events, traumatic symptoms, recovery manifestations and reasons in order to explore various unjust phenomena as well as the pursuit of harmonious society embodied in the work.This thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter gives a brief introduction to Morrison and her latest work Home. Chapter Two is a literature review of Morrison’s other works and Home, along with the introduction to the rise and development of trauma theory. The third chapter sets forth kinds of traumatic events the protagonists have experienced, including the traumas from family and the society. From the viewpoint of traumatic symptoms, chapter Four delineates the fact that both Frank and Cee show some traumatic symptoms like avoidance, emotional numbing and nightmares and so on after undergoing traumatic events. The fifth chapter touches upon their recovery manifestations, elucidating the reasons why they can get rid of traumas and restart a new life in a real home in the end. The thesis comes to a conclusion in Chapter Six, pointing out the practical significance and research value of Home with trauma theory.