The Theme Of Trauma In Heinrich’s Novels

Heinrich Boll is one of the most internationally renowned writers in Germany after World War II, Nobel Prize winner in 1972. Boll’s literary works are closely linked to the development of society in the entire 20 th century. His comprehensive and critical works show the cruelty, absurdness, irrationality of the war, while also strongly expose the traumatic experiences and the memory of trauma that have tormented all Germans for a long time-not only in physical, but also in spirit. As a representative writer of German Literature of the Ruins, Boll has always believe that : " both men and women, and even children, who just returned from the war with the ravages of war, are still not be good including their environment, their situation, everything about themselves and around, and as a writer we breathe the same air with them and share the same destiny with them. " The thesis paper is guided by critical theory of trauma to study Boll’s novels and reveal profound cultural connotations and deep practical significance inherent in the novels, meanwhile trying to analyze and explain Boll’s attitude towards war and history.Introduction has briefly introduced Boll’s life and major works and systematically combed over the research status at home and abroad, and put forward the arguments of this thesis paper based on the results of previous studies. The first chapter mainly introduces the definition of trauma, trauma literature theory and the influence of Boll’s life experience on his latter works. In the second chapter, the writer would explain the theme of trauma caused by wars specifically in Boll’s works. As Boll’s criticism towards war and sympathy to the German public who have severely been inflicted by war are shown throughout the whole work creation process, the thesis takes the trauma theory as a starting point for further research and interprets the trauma theme in Boll’s novels. Chapter 3 analyzes the value and meaning of trauma theme of Boll’s novels in a specific way combined with the history of German and traumatic memories of the entire German nation. By describing traumatic memories in writing, Boll narrates the mistakes and painful lessons of the German nation and the whole humanity that have committed in the twentieth century, and then reflects on thelessons of wars, and yearns for excellent characters and shows confirmation to human freedom, value and dignity.That Boll kept calling up people’s traumatic memories is not only meant to re-open wounds of the past and attain psychological recovery by looking at the pain that once suffered;but also try to reveal the brutality and irrationality of war, destruction of human nature caused by wars in a strong sense of urgency, and finally remind modern people to keep modern history in mind and be wary that a familiar historical tragedy pattern should not be repeated again.