Trauma Of The Protagonist In Mr.Sammler's Planet

Saul Bellow is a highly regarded American writer in the 20 th century.He is considered as one of the greatest contemporary American novelists after Hemingway and Faulkner.During his 60-year writing career,Bellow has published 13 novels,a large number of short and medium-sized novels,commentaries and notes.His literary achievements are remarkable.He won the National Book Awards three times(1954,1965 and 1971)and one Pulitzer Prize(1976).In 1976,Bellow was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work “combining the understanding of human beings and the subtle analysis of contemporary culture”.In his works,he not only made a deep peek and exploration of history,but also soberly examined the current situation of American society,and constantly analyzed the sufferings and contradictions of survival.Published in 1970,Mr.Sammler's Planet won the third American National Book Award for Saul Bellow.This novel contains a wealth of social content and profound traumatic themes.During the twentieth century,two world wars and social crises have left a heavy traumatic memory for mankind.How to present and reflect on these traumatic memories is a problem that literature must face.Mr.Sammler's Planet is the very book that is written under the background of the Holocaust in World War II and the chaos of American society in the 1960 s,which depicts the trauma that Mr.Sammler suffered in such a context.Therefore,this paper attempts to analyze Bellow's novel Mr.Sammler's Planet from the perspective of trauma theory.This paper,from the aspect of trauma theory,interprets the life experiences of the protagonist Mr.Sammler,excavates the roots of his trauma,and explores the external expressions of the wound and the way Mr.Sammler gets out of the trauma.The whole text is divided into three parts.The first part is the introduction which introduces the basic survey of the author and his work Mr.Sammler's Planet,expounds the formation and development of trauma theory,and combs the current research of Mr.Sammler's Planet at home and abroad.The second part is the main body which is divided into three chapters.The first chapter analyzes the source and aggravation of the protagonist's trauma.The heavy blow of the war and theHolocaust to Sammler,the death of his wife and his killing of a German soldier during World War II are the root causes of Sammler's trauma.Meanwhile,the crisis and chaos of American society after the war aggravate Mr.Sammler's trauma.The second chapter mainly explores the external manifestations of Mr.Sammler's trauma,which is mainly manifested as the following aspects: the physical injuries of his body,the incessant invasion and re-experience of traumatic events,the avoidance of traumatic stimuli,and his indifference and mockery towards the world and himself.The last chapter explores the way in which the injured get out of the trauma.In the text,through searching for safety,telling others about the traumatic experience,rebuilding the new harmonious interpersonal relationship,and repenting and forgiving the traumatic events,Sammler gradually establishes the sense of security for himself,and gradually alleviates his trauma.The conclusion part summarizes the previous analysis and points out the significance of the novel.The article not only describes the immense physical and psychological harm caused by the Holocaust and the crisis of American society in the 1960 s,but it also depicts the plight of the trauma victims in a transformative society and the way of walking out of the trauma.Besides,the significance and the aim of the novel is to appease the injured soul in the world,and guide human beings to reflect on the meaning of life so as to face the plight of life bravely.More importantly,the author also points out some ways of recovering the trauma and getting out of the wound for the injured.