Trauma And Recovery: An Analysis Of Desert Flower From The Perspective Of Trauma Theory

Desert Flower,published in 1998,is an autobiographical novel written by Waris Dirie.From a shepherdess to a United Nations Ambassador,Dirie can be regarded as a legendary figure.The novel takes her growth as the main line,presenting the survival dilemma of African women in the context of patriarchal society and circumcision custom.Guided by trauma theory,this thesis analyzes Dirie’s life experience from the perspectives of trauma symptoms,trauma causes and trauma recovery to explore her suffering and her ways of recovery and self-reconstruction.Through the detailed analysis,the major findings are as follows: First,Dirie’s trauma symptoms are mainly manifested in the form of hyperarousal,intrusion and constriction.She is alert to all events related to her traumatic experience,showing anxiety and defense state;she is constantly invaded by traumatic memories in the forms of flashback and illusion;she shows alienation and numbness to the outside world.Second,it is found that the causes to Dirie’s traumatic experience fall into three aspects: family,social and cultural factors.The distorted original family and tortuous marriage,the Somali nomadic society and male-dominated society,and African traditional culture and her marginalized cultural identity have brought her physical and mental harm.Third,Dirie completes recovery through the process of self-reconstruction.Her physical reconstruction is realized by her circumcision surgery and her right to dispose her own body.Her psychological reconstruction is accomplished by establishing a sense of safety,remembrance and mourning,and reconnection.Her social identity reconstruction is achieved by the realization of her own value in her model career and her undertaking social responsibilities.This study on Desert Flower from the perspective of trauma theory can broaden the research perspective of Desert Flower to some extent,which can also provide reference for female to overcome trauma,especially the black women who have suffered.