Abstract:
This research investigates trauma and its intense implications in Hanya Yanagihara’s
novel A Little Life, where the characters are dealing with trauma that has deteriorated
their mental health, identity and interpersonal relationships. The novel encompasses
four friends who are the survivors of trauma, with a prime focus on the protagonist Jude
St. Francis. Judith Herman’s trauma theory in her seminal work, Trauma and Recovery,
has been utilized as a theoretical framework for this research. The research emphasizes
over the effects of trauma on identity, memories, mental psyche and relationships along
with the coping mechanisms of trauma that is an essential component of Herman’s
trauma theory. The study comprises of the cycle of trauma, beginning from establishing
safety by trauma survivors to remembrance of the memories and finally, reconnection
with life. Moreover, the role of dissociation, formation of the traumatic bonds and the
reenactment of the trauma to gain control over the body of characters is also discussed.
Jude is the center of study, as he struggles with the unresolved trauma caused by
childhood abuse in his past, coming with self-loathing and self-harm as defense strategy
to gain control over himself. Shoshana Felman’s narrative textual analysis as an
analytical framework is incorporated in this research. Yanagihara through her work
highlights a significant issue analyzed in this research, considering the broader societal
aspect of the failure of safeguarding and providing social support to the trauma
survivors. Trauma and how the wounds of the past flashbacks continue to shape the
person’s identity and relationships, intersecting with the trauma and recovery, which
contributes significantly in trauma literature.
