Representing Trauma in Haruki Murakami's "Landscape with Flatiron"

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Letters, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

This study is concerned with interrogating the short story of "Landscape with Flatiron" by Haruki Murakami in the context of trauma theory and identifying the ways of representing the process and consequences of trauma. For Caruth trauma occurs when the traumatic event is experienced a moment too late, before the self can realize it. Indeed it is experienced, but not understood. Traumatic event is fully comprehended in connection with another place and in another time and through repetitious imposition of its memory. Trauma deviates the mechanism of experiencing and effects an incision in the self, splitting the psyche into two halves: before and after trauma. Different people show various reactions to trauma, but Žižek believes that any confrontation with traumatic events ends into the birth of posttraumatic subject. Posttraumatic subject is a new subject who is a stranger. In "Landscape with Flatiron" Murakami represents the process of trauma through symbolism and displacement. He also represents the consequence of trauma by depicting posttraumatic subjects concerned with death.

Keywords

References

References
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Research in Contemporary World Literature
Volume 27, Issue 1
August 2022
Pages 503-537

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