THE BURDEN OF MEMORIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TRAUMA IN BROKEN SOUP AND THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

Abstract

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” (Rumi) This research explores trauma leading to the wounds through the literary texts of Broken Soup and The Things They Carried by Jenny Valentine and Tim O’Brien respectively, through the lens of trauma theory. Drawing from Cathy Caruth's framework in Unclaimed Experience and Judith Herman's treatment methodologies in Trauma and Recovery, the study examines the psychological and emotional impacts of traumatic events, focusing on loss and the horrors of war in the characters marked by flashbacks, timelessness and Inability to speak about it. By employing the comparative and interdisciplinary approach to study trauma which allows a new insight into literary criticism and trauma theory, this study reveals the traumatic effects of war experiences on individuals’ memories and identities. Moreover, the qualitative method is used to examine the emotional and psychological impact of Vietnam war on the lives of American soldiers. The findings of the research reveal that the response and resilience by characters in The Things They Carried is complex due to the lack of safety in the critical situation of war than that in the Broken Soup. This study suggests the application of other aspects of theoretical framework such as childhood abuse, slavery and genocide, domestic violence, psychological disturbance in the lives of women in order to explore new findings.