Historical Trauma In Claudia Llosa's The Milk Of Sorrow

Within the short story of “Nemecia”, the character Nemecia is portrayed as an oppressive bully to the main character, her cousin Maria. Later the story revealed that Nemecia had a traumatic experience in her past; she had to witness her drunk abusive father beat her pregnant mother to the point of comatose and murdered her grandfather. Consequently, Nemecia characterizes herself as the murderer despite the truth to abstain from feeling as powerless as she had been at the night of the incident by adopting the traits of an oppressive dominant male character.

Because of the imposed judgments placed on Miss Sasagawara, she became aloof and withdrawn from society, until misery seeps in. Her admission to the hospital on the assumption she had appendicitis when it was not the case as was verified by the doctor since “her [blood] count’s all right” (25), subtly suggests that what Miss Sasagawara may really be suffering from was the lack of concern for her emotional wellbeing instead of a physical illness.

The author creates themes of commonality that are relatable to many in this story story. There is a crucial moment in rebellious child’s lives that pushes them to act out. For Lola this happens to be her mother and her battle with breast cancer, “with her cancer there wasn’t much she could do anymore” (Diaz 5). Lola,

In author Cristina Henriquez’s novel The Book of Unknown Americans, the characterization of Alma Rivera is used to convey how grief and misery is magnified when all that a person had ever known has been taken away for some reason out of their control; it is only when they learn to give up control and forgive themselves, that they overcome the feelings of grief and guilt.

The narrator is given a sense of oppression from the beginning of the story by keeping a hidden diary from her husband as “a relief to her mind.” Throughout the story her true thoughts are hidden from the readers and her husband, which gives the story a symbolic perspective.

Symbols are important in each story to define the theme. Close observation of the symbols within each story proves to one their

Bodies are so fragile. Much of a horror story's power is rooted in the fallibility of the human body, in how susceptible we are to pain and suffering. We are at once squeamish at the thought of injury and captivated by demonstrations of our own weakness. This likewise applies to emotional pain, which can be expressed through physical harm, giving the experience a tangible articulation. Joyce Carol Oates' short story The Haunting fixates on this fascination for bodily harm and its emotional basis so often played upon in horror stories. The narrator, Ceci, and all the members of her small family are each subject to emotional torment that becomes written on their bodies. Ceci, the youngest and most powerless, becomes the subject of the family's physical and emotional mutilation, but locked into an environment of abusive she is unable to escape the people who harm her and becomes haunted by her own suffering.

Euripides and Sophocles wrote powerful tragedies that remain influential to this day. The vast majority of work recovered from this time is by male authorship. What remains about women of this time is written through the lens of male authors’ perspective and beliefs about the role of women in Greek culture. The works of these two playwrights frequently characterize women as unstable and dangerous. Agave, Antigone, and Medea are all undoubtedly the driving force behind the tragic action in these plays. It is their choices that lead to the pain and death of the people around them. Through an examination of the evidence from three separate works, Antigone, The Bacchae, and The Medea, the role of women in ancient Greek tragedy becomes clear. The actions of Agave, Antigone, and Medea repeatedly prove their characters instability and danger.

The bond between a mother and child is often spoken of as being unlike any other. Yet there are always exceptions to the rule where this connection isn 't as impenetrable as one might assume. This book is an example of this bond gradually becoming weaker over time. It shows how it affects the child, Bone, and leaves her vulnerable to the abuse of her step-father. Bone’s mother, Anney, had fallen in love with a man who abused her which at first, she’s unaware but eventually comes to realize but still chooses to stay with him. Throughout the book there are instances of Anney’s negligence in recognizing her daughter’s abuse and being of aid to her but wasn 't. In having to deal with her

They met eyes. Jessica was ready to leave when she saw Luke. Luke glanced at her and gave a grin. She gave a smile back. He officially met her outside, and asked her on a date. She eventually agreed.

Another symbol was the giant. He represents abuse and manipulation. The people of the town knew that he was suffering by being all alone, and instead of helping him, they took the opportunity to utilize his tears. They not only let him suffer, but they wanted him to suffer so they could benefit. The last major symbol was Bonnie.

The film Beloved was released in 1998 to mixed reviews. The movie, based on Toni Morrison's novel, tells a ghost story from an African American perspective. It takes place only a few years after the abolishment of slavery, with the traumatic scars still fresh and unable to be healed. In the film the protagonist, Sethe, is revisited by the ghost of the daughter she murdered eighteen years earlier. I shall argue that her daughter, Beloved, is the embodiment of the trauma of the African American experience of slavery. In order to support this claim, I will explain what constitutes historical trauma in film, how historical trauma is specifically represented

Although a light read, her experience is heart-breaking as she is abused at home, institutionalized, and instead of being treated for her depression, doctor’s attempt to “feminize” her with eye shadow and lipstick. She is the type of advocate that makes noise in a silence because she tells a tale that would otherwise be unknown.

Perhaps the most famous work of Sylvia Plath’s is The Bell Jar -- a book that follows the mental deterioration of a nineteen-year-old girl named Esther through the narration of Esther herself. Although Sylvia Plath hated life in general and committed suicide at the age of 32 after her husband left her, the myriad autobiographical elements, metaphors, and motifs that appear throughout her works produce a beautifully vivid representation of people, the world, and life itself (“Sylvia Plath”).

The rape of Alba by her own cousin completes the cycle which began with Trueba's adventures in the countryside so long ago. Allende herself has commented on the repetition of violence and abuse which continues, not just in her novel, but in everyday life as well, "I wanted to show that life goes in a circle, events are intertwined, and that history repeats itself, there is no beginning and no end" (1).