创伤和治愈—《岛上书店》主题分析

Trauma and Healing: A Thematic Analysis of The Storied Life of A.J Fikry

Abstract

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is the eighth book of the American author Gabrielle Zevin. As one of the best sellers, this book is an utopian reflection of real life. It tells the stories of the hero A.J. and his folks who experienced traumatic accidents but finally got their heart healed, providing references for those modern people who are still struggling in predicament and misfortune.

This paper focuses on trauma and healing, two themes of this novel. The first part of this thesis gives a review of Freud’s trauma theory. The second part gives a gist of the novel. The third part, based on Freud’ theory, studies traumas of the major characters in this novel by analyzing their experience, behaviors and phycology. Part four discusses trauma healing, expounding how family, love, friendship and power of books help to cure trauma. Part five further explores the significance of this novel.

The background of the novel is set in an island, which metaphorically reflects the isolated society in real world. Besides, trauma in this novel is not only a personal pain, but also a torture for all human beings. Apart from personal character and emotional factor, it is mainly caused by the growing indifference in our society. This novel provides a solution to the problem. Firstly, each individual should develop a positive and optimistic attitude, and achieve self-expansion by learning and reading. As a member of the society, we should build a caring society in order to diminish indifference and heal trauma and construct a harmonious society.

Key words: Trauma theory; The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry; trauma; healing