A Study Of Trauma In Let Great World Spin From The Perspective Of Posttraumatic Growth

Around the turn of the 21 th century, worldwide terrorist attacks erode the survival of mankind. 9/11 terrorist attack can be called the biggest event in this historic moment. It not only tore the millions of American’s families but also kindled two anti- terrorism wars. After 9/11 terrorist attacks, many novelists home and abroad began to write about this trauma from different perspectives.Irish-American writer Colum Mc Cann’s masterpiece Let the Great world spin is one of them. Published in 2009, this book won the 2009 National Book Award in the U.S, and was praised as “a great 9/11 novel” by Esquire magazine. It no longer depicts human’s inability to cope with complexity, but rather partakes in re-defining trauma while regaining hope of life at a time of crisis. Illuminated by this, this paper will explore the book from posttraumatic growth with a more appreciative perspective in order to initiatively reconstruct a flourishing life.This paper includes three parts. The first part is a brief introduction to 9/11 literature, the book and the theoretical framework of the thesis. The second part falls into three chapters. The first chapter is about how to work through trauma constructively. Forgiving the transgressor and savoring the beautiful things gone by are two ways to make reconciliation with the untoward past. Finding flow experiences from interests, recreating an interior order can make the serenity and contentment of the moment possible and furtherer achieve a balance between the past and the future. The optimism in the face of adversity is the best way to retrieve the hope and faith for the future. The second chapter, through probing into the very process of grappling the understanding of trauma depicted in the novel, discusses two main benefits of suffering: wisdom and compassion. The fourth part is how to transform trauma in action, wherein, artistic creation, rescuing other people with the same experiences and seeking justice and peace for marginalized people will be concerned.The last part is a conclusion. Posttraumatic growth is the art of how we come to survive, to heal, to move on, and to thrive even in the most difficult times.