Trauma And Recovery:A Study Of The Protagonist’s Trauma Of Jackson’s Dilemma

Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) is a contemporary British novelist and philosopher after World War II. During her life, she has published many works, including 26 novels, six plays, five philosophical writings, two collections of poetry and some literary commentary pieces. Her works have been awarded many times for their profound thoughts, special writing skills and rich philosophical meanings. Murdoch’s works can be divided three periods. Works of the early and middle periods have been studied extensively and profoundly, but the ones of the late period have relatively attracted little attention, her last novel Jackson’s Dilemma. The few existing studies are limited to the novel’s narrative strategies and its author’s philosophical ideas on ethics and morality. In addition, it becomes the case study of Alzheimeral review. To some extent, the inadequacy of the study of the late period of Murdoch’s works has caused Murdoch studies to be incomplete, which prevents an all-around understanding of the author and her works. Therefore, this thesis, based on trauma theories, is to explore trauma and recovery of the protagonist of the novel, so as to broaden the scope of Murdoch studies.The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is Introduction, which introduces Iris Murdoch and her literary creation, gives a survey of the studies of Jackson’s Dilemma both at home and abroad, and explains the focus and structure of the novel.Chapters Two to Four make up the body of the thesis. Chapter Two analyzes the protagonist Edward’s trauma experiences and symptoms of trauma. The drowning of his younger brother, his loss of mother at a young age, his father’s preference for his younger brother and his bride’s runaway on the eve of their wedding are Edward’s traumatic experiences. These events have a devastating impact on him and causes his silence, guilt and depression as well as alienation from others, which are typical symptoms of trauma. The third chapter deals with the narrative strategies and literary techniques the author adopts to represent Edward’s trauma and recovery. Chapter Four reveals the path to Edward’s recovery from traumas. By the means of telling his traumatic stories to other people, building connection with others and shouldering his responsibility for his family, Edward finally recovers successfully from his traumas.The last chapter is Conclusion, which summarizes the discussions in the previous chapters. The present author hopes that, with the help of trauma theories, this thesis may render a new perspective to the study of Jackson’s Dilemma, and be of some value to critics of Murdoch’s works.