An Interpretation Of Female Identity Construction In A Mercy From The Perspective Of Trauma Theory

Toni Morrison(1931~)the first African American female writer who has won Nobel Prize for Literature,has attracted great attention for her profound literary themes and excellent writing techniques.A Mercy,her ninth novel,has aroused extensive praise since it was published,which breaks through her previous concerns to explore women’s sufferings of all the major racial categories in the 17 thcentury in America.This thesis,from the perspective of trauma theory,discusses the identity issue of women from different races by employing the method of close textual analysis.It is divided into five farts,including introduction,main body in three chapters about racial identity,maternal identity and religious identity,and conclusion.The first part is the introduction,which contains three sections.The first section is about Toni Morrison’s life,contributions and the novel A Mercy.The second section discusses the trauma theory in terms of traumatic symptoms,traumatic experience,traumatic treatment,and identity construction.The third section is about literature review.The second part has three chapters.Chapter One is about Florens’ s and Lina’s racial identity crisis and identity construction.Florens,the daughter of a black slave mother,is trapped in the helplessness of being abandoned by the people she loves,but she marches on the road of black liberation by writing down her whole story on the wall which is pushed over by herself.Lina is the victim of the white culture,but,she recollects her traditional native habitude to avoid its erosion and genocidal dread.Chapter Two studies Florens’ s mother’s and Sorrow’s maternal identity crisis and identity construction.Florens’ s mother is objectified and sexually abused,which pushes her to sell her daughter.But failure of conveying her maternal love makes an unhealthy development on her identity.Fortunately,“Speak Out” in the form of storytelling assists her in claiming her motherhood.Sorrow,a mixed-race girl never experiencing maternal love,goes ahead owing her maternal identity.Chapter Threeanalyzes Rebekka’s and Jane’s religious identity crisis and identity construction.Rebekka,wandering in the betrayal of her parents,children and husband,seeks shelter from the religion,while Jane converts to be a devil to avert herself from being identified.The third part is the conclusion.Different women move to different endings.The fate of female doesn’t depend on their races,gender,or religion,but on their inner power.It is a great warning signal and encouragement for those women being marginalized to resist against multiple and intersecting oppression.