| This thesis applies trauma theory to discuss the American writer Don De Lillo’s 9/11 novel Falling Man. By exploring the traumatic experiences of the survivor Keith, his ex-wife and son, the cultural identification crisis reflected from the traumatic experiences and the trauma of perpetrators, this thesis analyzes the allegorical meanings of “falling” and explores the significance of the novel as a forceful way of representing 911 trauma. Overall, the allegories of “falling” in the novel are represented as three perspectives: falling as the traumatic experience of the victims, falling as the collective loss experienced by the bystanders and victims, and falling as the traumatic resolution of the perpetrators. Representing “falling” as a meaning system of the 9/11 trauma, De Lillo aims at creating a chance for readers to ponder what being alive means. |
