Reading Trauma In Colum McCann's This Side Of Brightness

Colum McCann(1965-)is an Irish writer whose writing explores different nationalities and cultures.This Side of Brightness is his second full-length novel which first sets the New York City as its background.It was named a "Notable Book"by New York Times and a "Best Book" by both the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe.In this book McCann pays his attention to the traumatic existence of the homeless in the New York subway tunnel and depicts the traumatic history of an interracial family.It is noteworthy that McCann expresses his original reflections on the topic of trauma and presents trauma in temporal and spatial dimensions to disclose its pervasiveness and its relations with place,which is quite worthy of exploration.This thesis aims to elucidate McCann's attitudes towards trauma as well as his aesthetics of redemption through analyzing the trauma borne by the characters by disclosing its temporal and spatial representations,excavating the problems and causes for trauma and exploring approaches of recovery.Chapter one examines the temporal representation of trauma and place's role in representing trauma.Firstly,trauma repetitively occurs in the Walker family,manifesting characteristics of repetition and timelessness.Then,places like the subway tunnel and the skyscrapers confer meaning on the traumatic experiences by defining the characters and attaching to them psychologically and emotionally.Chapter two takes a step further to excavate the underlying causes for trauma from social,personal and temporal aspects.Firstly,the marginalized identity of the Walker family as a result of interracial marriage predestines a traumatizing environment for them and also lack of communal support cuts off the healing resources when they are traumatized.Secondly,the disintegration of interpersonal relationships damages the selfhood of the traumatized and imposes a sense of guilt on their minds,blocking their way out of trauma.Lastly,the rupture between past and present renders the characters indulge in the past and unwilling to walk towards a new life.Aiming at these causes,chapter three explores McCann's quest for hope and redemption.First of all,the subway tunnel not only brings security to Treefrog but also connects him to his family history,therefore reconnecting his past and present.Then,activities of reconnecting with the reality like map-making and the interactions with others help Treefrog better understand the meaning of place and regain the sense of control in interpersonal relationships.Finally,reconstructing the story helps Treefrog integrate the traumatic memory,understand the meaning of the traumatic event and reconcile with himself,thus walking out of the shadow of trauma.Through exploring the representations,causes and curing of trauma in Side of Brightness,this thesis argues that McCann attempts to redeem and dignify the anonymous group in this book and indicates that the hope for the traumatized individual is lying in the understanding of the place which carries his personal history and the communication with others.With his lyric and empathic narrative,McCann expresses his aesthetic of redemption,points out the possibility of rebirth and definitely achieves redemption and "brightness" in this book.