A Research On Family Trauma And Self-Recovery In The Memoirs Of A Survivor

Doris Lessing(1919-2013)as a renowned British writer and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2007 earned her a prominent position in literature in the world.The Memoirs of a Survivor has caught much attention from scholars and researchers.Many studies stand from the perspective of psychological criticism to interpret the themes of consciousness and the self.However,the traumatic memory from childhood is not fully explored.Therefore,the thesis focuses on Emily to explore the origin of Emily’s childhood trauma,the repetition of traumatic memory and Emily’s self-recovery.Firstly,the thesis analyzes the origin of Emily’s childhood trauma.Her father becomes an “invisible” man after the psychological trauma left with him during the war while her mother’s influence becomes dominant.Emily’s mother shows her rejection to Emily and compels her to take care of the other baby for her.Thus,Emily has lost her right to be loved and the right to love someone who deserves.The chronic traumatic experience then leads to Emily’s dissociation into Hugo the beast and Gerald who bear the repetition of Emily’s traumatic memories in her place.Finally,the thesis,based on the theory of recovery from trauma,finds that Emily and her two alter egos of Hugo and Gerald re-create a new self by means of remembrance,mourning and selfreconciliation.It is thus revealed that the catastrophic effects of domestic cold violence on children,especially emotional abuse and neglect.Children brought up in such a family environment should encourage themselves to confront the trauma and slowly learn to overcome their fears;in the meantime,parents should be fully aware of their responsibilities and obligations.This research helps readers to understand the influence of trauma in Lessing’s writing in the perspective of psychiatry and the ways of selfrecovery from trauma.