"Indelible Imprint"—a Study Of War Trauma In Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road To The Deep North

Richard Flanagan（1961-）is one of the most prominent contemporary Australian writers.His fiction The Narrow Road to the Deep North has won the Man Booker Prize in2014.Based on the bloody history during World War II that POWS were forced to build the infamous Thai-Burma “Death Railway”,this masterpiece describes the traumatic events and symptoms experienced by victims from multiple perspectives.The victims are Australian soldiers represented by Dorrigo and Japanese soldiers represented by Nakamura.The book also depicts the hopeless and difficult recovery of Australians and Japanese after the war: Soldiers are haunted by war trauma,all of them are left with indelible imprint.Australian soldiers try to get rid of the trauma,but their lives are still haunted by terrible memories.Japanese soldiers refuse to face the traumatic past,and their symptoms are getting worse.Up to now,researchers mainly focus on characterization,thematic research,cultural research and narrative research.Employing the trauma theory of Judith Herman,this thesis focuses on war trauma writing in The Narrow Road to the Deep North to explore the unique view of Flanagan toward the war.According to American trauma psychologist Judith Herman,soldiers who have witnessed the death of their comrades or participated in atrocities during the war are particularly likely to suffer from trauma.She classifies the main symptoms of trauma into three categories: “Hyperarousal”,“Intrusion” and “Constriction”;the recovery follows three steps: “establishing safety”,“mourning” and “reconnection”.Herman notes in particular that recovery from trauma can be rough and difficult.This main body of the thesis is divided into three parts.In the first part,trauma symptoms of Australian POWs and Japanese soldiers in The Narrow Road to the Deep North are divided into three categories: “Hyperarousal”,“Intrusion” and “Constriction”,reflecting the cruelty of war trauma,and showing Flanagan’s concern and sympathy to trauma victims and his condemnation towards war and atrocity.In Flanagan’s view,Australians and Japanese are all victims of war.The second part focuses on the recovery of victims.Australian soldiers try to reestablish security and build new connections;they want to leave the traumatic memories in the past.However,the imprint of war trauma remains until they die.Escaping from the trial,the Japanese war criminals survive.However,not willing to bear responsibility and to face trauma,their trauma symptoms get worse.This part shows the obstinacy of war trauma and the difficulty of recovery,reflecting Flanagan’s firm attitude against wars.The third part focuses on Flanagan’s comprehensive understanding of war and reveals the author’s vigilance towards Japanese militarism,imperialism and ultranationalism.Flanagan doesn’t write to inspire hatred.He hopes that the world can reflect on the trauma of war,learn from history and remember the lessons.People should embrace peace,stand firm against war,pay close attention to potential crises,and keep a watchful eye on wars and atrocities.Through meticulous description,Flanagan reconstructs the “indelible imprint” on trauma victims of war.His writing is full of sympathy and warm humanistic care,which conveys a firm antiwar standpoint.