A Study On Theodore’s Trauma In The Goldfinch From The Perspective Of Ekphrasis

Donna Tartt is a celebrated contemporary American woman writer whose masterpiece The Goldfinch won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014.The Goldfinch tells the story of Theodore’s difficult growth due to his trauma caused by an explosion.The painting,The Goldfinch,which shares the same name as the novel,and other artworks are depicted throughout the text.This thesis attempts to explore Theodore’s trauma in the novel The Goldfinch from the perspective of ekphrasis on the basis of Heffernan’s theory,i.e.to analyze how the novel conveys pictorial artworks in the form of words to reveal his trauma.The analysis of Theodore’s trauma consists of three main aspects: latency,unconscious repetition,and double telling.Through the images of the painting The Goldfinch and Three Medlars with a Butterfly,the thesis shows different images that Theodore sees at different stages of trauma and examines his symptoms of latency as well as how the novel presents them in a visualized way.Unconscious repetition is presented through the situations constructed by the painting The Goldfinch and two literary works.By analyzing the reasons for Theodore’s obsession with the painting The Goldfinch and his unique interpretation of the literary works,the thesis elaborates on his unconscious repetition in his emotions and interpersonal relationships.Double telling is realized through the images of the painting The Anatomy Lesson and two other paintings Theodore sees on the wall of the hotel in Amsterdam.By analyzing Tartt’s description of the paintings and Theodore’s feelings about these paintings,the thesis explores his attitude toward life and death as well as his ambivalence as a survivor of the explosion and meanwhile a family member of the deceased in order to reveal the double telling of his trauma.The study on ekphrasis in the novel exposes Theodore’s unspeakable trauma,explores the damage of large-scale accidents in modern society to survivors,especially the trauma left to adolescents,and reveals Tartt’s humanistic concern for adolescents who experience traumatic events.