Oppressed becomes the Oppressor: Psychoanalytical Intersections of Trauma in Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

Sahaya Babina Rose S.*, Kavitha R.**, Richard Mwale***
*,*** Department of English Language and Literature, Gideon Robert University, Lusaka, Zambia.
** DMI St. Eugene University, Zambia.
Periodicity:April - June'2024
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.14.2.20682

Abstract

This paper explores the intricate interplay of racism, trauma, and identity in Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye. It delves into the challenges faced by African Americans within a predominantly white society by utilizing current trauma theory and black feminist concepts. The theoretical framework includes cultural trauma theories, including the contributions from Schreiber and insights from feminist thinkers like Bell Hooks and Patricia Hill Collins. Moreover, through an intersectional analysis, this study scrutinizes how gender, racial, class, and generational trauma intertwine to mold individuals' experiences and self-perception. Therefore, by amalgamating trauma theories with feminist perspectives, this paper provides valuable insights into the struggles of the characters and the societal dynamics portrayed in Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye.

Keywords

Trauma, Race, Class, Gender, Feminist Perspective, Oppressed, Oppressor, Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye.

How to Cite this Article?

Rose, S. S. B., Kavitha, R., and Mwale, R. (2024). Oppressed becomes the Oppressor: Psychoanalytical Intersections of Trauma in Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 14(2), 16-24. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.14.2.20682

References

[1]. Bloom, H. (2010). Toni Morrison's the Bluest Eye. Infobase Publishing.
[2]. Caruth, C. (2016). Unclaimed Experience: Trauma, Narrative, and History. JHU press.
[3]. Collins, P. H. (2009). Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Routledge.
[4]. Morrison, T. (2007). The Bluest Eye. Vintage.
[5]. Ramírez, M. L. (2013). The theme of the shattered self in Toni Morrison's the bluest eye and a mercy. Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies, (48), 75-91.
[6]. Schreiber, E. J. (2010). Race, Trauma, and Home in the Novels of Toni Morrison. LSU press.
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