Navigating the Labyrinth: Trauma and Memory in Donna Tartts The Goldfinch and Nathan Hills The Nix

Title

Navigating the Labyrinth: Trauma and Memory in Donna Tartts The Goldfinch and Nathan Hills The Nix

Creator

Chand, Ananya

Description

This paper delves into the intricate interplay between trauma and memory in 21st-century American fiction, with a specific focus on Donna Tartts The Goldfinch (2013) and Nathan Hills The Nix (2016). Through a comparative analysis of these novels, the study explores how characters navigate the labyrinthine complexities of trauma and its impact on memory, identity, and narrative construction. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Dan P McAdams Narrative Identity Theory, the study employs a rigorous interdisciplinary approach, synthesizing textual analysis with theoretical inquiry to illuminate the nuanced dynamics at play within the selected texts. The paper examines how trauma disrupts and reshapes memory, leading to fragmented recollections, haunting flashbacks, and the blurring of past and present. Additionally, it investigates how memory serves as a tool for both coping with and perpetuating trauma, shaping characters perceptions of themselves and the world around them. 2025 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Source

IUP Journal of English Studies;Volume;20;Issue;1;pp.118-128

Date

01-01-2025

Publisher

IUP Publications

Subject

Contemporary American literature; Empathy; Identity; Memory; Narrative identity theory; Trauma

Coverage

Chand A., Christ (Deemed to be University), Central Campus, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India

Rights

Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library

Relation

ISSN: 9733728;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.71329/IUPJES/2025.20.1.118-128

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105007192011?origin=resultslist