Trauma, Memory, and Coping Mechanisms in Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom: A Caruthian Trauma Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32493/pnp.v4i2.60044Keywords:
Transcendent Kingdom, psychological trauma, coping mechanisms, trauma theory, Cathy CaruthAbstract
This study examines the representation of trauma and coping mechanisms experienced by the main character in Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom (2020) by applying Cathy Caruth’s trauma theory (1996). The study focuses on how trauma is psychologically constructed through fragmented memory, intrusive recollections, and delayed realization, as well as how these experiences shape the character’s emotional and behavioral responses. Employing a qualitative descriptive method, the data were collected through close reading of narrative passages, character reflections, and significant events related to traumatic experience and psychological response in the novel. The data were then categorized and interpreted based on Caruth’s concepts of intrusive experience, repetition compulsion, and deferred action, alongside coping mechanisms reflected in the character’s behavior. The findings reveal that trauma in the novel is represented as an ongoing psychological condition manifested through recurring memories, emotional disconnection, identity disturbance, and delayed understanding of painful experiences. In response to trauma, the main character develops several coping mechanisms, including avoidance coping, emotional withdrawal, and meaning-making coping through spirituality and intellectual reflection.
References
Abrams, M. H., & Harpham, G. G. (1999). A glossary of literary terms (7th ed.). Michael Rosenberg.
Aini, M. N. (2021). The identity crisis of Ali as portrayed in Ali's Wedding [Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga]. Digilib UIN Sunan Kalijaga.
Aziz, B. I. W., & Ahmad, A. A. (2020). Practical cinematographic techniques using smartphones for service lecturers at Makassar State University. Prosiding Seminar Nasional, 2019(11), 103–110.
Barsam, R. M., & Monahan, D. (2010). Looking at movies: An introduction to film (3rd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Bennett, A., & Royle, N. (2014). An introduction to literature, criticism and theory (5th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2004). Film art: An introduction (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2008). Film art: An introduction (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Chatman, S. B. (1993). Reading narrative fiction. Macmillan Publishing.
Cresswell, L., & Cage, E. (2019). “Who am I?”: An exploratory study of the relationships between identity, acculturation, and mental health in autistic adolescents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(7), 2901–2912.
Creswell, J. W. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
DeMicco, K. (Director). (2023). Ruby Gillman, teenage kraken [Film]. DreamWorks Animation.
Dise, J. (2016). Film and video lighting terms and concepts. Routledge.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (2025, June 17). Film: Definition, characteristics, history, and facts.
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton & Company.
Fadjukoff, P. (2007). Identity formation in adulthood [Doctoral dissertation, University of Jyväskylä]. Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research.
Forster, E. M. (1981). Aspects of the novel. Penguin Books. (Original work published 1927)
Göke, N. (2020, July 14). You have an identity crisis because you think you have just one. Nik Art.
Hartoko, D., & Rahmanto, B. (1986). Pemandu di dunia sastra. Kanisius.
Jauhari, H. (2013). Terampil mengarang: Dari persiapan hingga presentasi, dari opini hingga sastra. Cendekia.
Kristianto, I. I., & Wahyuni, A. K. (2022). The representation of identity crisis in Minari: A critical discourse analysis. Humanitatis: Journal of Language and Literature, 8(2), 339–352.
Kroger, J. (2000). Identity development: Adolescence through adulthood. SAGE Publications.
Kroger, J., & Marcia, J. E. (2011). The identity statuses: Origins, meanings, and interpretations. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 31–53). Springer.
Leatham, T. (2023, August 12). How one movie made Jim Carrey question his existence: “I know now that he doesn't really exist”. Far Out Magazine.
Mansoor, Z., Khan, U., & Mansoor, S. (2025). Beyond the frame: Unpacking identity crisis through multimodal analysis in animated movies. International Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(2), 89–106.
Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3(5), 551–558.
Marcia, J. E. (1980). Identity in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 159–187). Wiley.
Marcia, J. E. (1993). The ego identity status approach to ego identity. In J. Kroger (Ed.), Discussions on ego identity (pp. 3–21). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Ningsih, T. W. R., Amelia, R. D., & Pasang, K. Y. (2024). Framing analysis: A depiction of identity crisis in Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun film. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Communication, Language, Literature, and Culture (pp. 558–572). Atlantis Press.
Nurgiyantoro, B. (2009). Teori pengkajian fiksi. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Oleś, M. (2015). Dimensions of identity and subjective quality of life in adolescents. Social Indicators Research, 126, 1401–1419.
Santrock, J. W. (2014). Adolescence (15th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Sarría, L. C. (2015, June). The influence of camera angle in film narratives [Conference presentation]. Society for the Cognitive Study of the Moving Image, London, United Kingdom.
Silitonga, A. J., & Ambarita, I. (2020). Self-identity crisis in Trisha Ashley’s Every Woman for Herself. Jurnal Litera: Fakultas Sastra Darma Agung, 1(1), 28–45.
Siswanti, T. (2020). An analysis of conflict in “The Lady in the Looking Glass” by Virginia Woolf. Jurnal Al-Lughah, 19(1), 1–14.
Stanton, R. (2007). Teori fiksi (S. Wahyuningtyas, Trans.). Pustaka Pelajar. (Original work published 1965)
Stephenson, R., Andrew, D., Murphy, A., Manvell, R., & Sklar, R. (2025). Expressive elements of motion pictures. In Encyclopædia Britannica.
Tarigan, H. G. (2008). Membaca sebagai keterampilan berbahasa. Angkasa.
Vignoles, V. L., Schwartz, S. J., & Luyckx, K. (2011). Introduction: Toward an integrative view of identity. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 1–27). Springer.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Aulia Febrianna
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
