Trauma and survival: the character of Ma in Emma Donoghue's Room
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
The present thesis explores the trauma of the character of Ma in Emma Donoghue's
Room. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse Ma's journey of traumatic recovery,
considering the various factors that cause her trauma and hinder her recovery as well as the
factors that help her cope with trauma and contribute to her recovery.
The thesis consists of an introduction, two core chapters and a conclusion. The
introduction presents a short summary of the novel and the aspects that are further
discussed in the thesis. The introduction also states the research questions that the study
aims to answer.
The first chapter is a literature review. It deals with the child perspective of the
novel’s narration and provides a theoretical basis for understanding trauma in the novel. It
defines the concept of trauma as well as elaborates on the specific types of trauma that Ma
experiences, and coping with trauma.
The second chapter discusses the journey of Ma's traumatic recovery. It is based on
the ideas about the types of trauma and coping mechanisms to analyse the key aspects of
Ma’s journey.