Trauma and Narrative Therapy in The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Document Type : Original Research

Author
behzad pourgharib
Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature,Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran.Email: b.pourgharib@gu.ac.ir
Abstract
Literary works, particularly novels, serve as a form of psychotherapy, with psychologists often analyzing characters and their experiences within these works. Trauma, stemming from various psychological disturbances such as accidents, manifests as mental distress, stress, and a sense of insecurity. Judith Herman's narrative therapy theory suggests that trauma can lead to a dissociation from reality, causing individuals to forget or suppress memories. Recovery, according to Herman, involves narrating the trauma, accepting it, and reintegrating into normal life. This paper explores Isabel Allende's novel The House of the Spirits, which allegorically reflects a nation's turmoil through a family's history, through the lens of trauma and narrative therapy. It seeks to identify the traumas faced by the characters and their coping mechanisms. The novel demonstrates how storytelling and confronting trauma facilitate healing, portraying characters' journeys from anguish to liberation. The narrative depicts three stages of treatment—safety, remembrance, and mourning—culminating in the characters' return to normalcy.

Extended Abstract

Introduction

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende stands as a cornerstone of Chilean literature, encapsulating the tumultuous history of the nation through the symbolic narrative of the Trueba family. At the heart of this narrative lies the pervasive fear gripping characters scarred by profound experiences, their souls deeply affected. These experiences, classified as trauma within psychological sciences, serve as a focal point in the exploration of psychotherapy's role within literary works, particularly novels.

Drawing upon Judith Herman's theory of narrative therapy, trauma emerges as a complex psychological phenomenon requiring a nuanced approach to healing. Herman posits that recovery from trauma involves a three-step process, with acceptance of reality being paramount. According to Herman, trauma survivors navigate a delicate balance of denying, remembering, and confronting their experiences, a dialectic essential for healing. This paper aims to scrutinize the presence of this dialectic and narrative therapy within The House of the Spirits, examining the traumas faced by its characters and their subsequent paths to resolution. It seeks to highlight the novel's capacity to portray trauma within the literary form and elucidate its role in facilitating healing and understanding.



Findings and Conclusion

The findings of this study reveal that the central characters of Esteban's narrative—his wife Clara and their grandson Alba—represent three generations within the same familial lineage. Esteban's profound trauma, stemming from the sudden demise of Rosa, whom he intended to marry, is a pivotal focus. Through a cathartic confrontation with Rosa's remains and subsequent disclosure of his ordeal, Esteban achieves liberation from his trauma, facilitating his return to a semblance of normalcy.

Clara, who has long harbored her pain in silence, finds solace through the act of writing. According to Herman's model, this process of verbalizing and chronicling her anguish aligns with the stages of post-traumatic peace, where remembrance and mourning pave the path back to equilibrium. Similarly, Alba's harrowing ordeal in prison, intertwined with echoes of his grandfather's past actions, finds resolution through immersion in familial memories. By engaging with the recollections of his grandparents and contributing to the narrative of his family's history, Alba reintegrates into society, in harmony with the principles of memory therapy.

The narrative demonstrates each character's journey toward healing and resolution, encapsulating Herman's assertion that trauma treatment is an ongoing process. While the story concludes at a juncture of apparent resolution, it acknowledges the potential for the reemergence of unresolved issues, as cautioned by Herman. Ultimately, The House of the Spirits encompasses the three stages of trauma treatment outlined by Judith Herman, providing a poignant depiction of resilience and redemption within the narrative framework.

Keywords

برمن، جفری، (1400) نوشتن دربارة درمانِ گفتاری، ترجمة نازی اکبری، چاپ اول، تهران: انتشارات ققنوس.
شمیسا، علی، (1392) خاطره‌درمانی، چاپ اول، تهران: ذهن‌آویز.
گاتشال، جاناتان، (1395) حیوان قصه‌گو، ترجمة عباس مخبر، چاپ اول، تهران: نشر مرکز.
میلر، آلیس، (1397)دلهره‌های کودکی، ترجمة امید سهرابی‌نیک، چاپ دوم، تهران:فرهنگ نشرنو.
یالوم، اروین، (1392) خیره به خورشید، ترجمه مهدی غبرایی، چاپ چهارم، مشهد: نیکونشر.

Allende, I. ( 2015). The House of the Spirits: A Novel. First Atria paperback edition. New York, Atria Paperback.
Baghaee, E, & F. Pourgiv. (2021). “Trauma in Post 9/11 Fiction: Case Study of Mandanipour and McEwan”. Research in Contemporary World Literature, vol. 26, no. 1, Spring and Summer, 22 – 38.
Bezdoodel, Z, & M. Sazvar. (2022). “Feminity, Identity and Memory: An Analysis of Andre Brink’s Imagining of Sand Based on Narrative Therapy”. Research in Contemporary World Literature, vol. 27, no. 2. Autumn and Winter , 1021 – 1040.
Caruth, C. (2013). Literature in the Ashes of History. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Chandra Tiwali, M.( 2021). “Magic Realism in the Works of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Laura”. The Creative Launcher, vol. 6, no. 5, 30, 30 – 37.
Goldberg, A. (2006). “Trauma, Narrative, and the Two Forms of Death”. Literature and Medicine, vol. 25, no. 1, Spring ,122 – 140.
Herman, J. L. (2015). Trauma and Recovery; The Aftermath of Violence – from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.
Humphreysa, C, & S. Josephb. (2004). “Domestic Violence and the Politics of Trauma”. Women’s Studies International Forum, vol. 27, 559 – 570.
Jannat, A, A., & R. Prabhu. (2019). “Feministic Study of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits through the Lens of Magic Realism”. Journal of Critical Reviews, vol. 6, no. 6, 500 – 513.
Karpisitis, S. (2012). “Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen; Satan’s Post-traumatic Recovery in Milton’s Paradise Lost”. The International Journal of the Humanities, vol. 9, no. 5 , 15 – 26.
Kotiah, S. (2015). “Isabel Allende; Carnalismo and Female Identity”. University of Mauritius Research Journal, vol. 21 , 1 – 20.
Nwosu, M. (2009). “Barrabas came to us by sea: Absence and Presence in Isabel Allende’s”. Transnational Literature, vol. 1, no. 2, May , 1 – 12.
Robson, K. (2001).“Curative Fictions: The narrative cure in Judith Herman’s Trauma and Recover and Chanal Chaward’s Le Manteau noir”, Cultural Studies. vol. value, 5, no. 1 , 115 – 130.
Thomson, Emily. (2015). “Not to Die, but to Survive: The Construction of Female Voice in Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits”. The Pegasus Review, vol. 8, no. 1 , 41 – 48.
Literary Criticism
Volume 16, Issue 64
Autumn 2023
Pages 33-63