Diaspora, Trauma, and Unconsciousness: A Deep Dive Into Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1511.25Keywords:
psychoanalytical, diaspora, trauma, racism, alienationAbstract
This research highlights the psychological experience of the characters in the collection of short stories How to Pronounce Knife (2020), by Souvankham Thammavongsa. Souvankham Thammavongsa is a contemporary writer from Canada. She was born in a Lao refugee camp. She won notable awards like the Giller Prize for her works which include How to Pronounce Knife, a collection of short stories. This book talks about several experiences of the Diaspora people. This paper examines, by using Freud’s Psychoanalytical theory, the characters in the collection of short stories How to Pronounce Knife. It is crucial to identify and examine specific instances from the short story collection that illustrate the psychoanalytical theory, which explores the intricacies of human desires and dreams, their inherent presence in human nature. The characters in this short story collection have certain features that showcase their personalities as diasporic people. By using some of the major themes of Diaspora, this paper explores the psychological pain and suffering of the diaspora characters in this short story collection How to Pronounce Knife.
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