TITLE:
Trauma and Redemption: A Study on the Traumatic Theme in Falling Man
AUTHORS:
Jing He
KEYWORDS:
Trauma, Redemption, Healing, Falling Man
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.4,
April
28,
2024
ABSTRACT: “Falling Man” portrays the emotional void and desperation that victims of the 9/11 attacks experienced during and after the event. This paper uses trauma theory to analyze the characters and narratives, focusing on realistic depictions of psychic trauma and mental collapse from three perspectives: the unresolved trauma of an average family, the ideological conflict in characters’ disputes, and the crisis of belief marked by ignorance and disorientation. Through close textual analysis, it also examines pathways for victims to process and heal from trauma, highlighting the importance of literary narratives in trauma recovery and humanistic care.