REPRESENTATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA IN AGARY’S YELLOW YELLOW

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of trauma in Kaine Agary’s Yellow-Yellow, a Nigerian literary work that interrogates the place of trauma and oppression in Nigerian society. It explores the various forms of trauma and degradation evident in the text and the wider social context. This analysis will be carried out through a close textual reading of the primary text. Situations depicted in the novel foreground the traumatic and exploitative tendencies of the ruling class/bourgeoisie and the adverse effects of their actions on the lower class. The development of trauma theory was precipitated by studies on neurosis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Foundational contributions were made by nineteenth-century neurologists such as Sigmund Freud, Joseph Breuer, Pierre Janet, and Jean-Martin Charcot, whose therapeutic studies on shock and hysteria helped shape the field. Trauma theory will therefore be used to investigate the psychological distress experienced by victims of oppression, exploitation, and social disruption as portrayed in the novel. The study demonstrates the devastating impact of trauma on characters subjected to unbearable conditions imposed by forces beyond their control. It also draws on Cathy Caruth’s insights into the unspeakable and repetitive aspects of trauma, including the unknowing reenactment of traumatic experiences by victims. Kaine Agary’s Yellow-Yellow represents her literary engagement with the experiences associated with crude oil exploitation in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region and its numerous destructive consequences for the inhabitants, with particular emphasis on the plight of women as victims.