PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF TRAUMA IN SHERMAN ALEXIE’S INDIAN KILLER

Abstract

Literary studies underwent a dramatic turn in the 1990s towards trauma theory, which offered a framework for investigating the long-lasting effects of extreme violence in literature. Examining how trauma develops for victims in the wake of traumatic events is made possible by this lens. This article examines Sherman Alexie’s novel Indian Killer and how it deviates from the standard trauma literature’s conventional responses to trauma. The novel illustrates the intricate relationship between trauma, identity, and societal violence by showing a victim who changes into a violent offender. By dissecting Indian Killer’s use of violence, we highlight the book’s main point, which is that violence never truly ends and only breeds more violence. In addition, the defence of physical force highlights the significance of cultural hybridization and the repressed rage of Native Americans towards their past tyranny. It seems that the main theme of Indian Killer is the use of violence as a way to vent anger. Violence is portrayed as the inevitable result of deeply embedded racist ideology and cultural clashes, showing up not only in cases of reverse racism but also in white persecution of Native Americans. In order to examine the complex nature of violent acts and their psychological effects, this essay will examine how violence is used in Indian Killer from a number of viewpoints, including that of the killer, the Indians, and White people.