TRAUMA AND IDENTITY CRISIS IN HARUKI MURAKAMI’S KAFKA ON THE SHORE
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Abstract
Based on an interdisciplinary framework combining trauma theory (Freud, Caruth), psychoanalysis (Jung, Lacan), and modern identity theory (Foucault, Culler, Butler), this paper explores the relationship between trauma and identity crisis in Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami through the two central characters, Kafka and Nakata. The study, in particular, focuses on the mechanism of dissociation as a typical psychological response to trauma and its impact on the process of self-construction. By examining the parallel yet contrasting trajectories of the two characters- one delving into the depths of the unconscious to confront and heal, the other trapped in a prolonged state of disconnection, this paper affirms a central message in Murakami’s literary universe: memory, despite its pain and fragmentation, remains an essential foundation for the formation and reconstruction of identity in the aftermath of trauma.
Keywords
dissociation, identity crisis, psychoanalysis, trauma
Article Details
References
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