Post-traumatic experience in Echoing Silences by Alexander Kanegoni.

Abstract

Diverse theories reveal distinct meanings.
However, in relation to Zimbabwean war
novels, it seems that critical scholarship is
yet to explore adequately the liminal
condition that characterized the distressed
psyche of the characters specifically affected
by extraordinary and overwhelming
encounters during the war of liberation.
Therefore, this study employs Kali Tal’s
traumatic theory of liminality to interrogate
the post-traumatic experience of victims of
the Zimbabwean war. The paper uses
Alexander Kanegoni’s novel, Echoing
Silences to explore the distressed psyche
characters affected by the Zimbabwean
liberation struggle. Focusing on the issues of
social oppression and abandonment, the
study analyzes the survivor's post-traumatic
behavioral patterns which exposes the deep
psychological imbalances of the characters.
The investigation reveals not only that a
trauma victim is a liminal character who is
trapped in a haunted past which impedes his
advancement in life, but it also exposes the
difficulty associated with healing. Therefore,
the work concludes that the victim's posttraumatic life has become a way of life
instead of a transitory phase in his life. The
study concludes that a victim who is
psychologically affected should be
rehabilitated and fully integrated back into
the society in order to facilitate his healing
towards post-liminality.