SILENCE TO VOICE: TRACING INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA IN ETAF RUM’S A WOMAN IS NO MAN (2019) AND EVIL EYE (2023)

Abstract

This article explores the intergenerational transmission of trauma and journey from trauma to recovery in Etaf Rum’s novels A Woman is No Man(2019) and Evil Eye(2023), drawing on the theoretical work of Alan L. Berger and Victoria Aarons. By adopting a textual analysis, the research analyses the ways in which trauma is passed on, embodied, and placed in question throughout three generations of Palestinian-American women. Survivors and witnesses, particularly the first generation, are subjected to displacement, patriarchy and cultural silence, which frequently results in emotional suppression. The second generation inherits this trauma, which they express via cycles of silence, shame, and internalized terror while attempting to meet the contradictory demands of their society and themselves. The third generation, often represented by younger characters, begins to question and fight this trauma, indicating a possible shift towards healing and breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma. A clear transformation from trauma to recovery demonstrated in both works in the form of reclaiming the past.