How do E. Ann Kaplan and Kaja Silverman define historical trauma - Essay Example

In the following, Ann and Silverman employ surrealism and realism to present different social injustices, traumas, and the impact of culture to the immediate society (Kaplan & Ban 56). Historical trauma is a possessive attribute that overcomes different people in large numbers. The fact is that, historical trauma is not a dream or a tale. It rules over emotional, psychological characters of given people in different societies. The way these different people perceive different situations and likeliness of reactions reveal the extent of historical trauma.

It results from social injustices, unethical, practices at other attributes that leave permanent scars to the witnesses. In most cases, historical trauma results from genocides and massacres whereby the immediate society witnesses inhuman acts (Kaja 70). Cultural trauma in the book ‘Spellbound’ depicts the psychological distress that an individual undergoes. The haunted individuals seek consultations for salvation from the ties of dead spirits. In the book of Spellbound, the writer narrates of a doctor and a patient who is seeking consultancy on how to handle a committed murder (Kaplan & Ban 67).

Dr Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst has the duty to help Gregory Peck out of the psychological trauma he faces after accusations recoiling over a murder case in which he is accused of involvement. She further ascertains that Gregory served the army during the Second World War and his trauma results from the turn of events in the battlefield. Drama occurs when Dr Constance slowly falls in love with the man who faces murder accusations (Kaja 78). Guilt conscience befalls the doctor; she cannot contemplate the turn of events leading to the love indulgence with a patient rather keeping it professional.

Further, the problem arises that the patient at hand is a person facing murder charges and unacceptable in the society that is trying to heal from unsocial deeds that see many lose their lives to shelling of mortars and ricocheting of guns, a period after the second world war (Kaja 98). The man reveals his haunted background in phases at a time when he lived with others in the organization, and different behaviors resulting from their different upbringings. At the long run, he reveals of the current situation, but the doctor can relate the past and the present to elaborate on the occurrence of the murder.

Dr Constance realizes that she loves the convict but then feels with the society at the mention of murder. This causes her severe trauma, as she is a dilemma on whether to hide the truth or spill it to the society (Kaplan & Ban 78). In the book, ‘Let There Be Light’, the author shows how different characters are involved in imaginary thinking as their spouses and friends talk to them. In the book, men of different classes, professions, and expertise depict feminine character in their societal roles.

They are more of subjection to objection as they do not show their masculine characters or retaliation on whatever grounds arising. This causes imaginary thoughts to readers as they try to understand whether such a trait of men can happen considering it to the world we are living in. Silverman argues out that some the character traits; depict more of