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 post-traumatic 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.