Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home

Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home (2014) tells the story of a Protestant Irish family living in Glasgow that has been haunted by a problematic fanaticism since the Partition of Ireland (1922). Its narrative builds an intricate family tree where its members, immersed in the vicious cycle of ethno-secta...

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Autor: Romo-Mayor, Paula
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Zaragoza
Repositorio:Zaguán. Repositorio Digital de la Universidad de Zaragoza
OAI Identifier:oai:zaguan.unizar.es:121149
Acceso en línea:http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/121149
Access Level:acceso abierto
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spelling Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk HomeRomo-Mayor, PaulaRachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home (2014) tells the story of a Protestant Irish family living in Glasgow that has been haunted by a problematic fanaticism since the Partition of Ireland (1922). Its narrative builds an intricate family tree where its members, immersed in the vicious cycle of ethno-sectarian violence, reveal their own traumas and intrinsic frailties. Their isolation and helplessness are further exacerbated by their tendency to repress their traumatic past. However, the encounter between Lindsey and Eric, two relatives-in-law, encourages them to run away and confront the past through art respectively, thus casting some light on the unending transmission of trauma in the family. Drawing on theories of trauma and ethics (Freud 1950 1917], 2001 1914]; Levinas 1986, 1998 1993]; Volkan 2001, 2017; Butler 2004; LaCapra 2014 2001]), I will attempt to demonstrate, firstly, that the narrative form of The Walk Home performs the disruptive and repetitive symptoms of transgenerational trauma; and secondly, that the ethical encounter with the other and the recognition of a shared vulnerability transmitted through families can empower characters like Lindsey and Eric to change their lives. The analysis also considers the possibility of challenging the perpetuity of the traumas arising out of the British-Irish conflict and developing resilience through the acknowledgement of vulnerability, the need for interdependency and the heling power of artistic representation. © 2022 by Paula Romo.2022info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttp://zaguan.unizar.es/record/121149reponame:Zaguán. Repositorio Digital de la Universidad de Zaragozainstname:Universidad de ZaragozaInglésinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/H03-20Rinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-FEDER/FFI2017-84258-Pinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:zaguan.unizar.es:1211492026-05-29T13:59:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
title Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
spellingShingle Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
Romo-Mayor, Paula
title_short Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
title_full Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
title_fullStr Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
title_full_unstemmed Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
title_sort Violence, Vulnerability and the Overcoming of Trauma in Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Romo-Mayor, Paula
author Romo-Mayor, Paula
author_facet Romo-Mayor, Paula
author_role author
description Rachel Seiffert’s The Walk Home (2014) tells the story of a Protestant Irish family living in Glasgow that has been haunted by a problematic fanaticism since the Partition of Ireland (1922). Its narrative builds an intricate family tree where its members, immersed in the vicious cycle of ethno-sectarian violence, reveal their own traumas and intrinsic frailties. Their isolation and helplessness are further exacerbated by their tendency to repress their traumatic past. However, the encounter between Lindsey and Eric, two relatives-in-law, encourages them to run away and confront the past through art respectively, thus casting some light on the unending transmission of trauma in the family. Drawing on theories of trauma and ethics (Freud 1950 1917], 2001 1914]; Levinas 1986, 1998 1993]; Volkan 2001, 2017; Butler 2004; LaCapra 2014 2001]), I will attempt to demonstrate, firstly, that the narrative form of The Walk Home performs the disruptive and repetitive symptoms of transgenerational trauma; and secondly, that the ethical encounter with the other and the recognition of a shared vulnerability transmitted through families can empower characters like Lindsey and Eric to change their lives. The analysis also considers the possibility of challenging the perpetuity of the traumas arising out of the British-Irish conflict and developing resilience through the acknowledgement of vulnerability, the need for interdependency and the heling power of artistic representation. © 2022 by Paula Romo.
publishDate 2022
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