The rupture and recovery: Analyzing female identity formation in Kaine Agary’s Yellow-Yellow through the lens of Herman’s Trauma theory
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Abstract
This study investigates the themes of rupture and recovery in female identity formation in Kaine Agary’s novel Yellow-Yellow, using Judith Herman’s trauma theory as a guiding framework. The narrative centers on Zilayefa, a young biracial woman raised in the marginalized and ecologically devastated Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Born to a Nigerian mother and an absent Greek father, Zilayefa struggles with feelings of abandonment, alienation, and exploitation, which collectively shape her fractured sense of self. The novel reflects the emotional and psychological consequences of growing up in a patriarchal, postcolonial society marked by socio-economic instability and environmental destruction. Drawing from Herman’s trauma theory, which outlines three stages of trauma recovery establishing safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection this study descriptively outlines how Zilayefa’s journey mirrors these stages. The research highlights how her identity is ruptured by her early experiences of neglect, racialized prejudice, and gender-based violence, and how moments of self-awareness and interaction with supportive female figures suggest the initial phases of healing and empowerment.
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