Scope for Rselience in the Grip of Trauma in Aminatta Forna’s Happiness

Abstract

Documenting the horrendous nature of trauma in human beings and their victimization has become much more regular after the two world wars among writers. Apart from exposing the occurrences to the world, it seems that they are striving to find an outlet and escape by depicting the experience which they have witnessed as first person or from the experience of others. While considering the consequences of trauma in human beings there is a question arises naturally that “is there no scope for resilience?” The present paper is focusing on the work of one such African writer Aminatta Forna from Sierra Leon who has documented the scars of wars of her period and has ignited the way to erase the violence of trauma by indicating “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. And also she writes that the emotional vulnerability of trauma is oftentimes transformed into emotional strength and it does not annihilate the lives. So this research paper attempts to trace the justifications of Aminatta forna about the scope for resilience among the traumatized lives which have been exhibited in her novel Happiness.