EXPLORING THE IMPACTS OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA ON THE MAIN CHARACTER IN HANYA YANAGIHARA’S NOVEL “A LITTLE LIFE”

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the impacts of childhood trauma on the main character in Just Yanagihara’s novel “A Little Life”. This study used descriptive qualitative analysis. The results showed that there are two impacts of Jude’s trauma. Those are anxiety and self-destructive behavior. The anxiety causes the loss of someone, fear of abandonment, and triggering events. The loss of someone clarifies Jude’s emotion of grief when Ana, a social worker, passed away because it had been Ana who made him feel comfort. Fear of abandonment identifies Jude’s worry about Harold and Julia. Besides, the impact of Jude’s trauma on his adult life is self-destructive behavior; he suffers from this behavior as a tool to deal with his terrible trauma and the recollections of the trauma itself. This research contributes to understanding the wider impact of trauma, which can have damaging effects on a person’s relationships and identity.