Houses That Break: Representations of Trauma in The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Immigration, displacement, refugees, and migrants are all terms we use interchangeably, while often forgetting the people affected by it all and the stories they carry. We are used to media representation of catastrophic events such as war and terror but this too usually lacks depth and nuance, which leads to an essential part of the story getting overlooked. Fictions are different in this regard because they are able to present the human experience in a way that resonates with readers deeply. In this thesis, I analyze Christy Lefteri's work "The Beekeeper of Aleppo" (2019), with an aim to reveal the many ways that trauma is depicted in the novel. For my theoretical framework, I primarily use narratological methods introduced by Suzanne Keen (2007, 2008, 2015), Cathy Caruth’s work (1996) on literary trauma, and the findings of psychologist Judith Herman (2015) to form a comprehensive analysis. With these as well as other literature-related theories concerning trauma and narratology, the main objective of this paper is to illustrate how fiction is well suited for narrating trauma and then illustrate how trauma is depicted in Lefteri’s novel. Lefteri's work is about the Syrian immigration crisis and the destruction it causes in society and to individuals. The book follows a young couple's escape from the war-torn city of Aleppo, across Europe all the way to London. Lefteri's novel deals with the trauma that arises in connection with immigration and is a socially significant work as it illustrates the suffering caused by war and displacement. This paper is structured around two chapters. In the first one, I begin with defining trauma in literature and then move on to show representations of trauma in textual form with the help of narratological methods such as plot, order, and point of view. In the second chapter, I explore the importance of trauma literature from a societal point of view and discuss the importance of representation as well as the role of trauma narratives in eliciting compassion and forming connections between communities. My analysis has led to the following conclusions: narrative techniques can be used to influence readers’ emotions and this can be seen in Lefteri’s work with the use of “strategic empathizing”. By using narrative techniques such as this among others to depict trauma experienced by the characters, Lefteri's novel aims to humanize a group of people who are all too often subject to discrimination.

Grantor dc:publisher

Helsingin yliopisto

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Hazrat, Sara

Contributors dc:contributor

• Helsingin yliopisto, Humanistinen tiedekunta
• University of Helsinki, Faculty of Arts
• Helsingfors universitet, Humanistiska fakulteten

• Christy Lefteri
• The Beekeeper of Aleppo
• immigration
• displacement
• Syria
• trauma studies
• strategic empathy

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Identifier URI

URN:NBN:fi:hulib-202306142711

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:helda.helsinki.fi:10138/358918