Mid-semester essay with the themes of trauma and repetition in the novel \"A Visit from the Goon Squad\" PDF

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An essay that discusses the themes of trauma and repetition in the novel "A Visit from the Goon Squad"...

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5. Critically discuss the themes of trauma and repetition in Looper or A Visit from the Goon Squad. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel offers readers an insight about contemporary society, portrays the effects of time and aging, and offers a multitude of loosely-linked characters - through the connections with the two main protagonists Bennie Salazar and Sasha- whilst also exploring two central themes of the novel, which are trauma and repetition. Moreover, the fact that the sequence of events presented in the novel are not chronological and provide a networked relationship between each of the characters (which may be frustrating to readers) allows Egan to reinforce that, “Time’s a goon, right?” (page 341), hence underlining again the main themes of A Visit from the Goon Squad. Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad is based on a theory of an initiating traumatic event. Trauma is often associated with an emotional shock following a stressful event, which sometimes leads to certain form of behavior including criminal activity and mental illness. Through the use of characterisation of Sasha, La Doll or Dolly and Lou the author is able to explore the theme of trauma. As a mental illness, theft addiction or otherwise known as kleptomania is often related to a traumatic childhood. The theory of the “acceptance and commitment therapy” () on trauma and other mental illness allows readers to effectively interpret the character of Sasha. This is evident in the text when the narrator states, “I’m changing I’m changing I’m changing: I’ve changed! Redemption, transformation – God how she wanted these things.” (page 19). From this example, readers can clearly see how Sasha tries or even begins to attempt to redeem herself from her illness. Furthermore, through the narration of Ted in chapter eleven- Goodbye, My Love- readers can clearly see that Sasha’s father’s abandonment may have been the culprit to her kleptomaniac behavior, “Sasha had disappeared two years ago, at seventeen. Disappeared like her father, Andy Grady, a berserk financier with violet eyes who’d walked away from a bad business deal a year after his divorce from Beth and hadn’t been heard from

again.” (page 220). Also, from this example readers are positioned to believe that Sasha disappeared due to, “unconscious psychological conflicts stemming from childhood traumas… substituting for some other, deeper fear or anger that the person is unwilling to face” (Hock, Roger R.. Forty studies that changed psychology: explorations into the history of psychological research. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009.), hence developing the theme of repetition. The loss of Rob, “Mon’s Best Friend”, when he drowned as , “He wasn’t a strong swimmer, and he got caught in a current.” (page 281), contributes to Sasha’s traumatised

character. As can be seen, through

the use of

characterisation and narration Egan is able to explore the theme of trauma and repetition in A Visit from the Goon Squad. Trauma is also based on a physical injury or wound, and discontinuity (a distinct break in the sequence in time). This is evident in the text in chapter eight - Selling the General, when Dolly recalls , “The Party, it was called, or the List.”, when, “She gaped in frozen disbelief as her guests shrieked and staggered and covered their heads, tore hot, soaked garments from their flesh and crawled over the floor like people in medieval altar paintings whose earthly luxuries have consigned them to hell.” (page 150). From this example readers can clearly see that through the use of graphic imagery and Dolly’s narration Egan is able to successfully develop the theme of trauma. Also, according to recent study, as suggested by Roger R. Hock in his Forty Studies that Changed Psychology, experiencing a traumatic event may lead to psychological benefits including gratitude and kindness in the case of Dolly. Dolly’s willingness to assist the General, “thinking she’d tamed the general and made the world a better place.”(page 171), as well as keeping her unborn baby Lulu even if it will threaten her career displays these benefits in her character. Also, the use of such words as “frozen disbelief” and “medieval” suggest a break in time, allowing readers to get a sense of discontinuity. As a result, through the use of the characterisation of Dolly Jennifer and the use of word choice Egan successfully develops the theme of trauma in A Visit from the Goon Squad.

A physical injury or wound is also associated with trauma, including the issue of abandonment. In the third chapter of A Visit from the Goon Squad readers can clearly see how the abandonment of his mother affects Scotty himself. This is evident in the text when the narrator, being Rhea describes the appearance of one of her band members Scotty, stating that, “In fifth grade, the first time his mom went away, he sat all day on the patch of grass outside his house and stared at the sun… Now there are permanent gray smudges in Scotty’s vision… We think they remind him of his mom.” As can be seen Scotty’s traumatic experience of his mother leaving him has permanently scarred not only his physical injury or wound, but by also scarring him mentally. As a result, through Jennifer Egan’s use of Scotty’s characterisation the theme of trauma is developed in A Visit from the Goon Squad. Whilst traumatic experiences of a character may result to psychological benefits, in some cases may have harmful and dangerous outcomes. This is evident in the text through the character of Rolph. When they were on a trip to Africa a large group of people including himself, Rolph recalls the attack from one of the lions on Chronos, “His mind bends again and again to the jeep, but his memories are a muddle: the lioness springing; a jerk of impact from the gun; Chronos moaning during the drive to the doctor, blood collecting in an actual puddle under his head on the floor of the jeep…”. From this example readers can clearly see how the repetition of past traumatic events may affect an individual. Trauma has affected Rolph to the extent of him committing suicide as seen in chapter five of the novel, “‘Rolph didn’t make it,’ he says… An old tragedy. ‘He was. Twenty-eight,’ Lou says” (page 94). Through the use of characterisation of Rolph Jennifer Egan develops the theme of trauma and repetition as a sign of trauma. Egan further develops one of her central themes of trauma in A Visit from the Goon Squad through references to a traumatic experience of the bombings of the ‘Twin Towers’ on September eleventh. A number of scenes make direct reference to the event of 9/11 including the description of downtown Manhattan in the first chapter of the novel - the absence of the two buildings and their light- as well as Jules’s article of the

effects of 9/11 on the lives of inmates. This is evident in the text when the narrator states, “He edited a weekly prison newspaper, and his coverage of the impact of 9/11 on the lives of the inmates won him a special citation from the PEN Prison Writing Program… Bennie, Stephanie, and her parents had all wept through his halting acceptance speech.” From these examples readers can clearly see how traumatic events such as 9/11 can affect contemporary society, even those who are well sheltered from the mass effects of the bombings (‘inmates’ and prisoners). As a result, through the use of past events and experiences Egan effectively develops the theme of trauma in her awardwinning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad. The major theme of the novel A Visit from the Goon Squad of repetition may be connected with the desire to preserve the past (paraphrased from "The Penelope Wallace Book Club: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan." The Penelope Wallace Book Club. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. .). Also, through the use of repetition readers can clearly see

how time has affected many of the characters of the novel including Lou, Rhea and Jocelyn. An example of this can be seen in chapter five when the narrator states, “Lou is speaking again. Trying to speak. ‘Stand on each side. Of me. Would you, girls?’ Rhea holds his hand, and I take the other one. It’s not the same hand as before; it is bulbous and dry and heavy… We’re there, the three of us, like before. We’re back to the beginning.” (page 95). This scene is witnessed by readers previously in Jocelyn’s narration as she describes the three of them at a much younger age. From this example readers are positioned to believe that through the act of placing Lou’s hands over the two women demonstrates his desire to preserve the past. As can be seen, through the consideration of time and repetition Egan develops one of the major themes in the novel. Jennifer Egan’s award winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad, first published in 2010, captures through the interplay of time, multiple characters (including the two main protagonists Bennie and Sasha) and narrations an insight into modern-day society. Through the author’s careful consideration of narrative features such as point of view, characterisation, language features, and...