Abstract
The aim of this research paper is to analyze the novel of American writer, Laurie Halse Anderson, entitled Speak, through the lens of art therapy to highlight that the journey from trauma to transcendence is possible through the therapeutic medium of art. This study examines all the traumatic encounters which the protagonist of Speak, Melinda Sordino, must face in her adolescence period and her constant struggle to cope with those experiences. The research substantiates that Anderson's novel frames speech and recovery from depression and traumatic stress possible through the artistic renderings. The theoretical framework of this paper is encapsulated in Shaun McNiff’s theory of art as medicine. The scopes of existing studies of Laurie Anderson’s Speak are limited to the exploration of the impact of traumatic encounters on the psychological and social growth of the young adult but this has not been clarified that how the protagonist overpowers the weaknesses and frailties of her mind through the healing properties of art. The decipherment of the element of art therapy in Speak fills the gap in research on trauma recovery through expressive art in Young Adult literature. Thus, the findings generated from this study might help future researchers in exploring various dimensions of Young Adult Literature to study the implications of trauma recovery through creative art therapy.
Highlights
IntroductionHuman beings must encounter different experiences in their lives. Sometimes, those experiences educate them, make them more strong, mature, and courageous, and they give them a sense of security as well
In this world, human beings must encounter different experiences in their lives
The research intends to focus on the idea of art as a healing power through the creation of drawings and paintings and the aim of this study is to show how Anderson’s novel Speak frames speech and recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder as possible through the therapeutic properties of creative art
Summary
Human beings must encounter different experiences in their lives. Sometimes, those experiences educate them, make them more strong, mature, and courageous, and they give them a sense of security as well. The excruciating experiences which human beings face exert negative and harsh footmarks in the memory of people and force them to question their very own existence In this game of life that is filled with emotional complications, most people experience psychosomatic stress besides psychological disorder that disturbs them and makes them feel agitated and perturbed. Brain areas implicated in the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex and traumatic stress can be associated with “lasting changes in these three areas” (Bremner, 2006, p.453) These three parts of the brain keep on growing with the passage of time, the effects of trauma can affect the developmental process and show long term dysregulation of these parts of the human brain. It leaves ineffective traces on the mental or psychological growth of the sufferer and affects the physical and biological makeup of man’s anatomy
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