Elizabeth Haynes’ Into the Darkest Corner: An Experience of Trauma

Abstract

This article is an examination of how suppression and male violence could function as a factor that encourages a positive response to gendered abuse and results in the liberation of the silenced ‘voice’ of women crippled by male sovereignty in Elizabeth Haynes’ novel Into the Darkest Corner. The light is shed onto Catherine, the protagonist of the novel. The dilemma of the protagonist while attempting to terminate her abusive marriage, and how she was ultimately able to control her post-traumatic stress disorder experience constitute the core of this article and are addressed through the lens of literary trauma theory and feminist psychoanalysis.
Post-modern feminist literary theory, as a literary analytical scope, is of great importance in order to pinpoint the gender-based bias forced upon the protagonist by her oppressive misogynist husband throughout the course of the literary work. The analytical method followed in this article is that of feminist critical discourse analysis. The article primarily sheds light onto the recurrent instances of physical abuse, as mirrored through the protagonist’s statements and feelings, in addition to her struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder as a consequence of these events. This focus is crucial in order to support the argument made about the association between post-traumatic stress disorder and the delay in the process of escaping the cycle of violence. Thus, three basic issues are addressed: Intimate partner violence, feminist criticism in relation to male oppression, and notions of post-traumatic stress disorder in association with liberation in feminist post-modern literary criticism. The article essentially centers on addressing the following research questions ‘What are the protagonist’s voiced violence experiences?’ and ‘What are the factors that served to reinforce and prolong the protagonist’s oppressive marriage?’