2000 words essay due 4.5

ENGL112 Wednesday

Dr. Jason Starnes

March 9, 2020

Human Response to Trauma in In The Shadow of No Towers and Fun Home

Trauma means the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that overwhelms

and diminishes their sense of self. When facing trauma, people will show different reactions. Art

Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel in In The Shadow of No Towers and Fun Home have a

similarity which they also face generation trauma. However, their generation traumas are

different in scale and period. After experiencing the trauma, their behaviors also have different

changes.

Generation trauma means a psychological trauma which occurs in a generation and can be

transferred in between generations. After the first generation people experiences the trauma, they

are capable to transfer their trauma to their children and further generations of posterity. They

may suffer mental disease such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression.

As for the book “In The Shadow of No Towers”, the 9/11 terrorist attack not only become

Art Spiegelman’s trauma, but also become whole American’s trauma. This incident converted to

a generation trauma of whole American at 21st century. When 9/11 terrorist attack occur, all

American are not sure what is happening at that time. All the internet connection are lost. For

Art Spiegelman, he shows a nervous and anxiousness towards the trauma. His wife and him are

walking normally on the street. But suddenly they heard that there was a crush behind them. The

author shows an awful face and realized their daughter was having class. (Art Spiegelman P2,3).

They rushed to school and found their daughter. It can show that the writer is worry about his

family members. He wants his family member to be with him at that time. However, after his

daughter had found, they walked back home and not concerned about the 9-11 attack. (4). He is

selfish when facing such a horrible terrorist attack. When facing such a big event, the writer is

just concern about his own personal interest and does not care about others.

After the 9/11 terrorist attack, Art Spiegelman and many American suffer Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder. (Art Spiegelman P2,8,9).

In Fun Home, Alison Bechdel and her father also have trauma which the society were not

open-mindedness enough for homosexual in that generation. Most of the people are not

accept for homosexual because of the culture, law, religion, and belief, they consider

homosexual is illegal, against moral, ethics, and nature.

The difference of generation trauma between the Art Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel.

Art Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel also experience generation trauma through In The

Shadow of No Towers and Fun Home. Although their trauma are different in scale and period,

the trauma affect a lot to them and change their behavior and lives.