GAYLE’S POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER RESULTED FROM PAST TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES
AS SEEN IN GAYLE SANDERS’ MUMMY’S WITNESS
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in
English Language Education
By
Claret Etsa Artriani Student Number: 041214130
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i GAYLE’S POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER RESULTED
FROM PAST TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES AS SEEN IN GAYLE SANDERS’ MUMMY’S WITNESS
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in
English Language Education
By
Claret Etsa Artriani Student Number: 041214130
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
vii ABSTRACT
Artriani, Claret Etsa. (2010). Gayle’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulted from Past Traumatic Experiences as seen in Gayle Sanders’ Mummy’s Witness.
Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis analyses Mummy’s Witness, a novel written by Gayle Sanders. The story is about a little girl named Gayle Sanders who grows up in a middle-class household. The problem arises when Gayle’s father cruelly abuses his wife and finally hangs her to death after they are separated. Gayle is the only witness of the horrifying scenes. Afterwards, Gayle is sent by a foster family to a psychiatric care unit. Sometimes she wants to commit suicide because she is very depressed and feels traumatized there. In her fragility, she is attacked and raped by a male nurse in the psychiatric hospital. By her efforts, she manages to survive and to gain a better life.
The goals of writing this thesis are to analyze Gayle’s post traumatic stress disorder resulted from her past traumatic experiences and how Gayle treats herself in her post traumatic stress disorder. To attain the goal, this thesis focused on three questions, namely: (1) How is Gayle characterized in the novel? (2) How are Gayle’s past traumatic experiences and post traumatic stress disorder described in the novel? and (3) How does she cope with her traumatic experiences?
The method which was applied was library study. There were two sources used: primary and secondary sources. Mummy’s Witness, the novel, was the primary source in this thesis. The secondary sources were books and websites on literature and psychology. I applied some theories of character, characterization, and, post traumatic stress disorder to answer the formulated problems.
This thesis also employed the psychological approach which was aimed to analyze the novel from the psychological point of view especially to find out Gayle’s post traumatic stress disorder and Gayle’s ways of coping with post traumatic stress disorder.
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ABSTRAK
Artriani, Claret Etsa. (2010). Gayle’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulted from Past Traumatic Experiences as seen in Gayle Sanders’ Mummy’s Witness.
Yogyakarta: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisa tentang novel Mummy’s Witness, karangan Gayle Sanders. Novel ini menceritakan tentang seorang gadis cilik bernama Gayle Sanders yang tumbuh dan berkembang di sebuah keluarga kelas menengah. Permasalahannya muncul ketika ayah Gayle menyiksa istrinya. Gayle adalah satu-satunya saksi dari kejadian yang mengerikan itu. Lalu, Gayle dijemput oleh keluarga angkatnya menuju ke bagian perawatan kejiwaan. Kadang-kadang dia ingin membunuh dirinya sendiri karena dia merasa sangat putus asa dan merasa tergoncang jiwanya. Di dalam kerapuhannya, dia disiksa dan diperkosa oleh seorang perawat laki-laki di dalam rumah sakit bagian kejiwaan itu. Dengan usahanya, dia memutuskan untuk bertahan hidup dan meraih sebuah kehidupan yang lebih baik.
Tujuan-tujuan dari penulisan skripsi ini adalah untuk menganalisa kelainan tekanan kejiwaan yang menumpuk yang mana di derita Gayle yang disebabkan oleh pengalaman yang sangat menggoncangkan jiwanya dan bagaimana Gayle mengobati dirinya di dalam kelainan kejiwaan yang dideritanya. Untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut, skripsi ini terpusat pada tiga pertanyaan, yaitu: (1) Bagaimana Gayle selaku tokoh utama digambarkan dalam novel? (2) Bagaimana pengalaman masa lalu yang menggoncangkan jiwa Gayle dan penyakit Post Traumatic Stress Disorder yang diderita Gayle digambarkan di dalam novel? dan (3) Bagaimana cara dia menanggulangi pengalaman yang menggoncangkan jiwanya?
Metode yang diterapkan untuk skripsi ini adalah metode perpustakaan. Ada dua sumber utama yang digunakan: sumber pertama dan sumber kedua. Novel Mummy’s Witness merupakan sumber pertama di skripsi ini. Sumber kedua adalah buku-buku dan websites yang berhubungan dengan sastra dan psikologi. Saya menerapkan beberapa teori karakter, karakteristik, dan post traumatic stress disorder untuk menjawab rumusan masalah.
Skripsi ini juga menggunakan pendekatan psikologi yang ditujukan untuk menganalisa novel dari sudut pandang psikologi khususnya untuk mencari tahu kelainan tekanan kejiwaan yang menumpuk yang diderita Gayle dan cara-cara Gayle dalam menanggulangi kelainan tekanan kejiwaan yang menumpuk tersebut.
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ibunya. Kejadian ini menyebabkannya kembali mengingat pengalamannya yang mengrikan dan mengalami mimpi buruk, hal ini merupakan gejala-gejala dari mereka yang mempunyai pengalaman yang menggoncangkan jiwanya. Hanya dengan melihat wajah ibunya secara sekilas, kumpulan-kumpulan kejadian atas bagaimana cara ibunya meninggal kembali diingat Gayle dan hal ini menghantuinya. Oleh karena itu, Gayle selalu terjaga dan dia juga menghindar untuk membicarakan sesuatu yang mengingatkan dia pada kejadian-kejadian yang menggoncangkan jiwanya tersebut. Akhirnya untuk mengatasi pengalaman-pengalaman yang menggoncangkan jiwanya, dia melakukan beberapa hal seperti mengunakan obat-obatan, mengucilkan dirinya sendiri dari orang lain, menemui seorang ahli kelainan kejiwaan untuk mencari bantuan, dan berlatih metode-metode relaksasi.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank Jesus Christ who always stays beside me every time and gives me strength. I realize that I would never be able to accomplish my thesis without His blessing. I thank Him also for giving me those people around me who always love me and support me. Therefore I would like to express my gratitude to them.
First, I would like to thank Drs. Bambang Hendarto, M.Hum., who has guided me patiently in the writing process of this thesis and has given me the time for consultation on this thesis from the beginning until the end. I also thank Sr. Clare Hand, fcJ. for being my language consultant.
I thank Sanata Dharma University, mostly the English Language Education Study Program, for giving me a nice place to study. I also express my gratitude to all my lecturers who have shared their knowledge and experiences with me.
My special gratitude and respect go to my beloved parents, Drs. Bambang Dwi Purnomo, M.B.A. and Valentina Yuliawati for their boundless love, prayer, guidance, and the great support they have given me every single day of my life. I thank them for the remarkable efforts they made in order to educate me. My gratitude also goes to my brother Wilibrordus Arka Abhimantra for always supporting me in finishing my thesis.
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Puji Lestari, Debora Ayu, Linda Gusviariani, and Ardita Yulia. I thank them very much for giving me their support and friendship during my study time in PBI and for giving me motivation so I can finish my duty. I also thank them for the memories and togetherness that have colored my life.
Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone that I cannot mention one by one, who has given me support and attention in the process of writing this thesis. May God bless them all.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page TITLE PAGE ……… APPROVAL PAGES ………... DEDICATION ………. STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ……… ABSTRACT ……….
ABSTRAK ………. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………. TABLE OF CONTENTS ……….
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1Background of the study ………... 1.2Problem formulations ………... 1.3Objectives of the study ………. 1.4Benefits of the study ……….
1.5Definition of terms ………
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Review of Related Theories ……….. 2.1.1 Character ………
2.1.1.1 Definition of Character ……….. 2.1.1.2 Types of Character ………. 2.1.2 Characterization ………..
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2.1.2.1 Definition of Characterization ………... 2.1.2.2 Methods of Characterization ……….. 2.1.3 Critical Approaches ……… 2.1.4 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ……….. 2.1.4.1 Definition of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ……… 2.1.4.2 Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder …………... 2.1.4.3 Causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ………. 2.1.4.4 Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ………. 2.1.4.5 Coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ………. 2.2 Theoretical Framework ……….
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Object of the study ……… 3.2 Approach of the study ……….. 3.3 Method of the study ………..
CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS
4.1 The characterization of Gayle ………... 4.1.1 Brave ……….. 4.1.2 Smart ……….. 4.1.3 Optimistic ………... 4.2 Gayle’s Past Traumatic Experiences ……… 4.2.1 Seeing her father abuse her mother ……… 4.2.2 Being sexually abused by her father ………...
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4.2.3 Seeing her father kill her mother ……… 4.3 Gayle’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ………... 4.3.1 Flashbacks and nightmares ………. 4.3.2 Being on guard ………... 4.3.3 Avoidance and emotional numbing ……… 4.4 Gayle’s ways of coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ……….
4.4.1 Gayle’s positive coping actions ……….. 4.4.1.1 Calling a counselor for help ………... 4.4.1.2 Practicing relaxation methods ……… 4.4.2 Gayle’s negative coping actions ………. 4.4.2.1 Using drugs to end her life ………. 4.4.2.2 Isolating from others ………..
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusions ………. 5.1.1 The characterization of Gayle ……… 5.1.2 Gayle’s Past Traumatic Experiences ……….. 5.1.3 Gayle’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ………. 5.1.4 Gayle’s ways of coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ... 5.2 Suggestions ………. 5.2.1 Suggestion for Future Researchers ………. 5.2.2 Suggestion for Teaching Paragraph Writing Using a Novel …..
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APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Summary of Mummy’s Witness ……… Appendix 2 Map of the Places in the Novel ……… Appendix 3 Picture of the Novel ……….. Appendix 4 Lesson Plan for Teaching Paragraph Writing ……….. Appendix 5 Possible answer ………
1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of five parts, namely background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study presents the description of the topic and the reason for choosing this topic. The problem formulations state the problem to be solved. The objectives of the study state the purpose of writing this thesis, while the benefits of the study explain the benefits of this thesis for readers. The last, the definition of terms, clarifies the important terms used in this thesis.
1.1 Background of the Study
In our everyday lives any one of us can have many sad experiences. Our past experience itself is made up of events that we have experienced in the past. Some of those experiences can be good or bad. Out of those experiences, there are some which lead us to find ourselves suddenly in danger, anxiety, fear, helplessness, or horror and also leave us terrified and which may become the cause of trauma. Trauma is defined as a severe physical injury or wound to the body caused by an external force or a psychological shock having a lasting effect on mental life (Davison G-26).
experience. During the trauma, sufferers often become overwhelmed by fear. Soon after the traumatic experience, they may re-experience the trauma. Trauma sufferers commonly re-experience their trauma. This means that the sufferers relieve the same mental, emotional, and physical experiences they had during or just after the trauma. These include thinking about the trauma, remembering images of the events, and feeling the anxiety that occurred during the trauma. Because people are anxious and feeling agitated, they may have trouble in concentrating or thinking clearly. They may also have nightmares when they are sleeping.
Because these experiences can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful, sufferers tend to avoid reminders of the trauma. These symptoms create a problem that is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Post traumatic stress disorder is a form of anxiety disorder whereby the person displays persistent anxiety following exposure to or the witnessing of an overwhelming traumatic event that is outside the range of usual human experience (Mash and Wolfe 201).
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almost breaks her mother’s back by beating her. Her parents are finally separated after a poignant battle. Gayle is finally safe from her father but her freedom changes to terror because she is the only witness who sees her father brutally murder her mother by hanging her. Afterwards, Gayle is picked up by a foster family and sent to a psychiatric care unit. Sometimes she wants to commit suicide because she is very depressed and feels traumatized. In her fragility, she is attacked and raped by a male nurse in the psychiatric hospital. Yet Gayle survives to make a better life for herself.
I chose Mummy’s Witness as the object of my analysis and in particular Gayle’s past traumatic experiences which lead to her post traumatic stress disorder because I find some interesting things related to post traumatic stress disorder. I am eager to know what Gayle has been experienced during her post traumatic stress disorder.
1.2 Problem Formulations
Based on the background of the study, the problems of the study maybe formulated as follows:
1. How is Gayle characterized in the novel?
2. How are Gayle’s past traumatic experiences and post traumatic stress disorder described in the novel?
1.3 Objectives of the study
The objectives of this study are to analyze how Gayle’s past traumatic experiences result in Gayle’s post traumatic disorder and also to analyze the series of her traumatic events. In addition, I would like to elaborate on Gayle’s character in more detail.
1.4 Benefits of the study
Readers can gain some benefits from this study. Firstly, by reading this study I expect that the readers will learn exactly what post traumatic stress disorder is. Since this study analyzes a kind of disorder, I hope this study will give the readers a better understanding of human being’s psychological side through the novel.
Secondly, since this study analyzes a kind of disorder, that is post traumatic stress disorder, hopefully it will also give benefits to those readers, who deal with this disorder. They will know what the symptoms, causes, and effects of post traumatic stress disorder are and also how to cope with someone suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. I hope that from this study the readers can also appreciate a literary work.
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1.5Definition of terms
In this study there are some terms to define to avoid misinterpretation. The first term is trauma. Trauma is “a severe physical injury or wound to the body caused by an external force, or a psychological shock having a lasting effect on mental life” (Davison G-26). In this study, trauma is defined as a disturbing experience that makes someone feel worried, frightened, and also in a danger. For those who cannot cope with their disturbing experience, they can become stressed, even insane.
The second term is symptom. Symptom is “a sign of disorder” (Seligman, Walker, Rosenhan A2). In this study, symptom is defined as an abnormal indication which appears in Gayle’s behavior because of the excessive anxiety she experiences.
The third term is abnormal behavior. D. Sue, D. Sue, S. Sue in their book
Understanding Abnormal Behavior Second Edition (15) state that abnormal behavior is behavior that deviates from some norm which disturbs and affects an individual. In this study, abnormal behavior is defined as Gayle’s behavior that deviates from normal behavior which makes her like a mad person. This behavior cannot be recognized by the sufferer but it can be felt and observed by others close to the person.
anxiety which is felt and experienced by someone for a long time so that the person will have a kind of stress.
7 CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter will discuss some theories used to analyze the novel. There are two parts that are presented in this chapter. The first part is a review of related literature which consists of theory of character, theory of characterization, theory of critical approaches, and theory of post traumatic stress disorder. The second part is theoretical framework. It explores of the contribution of theories applied in this study to answer the problems formulated in this thesis.
2.1 Review of Related Theories 2.1.1 Character
Studying the characteristics of the main character is necessary because some writers place the main character as the focus in writing their novels, poems, songs, and stories. Character in a story has an important role in leading the readers to heighten their emotions. Character also determines the quality of literary work. Abcarian (6) says that good stories are usually interesting from the beginning till the end, because they present characters that the readers care about and these characters might be reasonable or unreasonable.
2.1.1.1 Definition of Character
8 that are expressed through his or her dialogues and actions. Thus a character is not only a person in a story. A character is like a human being who has feelings, moral and social values which are shown through his or her speech and attitude as in real life. Besides, Rohrberger and Woods, Jr (20) define a character as a person who acts out in a particular time and place (setting) some kind of conflict in a pattern of events. In a story, a character must usually face a major problem which may involve another character. He or she may win or lose. He or she may learn and get a good experience or may miss what he or she might have achieved. 2.1.1.2 Types of Character
There are various types of character. Henkle (93) says that characters are mainly divided into two parts, major and minor characters. First, a major character is the character who plays the most important role in a story. We should pay our fullest attention to the major character because the major character becomes the focus of the story. He or she most frequently appears in the story from the beginning until the end. On the other hand, a minor character has a less important role in a story. He or she does not always appear in the story.
Furthermore, Guth and Rico (70) categorize characters as flat characters and round characters. A flat character is one-dimensional character who has a one- track personality. So, the readers will easily be able to guess what the character will become and do. It is because a flat character usually has a simple characteristic or personality. While a round character has a combination of traits.
9 changes in the story. A static character is the same at the end of the story as he or she was at the beginning. Meanwhile, a dynamic character is one who undergoes an important change in the story. The change of the character may be larger or smaller or may be better or worse.
However, Rohrberger and Woods, Jr (35) classify character into two kinds. The first is protagonist and the second is antagonist. The protagonist is the central focus of character (hero/heroine) in the story against which is arrayed. A protagonist is the most important character in the story as it is the one to whom all the events in the story have relevance. Meanwhile, the antagonist is another major character of the story that opposes the protagonist. He or she is involved in the conflicts with the protagonist.
2.1.2 Characterization
2.1.2.1 Definition of Characterization
Like us, who exist in this world, there are characters who live and act in the novel. Therefore, the character presented in the novel is usually credible. This is why the writer has to create a good imaginary person so that the readers can feel their existence as in real life. Murphy (161) defines characterization as the way in which an author attempts to make his characters understandable and alive for his readers.
2.1.2.2 Methods of Characterization
10 characterization to enable us look how an author describes the characters and the personalities of the people he or she writes about. These methods are personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversations of others, reaction, direct comment, thought, and mannerisms.
The first method is personal description. Using this method the author can describe a person’s appearance which is related to hair, skin, face, build, and clothes. From this personal description, the character of the person can be portrayed.
The second method is character as seen by another. As well as describing character directly, the author can describe the character through the eyes and opinions of another. Other characters’ opinions about a character help readers understand to the character deeper.
The third method is speech. Using this technique, the author can give readers an insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what the person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever he or she is in conversation with another, whenever he or she puts forward an opinion, he or she is giving us some clues as to his or her character. The character’s speech implicitly shows his or her personality. The character’s personality can be shown by the way he or she talks.
11 direct comment by the author, through the person’s thought, through his or her conversation or through the medium of another person.
The fifth method is through the conversation of others. Using this technique, the author can also give readers clues to a person’s character through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People who have conversations with other people and the things they say often give us a clue to the character of the person spoken about.
The sixth method is reactions. In this way, the author can also give the readers a clue to a person’s character by letting know how that person reacts to various situations or events. For example when a lady drops her hat. Someone may help her by picking it up and giving the hat to the lady to show his or her kindness, while others may do nothing.
The seventh method is direct comment. In this technique the author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly. Usually the author gives his or her opinions or comments in the story through the narrator’s view.
The eighth method is thoughts. Using this method, the author can give the readers knowledge of what a person is thinking about. The author can do what he cannot do in real life; the author can also tell readers what the character is thinking about. The reader is in a privileged position; he or she has a secret listening device plugged into the deepest thoughts of a person in a novel.
12 about his or her character. The author reveals the habits of the character both positive and negative which help us know something about the character.
Author does not only apply one of those nine methods in describing the story, but the author varies them to make the reader go into the flow of the story. Therefore, the reader is usually unaware of the method which the author uses to reveal the characters and personalities, so that the reader will think that the characters are real people.
2.1.3 Critical Approaches
The critical approach becomes an essential part of literary study because it helps readers to get a better understanding of its nature, function, and of the positive values of literary work. Rohrberger and Woods, Jr (6-15) say that to study a piece of literature, we have to use critical approaches to literature. Therefore, they provide approaches which the readers may apply in evaluating a literary work. Those approaches are as follows: the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach.
The formalist approach suggests that in analyzing a work of literature, we should only deal with the idea of the work itself. It is not necessary to study the author’s life, the social background, the psychological aspects, or any sources related to the work.
13 know the background and the personal life of the author in order to get a good understanding about literary works because sometimes a writer writes literary works based on their life experiences. Generally, this approach is applied to biographical novels.
The sociocultural-historical approach is based on the belief that the literary work is influenced by the social, culture, and historical background of the author. Therefore, the author’s social, cultural and the historical life has an important place in determining literary work. Literary works also can be a proof of historical events or can be a portrait of events at a certain moment in time.
The mythopoeic approach, this approach deals with universal recurrent patterns of human thought, which are considered to find expression in significant works of art. These universally recurrent patterns are those that find first expression in ancient myths and folk rites and are so basic to human thought that they have meaning for all people.
The psychological approach, this approach emphasizes the use of psychological theories to analyze the personality and behavior patterns shown in literary works.
In this study I use the psychological approach for guidance. This approach enables us to analyze the novel from the psychological point of view.
2.1.4 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
14 traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When someone has PTSD, it seems that she or he will never be able to avoid what happened to him or her and even back to normal life again. However, she or he is not alone. Sufferer has to find support from others and also to seek treatment so that she or he will be able to overcome the symptoms of PTSD.
2.1.4.1 Definition of Post traumatic Stress Disorder
Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (152) state that post traumatic stress disorder is a form of anxiety disorder triggered by a traumatic event and characterized by intrusive thoughts, intense physiological reactivity, and avoidance of the stimuli associated with the trauma. Someone who is diagnosed with PTSD must have been in a situation in which he or she was afraid for his or her safety and for his or her life and also she or he must have experienced something that made her or him feel frightened or fearful, helpless, and terrified. Although PTSD must be diagnosed by a mental health professional, symptoms of PTSD are clearly defined. PTSD usually has typical symptoms. They are flashbacks and nightmares, avoidance and numbing, and being on guard.
2.1.4.2 Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
15 If we have post traumatic stress disorder and the symptoms do not decrease, we will not feel a little better each day. In fact we may start to feel worse. As PTSD does not always develop within hours or days, for some people the symptoms of PTSD develop in days or months. The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can arise suddenly and gradually. Sometimes the symptoms are vague. At the other times, they appear because of something that reminds us of the traumatic event.
There are three main types of symptom that are required to assign the diagnosis of PTSD. The first type consists of flashbacks and nightmares. We find ourselves re-experiencing the event again and again. Actually we see the traumatic event in our mind but we may also feel the emotions and physical sensations of what happened. According to Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (152), the traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in one (or more) ways, for example recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions, recurrent distressing dreams of the event, acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (including a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes).
16 indicated in some ways: efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with trauma, efforts to avoid activities, places or people that arise recollections of the trauma, inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma, markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities, feeling detachment or estrangement from others, restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings), and sense of foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span). Besides, the emotional numbing may present as a lack of interest in activities. Here the sufferer is insensitive. She or he does not have sense of feeling (Edwards).
The third type is being on guard. Here, sufferers feel anxious and find it hard to sleep. They also cannot relax but stay alert all the time. Sufferers know that in this condition the experience is life-threatening, both physically and psychologically. So, there is an enormous stress reaction here. This is very exhausting and leads to nightmares and depression.
2.1.4.3 Causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
17 lead someone to post traumatic stress disorder in three categories. The factors are biological factors, psychological factors, and social factors.
The biological factors make certain people more vulnerable in developing post traumatic stress disorder. In response to any trauma they might show symptoms which are influenced by genetic factors, abnormal hyperreactivity of the catecholamine, the stress hormone that prepares the body for an emergency, and CRF System. CRF stands for Corticotropin Releasing Factor; this system plays a central role in the regulation of the stress axis (Huisisng, Aa, Metz, Mazon, Kemenade, and Flik). Both catecholamine and CRF systems result in sustained stress responding. That is why people might show that they have emotional numbing.
Secondly, psychological factors interact with biological vulnerabilities in producing post traumatic stress disorder symptoms. The symptom is identified by establishing the severity of tension or stress which is related to the risk of developing post traumatic stress disorder. Someone who has long – term PTSD has usually experienced a fearful traumatic event, for example experience sexual abuse in childhood or witnessing a murder.
18 2.1.4.4 Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The effects of post traumatic stress disorder are usually categorized as intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Post traumatic stress disorder is categorized as intrusion when the symptoms appear suddenly and happen when memories of a past traumatic incident comes back as flashback in the sufferer’s mind. These flashbacks can be induced by a variety of triggers such as smell, sight, or sound. Then, post traumatic stress disorder is categorized as avoidance when a sufferer consciously or unconsciously tries to prevent remembering anything related to the traumatic experience. This may involve avoiding those who are close to him or her, or those he or she works with, etc. All these effects lead to extreme depression which is very difficult to cope with. Post traumatic stress disorder is categorized as hyperarousal when the symptoms are the result of nerves and hormones. Sufferers could experience insomnia. During this phase sufferers will have very poor concentration and will get irritated easily (Mathias). 2.1.4.5 Coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rarely disappear completely. Coping with PTSD symptoms and the problems usually are sufferers’ challenge. Recovery from PTSD is a gradual process. It does not happen in an instant. Here healing does not mean forgetting the traumatic experiences when remembering them. At least by healing, the sufferer is able to manage and cope with the effects of trauma.
19 The first one is positive coping actions. These actions help to reduce anxiety and distressing reactions. These actions also improve the situation which makes the sufferer more comfortable. Positive coping actions can include seven ways (Ruzek).
The first way is learning about trauma and PTSD. It is useful for sufferers to learn more about PTSD and how it affects them. By learning and finding that PTSD is experienced by many sufferers, they can realize that they are not alone, not weak, and not crazy (Ruzek).
The second way is talking to another person for support. When sufferers are able to talk about their problems to others, sometimes it is very helpful. With support from others the sufferers may not feel alone, but feel supported or understood, and receive concrete help from others. The sufferers must choose their supporting person carefully and clearly ask for the support person they need. One of the places to find some support is in groups; a group which consists of survivors of trauma with PTSD. Being in a group with other sufferers may help them to reduce the sense of isolation, rebuild trust in others, and provide an important opportunity for the sufferers to make a contribution to other sufferers’ recovery (Ruzek).
20 The fourth way is practicing relaxation methods. These methods can include muscular relaxation exercises, breathing exercise, meditation, swimming, stretching, yoga, prayer, listening to quiet music, and spending time in nature. Even though these relaxation techniques can be helpful, they can sometimes increase distress by focusing attention on disturbing physical sensations. Here, the physical sensations may become more apparent when a person is relaxed. Listening to music, walking around, and doing other activities are good ways in reducing negative reactions to internal thoughts, feelings, or perceptions (Ruzek).
The fifth way is increasing positive distracting activities. Positive recreational activities help distract sufferers from their memories and reactions. One way which is used by many sufferers is doing artistic endeavors, for example drawing. This method can express their feelings in a positive and creative way. It is also can improve sufferers’ mood, limit the harm caused by PTSD, and help rebuild their lives (Ruzek).
The sixth way is calling a counselor for help. Sometimes, the healing does not work too well. The sufferers may feel depressed or fearful. At these times, it is important to call a counselor who can help them (Ruzek).
The seventh way is taking prescribed medications to tackle PTSD. One thing that sufferers find helpful is medication from their doctor. By taking medication, sufferers are able to improve their sleep, anxiety, irritability, anger, urges to drink or use drugs (Ruzek).
21 These actions may be immediately effective but later these can cause sufferers to become addicted, like smoking or drug use. These habits can become difficult to change. Negative coping actions can include four ways.
The first way is the use of alcohol or drugs. This may help wash away bad memories, increase social confidence, or cause sleep. However it causes more problems, for example, creating dependence on alcohol, causing problems in relationship with family and friends, and sometimes placing a sufferer at risk of suicide, violence, or accidents (Ruzek).
The second way is social isolation. By reducing contact with the outside world, a sufferer may avoid many situations that cause him or her to feel afraid, irritable, or angry. However, isolation will also cause major problems. It will result in loss of social friendships, and intimacy. It may produce further depression and fear (Ruzek).
The third way is anger. Like isolation, anger gets rid of many upsetting situations by keeping people away. However, it also keeps away positive connections and help. It may lead to job problems, marital or relationship problems, and loss of friendships (Ruzek).
22 2.2 Theoretical Framework
In order to answer the formulated problems, I apply some theories and an approach in this study. First, the theory of critical approach is used to analyze the problem. There are five approaches and the emphasis of the approach used is the psychological approach.
In analyzing the character, I apply the theory of character and characterization. This used to get a deeper understanding of literary works. The nine methods of characterization proposed by Murphy are also used to look for some of Gayle’s characterization.
In analyzing Gayle’s past traumatic experience and post traumatic stress disorder which are described in the novel, I employ the theory of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder proposed by Bloom, Mathias, Ruzek, Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark. These theories include the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, causes of post traumatic stress disorder, and effects of post traumatic stress disorder
23 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of three parts. These are object of the study, approach of the study, and method of the study. The first is object of the study which deals with the physical description of the novel Mummy’s Witness by Gayle Sanders and also the focus of this study. The second is approach of the study that I use to explain the approach in analyzing this novel. The last is method of the study that describes the procedure to analyze the study.
3.1 Object of the study
The object of this study is a biographical novel by a writer named Gayle Sanders. The novel is entitled Mummy’s Witness published in 2007 by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, a division of Hodder Headline, in Great Britain. The novel consists of 297 pages in 20 chapters. This novel was released as a trade paperback in July, 2007 by Hodder Headline.
relieved but she is wrong because all changes to terror. Now, the violence turns back to Gayle and becomes more and more cruel. She has no one to protect her. At the end of the story, Gayle finally survives to make a better life for herself.
I have chosen this novel because this novel is an interesting and inspiring novel talking about the harrowing story of a childhood which is a shuttered by brutality and Gayle’s determination to triumph over the past. The author’s, language is very simple, but touching. I am interested in analyzing what the main character’s mental disorder is, and how the main character copes with her disorder. Through this novel, I can see how important love, affection, and warmth in a family are and also how important appreciating each other in a family is.
3.2Approach of the study
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3.3Method of the study
There were two kinds of sources used. These were primary and secondary sources. Both sources were used as the main data in analyzing the novel. The novel of Gayle Sanders’, Mummy’s Witness was used as the primary source. Secondary sources were some books concerning theories of literature such as Literature: The Human Experience Second Edition by Richard Abcarian and Klotz Marvin, A Glossary of Literary Terms by M. H. Abrams, Understand Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel from Overseas
Students by M. J. Murphy, etc. I also used some books concerning theory of psychology as well. They were Abnormal Child Psychology by Eric J. Mash and David A. Wolfe, Abnormal Psychology Revised Sixth Edition by Gerald C. Davison and John M. Neale, Abnormal Psychology Integrating Perspective by G. Terence Wilson, Peter E. Nathan, K. Daniel O’Leary, and Lee Anna Clark, etc. Secondary sources were also gained from the internet for the product details of the novel
There were some steps that had been taken to do the analysis in order to answer the formulated problems. The first step was reading Gayle Sanders’
Mummy’s Witness as the most important source. I tried to understand the content of the novel by reading the novel many times to gain information and a deeper comprehension of the novel.
character and characterization, the theory of critical approach, and the theory of post traumatic stress disorder.
The third step was applying the theories and the approach in order to find out the formulated problems, the characterization of Gayle Sanders, the description of Gayle’s past traumatic experiences and post traumatic stress disorder, and also the way Gayle cope with her disorder.
27 CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS
This chapter is used to answer the three questions which are stated in the problem formulation. The analysis is divided into three parts. The first part will discuss Gayle’s past traumatic experience. The second part will discuss Gayle’s post traumatic stress disorder. The last part will discuss Gayle’s ways of coping with her post traumatic stress disorder.
4.1 The characterization of Gayle
similar to a person in real life who has some positive and negative sides. Another theory of character is proposed by Guth and Rico (70). Referring to their theory, Gayle is considered as a round character because she has a combination of traits. Gayle undergoes changes in her traits after she forces herself to write a letter to Dora Black, a psychiatrist and meets her to undergo therapy. Meanwhile, regarding to Perrine’s theory of character (71), Gayle is portrayed as a dynamic character. Here, Gayle characteristics are formed by the situations or conditions that press her very much. Indirectly, Gayle is forced to have others characteristics which do not come from her nature. These conditions are called submissive behavior.
Straker in his article Submissive Behavior states that submissive behavior means coming out of saying what you really mean and not seeking to achieve your needs. A submissive person will lessen and avoid upsetting memories because they fear them very much. The core assumption of submissive behavior is that sufferers are inferior to others in some way, and assume that other people have greater rights and more valid truths than theirselves. The submissive person will typically compress their feelings and restrain memories in order not to dominate their life. The result of submissive behavior is that sufferers will get little of what they want and also they loss the respect of other people. Gayle undergoes all of those conditions that make her to have survival instincts which are shown in Gayle’s characteristic.
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description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversations of others, reaction, direct comment, thought, and mannerisms. Using these methods, the author portrays Gayle as:
4.1.1 Brave
Gayle is a brave person. As a child who is just four years old, Gayle has courage to watch a frightening event. She bravely watches her father attack her mother physically and verbally. Her father’s attack is vicious and cruel. Gayle’s father hurts and underestimates his wife with words and then hits, punches and kicks her. He also twists his wife’s arms, and throttles her. This can be seen from Gayle’s reaction below.
I had to watch, unable to help her, time and time again, as he tortured and humiliated her, leaving her weeping and in agony. I was desperate to stop him, but I couldn’t. My fear paralyzed me, and in any case I knew that if I tried he would simply toss me aside. But I still felt that somehow what was happening was my fault (Sanders 11).
Actually, Gayle wants to help her mother, but she cannot do anything. She knows it will be a big problem for her to stay safe if she tries to help. She is very afraid that her father will also attack her if she helps her mother. So she only keeps silent and watches her father beats her mother brutally.
father’s brutality towards his wife and also waits until her father ends his cruel actions (Sanders 11)
Here Gayle’s courage can be seen through her reactions. Gayle always watches and waits when her father abuse her mother. When she does this, her parents do not know that Gayle is watching, so with her courage she tries to hide for a long time until the father’s brutality towards her mother ends.
In Gayle’s home, her father’s violence escalates to terrifying levels. Gayle thinks that this is the worst incident that she has ever seen. It can be seen through Gayle’s speech below.
One incident in particular, perhaps the worst of that time, has stayed with me. For some reason I awoke in the night and crept down the stairs. As I looked into the lounge from the shadows of the hall I could see my parents. My mother was on the floor on her back and my father was on top of her, chocking her, his hands around her neck. She was coughing and struggling, trying to move her arms. Then suddenly he stopped, turned her over onto her front and sat on her back. I could hear her gasping for breath and could see that her face was white. My father grabbed both the shoulders and pulled them back so hard that she went limp. He was forcing them back at such an angle that, although it’s probably impossible, I thought I could see her shoulder blades touch at the back (Sanders 50-51). Here Gayle’s courage is tested. Although she watches her father abuse her mother brutally, Gayle still keeps herself watching that frightening event until at the end. She can even see her father’s violence toward her mother in detail as has been proven through the Gayle’s speech.
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plate of food on the floor. At that time she became horrified at the smashed plate and food all over the floor. Then Gayle was sent by her mother to bed without anything to eat, but she finally found a way to fill her stomach. This can be seen through Gayle’s reaction. If there is no food, Gayle will creep into the kitchen to look for something to eat. Then she will eat quietly and silently in order not to be noticed by her parents (Sanders 25).
To satisfy her hunger, Gayle moves stealthily to look for something to eat. Then she will hide somewhere else and eat the food she has taken quietly in order not to be caught by her mother. This shows that Gayle is brave enough do what she actually must not do.
It is also described in the novel that, Gayle is brave to walk most of the journey to and from school on her own, this can be seen through her speech below.
Even at the age of five I walked most of the journey to and from school on my own. Mum would take me to the main road near our house and see me across, and then I’d walk for the ten minutes it took to reach school. Coming home, I would walk along the road on my own until I saw Mum waiting for me on the other side. I would wait until she told me to across, and we’d finish the short walk home together (Sanders 39).
We can see that it is unusual that a child at the age of five is able to walk on her own. Thus, Gayle is a brave person because the other children rarely do the same activity. They will usually be picked up by their parents at the school. 4.1.2 Smart
Without doubt, though, Dad took out most of his wrath on me and my mother. Of his three children I was the one, he said, who was most like my mother, and other people have confirmed that I do look very much like her. Perhaps that was why he disliked me so much. Like her, I seemed to irritate and annoy him simply by existing. And like her, I learned to endure the cruelty and the fear and tried not to do anything to draw attention to myself. Silently and anxiously I did my best not to be noticed, because that was the safest way to survive (Sanders 18).
Everything in Gayle’s house is controlled by her father. Gayle’s father determines who goes there and who does what. Gayle father’s favorites among his three children are Sarah and John. Gayle is the one who is like his wife. So he dislikes Gayle so much. We can see Gayle’s hard work when Gayle tries to find the safest way to survive. She does her best not to be noticed and tries to bear her father’s cruelty.
Someday Gayle’s father has violent outbursts and things that are unpredictable happen. Gayle has been sexually abused by her father. Moreover her father often molests Gayle, although at other times her father may wait for days or even a couple of weeks before abusing Gayle but Gayle have some ways to forget that disgusting experience. Gayle tries to blank that disgusting moment from her mind after her father’s assault. Even though she feels shocked, sore, dirty, and disgusting, she tries to escape those feelings by consoling herself with her favorite doll, who is called Sally (Sanders 29).
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Gayle always thinks about Dora Black, the psychiatrist who specializes in the study of the impact of the killing of one parent by another on the children concerned. Gayle feels that she has an insight about what she feels and can help her. Dora Black knows the things that Gayle cannot explain to anyone. This woman can also give conclusion even in a few sentences of what Gayle is feeling. So Gayle decides to write a letter to her.
I decided to write to her. I had no idea whether she could see me, or help. But it was somewhere to start. In the letter I told her that she had been the only person who seemed to understand something about me, and I asked her if she would see me again (Sanders 258).
After some traumatic events which are experienced by Gayle, she feels desperate and very uncertain about the future. Then she thinks that she has to do something. Finally she works harder to write a letter to Dora Black. Here Gayle only wants to find a way to make things right for herself, and to create a better life and future. This can be seen through Gayle’s reaction above.
4.1.3 Optimistic
Gayle finally forces herself to study in order not to fail again. Gayle’s optimism is shown here where she wants to pass her exams to make a better future for herself.
For the next couple of years Gayle uses her energy and tries to find a way to make her better life. She still also plays sports, dances, and keeps her relationship with her friends. But the therapy with the psychiatrist is the most important thing in her life. After a long therapy, Gayle comes to the decision that she wants to pursue her education. She thinks that education is important.
I felt that education was a positive choice, and one I wouldn’t regret, I knew that I could have chosen to take drugs or alcohol as a way of blotting out the pain I’d felt. But I also knew those would be disaster routes and I wanted to make a different choice. I felt I couldn’t go wrong with education – it was something that I could rely on and that would be a good thing, no matter what else happened (Sanders 264).
In this case, Gayle has the optimism to take a positive choice by continuing her education. She promises to herself that she will not underestimate education. It is because she thinks that she will have a good thing in the future by studying seriously.
The characterizations above are used to support the next discussion. This is Gayle’s past traumatic experiences, Gayle’s post traumatic stress disorder, and of Gayle’s ways of coping with post traumatic stress disorder.
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that trauma is a severe physical injury or wound to the body caused by an external force, or a psychological shock having a lasting effect on mental life. It is normal for people who experience or witness it. Some of the experiences may be good or bad. Those experiences may cause someone to feels suddenly in danger, anxiety, fear, helplessness, or horror and also leave us terrified. Gayle experiences at least three traumatic experiences follows:
4.2.1 Seeing her father abuse her mother
At the beginning of the novel, it is stated that Gayle has experienced some of frightening events which have traumatized her. Some of the traumatic events are mainly caused by her father. Gayle’s earliest memories, from around the age of three or four, are hiding behind curtains and chairs while her father attacks her mother. It is impossible for Gayle to run to save or help her mother or even to save herself from her father (Sanders 24).
So the trauma begins when Gayle is at the age of three or four. Gayle will hide behind curtains and chairs while her father abuses her mother. She does it because if her father knows that she is watching, she will be the next victim of her father’s cruelty.
His cruelty and violence were not only physical. He liked to belittle and humiliate my mother, laughing loudly at her and calling her names, or telling her that she was useless. This verbal abuse affected her as much as the physical attacks did. It chipped away at any confidence she might have had, reducing her to a shadow of her former self (Sanders 15).
her father will give a warning to Gayle when her father does the assault. Gayle often sees when her father’s eyes turn red as well. But at other times there is no warning. So Gayle has to stay alert in order not to be attacked by her father too and it makes Gayle very numb.
Another day, Gayle and her family move from their old house to the grandmother’s house and Gayle is very happy to be there. Gayle’s grandmother is quite adventurous. She usually goes to take a trip. One day when Gayle’s brother and sister are out, Gayle and her grandmother are sitting at the kitchen table and talking together about the death of Gayle’s grandfather. While they are talking, suddenly Gayle’s father appears and abuses his wife.
Throughout Nan’s recollection of my grandfather’s death, my father was still beating my mother. Suddenly he drew his leg back and kicked my mother so hard on the shin that she screamed. I remember the twisting in my stomach and my head bursting with fear. I gritted my teeth, my body stiffened and my mind felt frozen in time. My grandmother and I watched as my mother tried to get up but fell, in agony. My father picked her up, walked past us and took her out into the garden, where he carried on shouting at her and hitting her (Sanders 56-57).
Here, Gayle cannot do anything. She can only watch her father’s cruelty. She is unable to help her mother because she is too afraid and fearful. This event will stay in Gayle’s mind.
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4.2.2 Being sexually abused by her father
There is another terrifying event when Gayle is four years old. Besides abusing her mother, her father also begins sexually abusing her and this horror filled event continues for the next eight years. Because of this action, Gayle feels terrified, shocked and bewildered. Even when Gayle tries to find ways of getting away, her father can catch Gayle. However, she cannot avoid her father because her father is tricky.
By this time there was another horror to contend with. When I was four my father had begun sexually abusing me – and he was to continue doing so for the next eight years. The first time it happened I was terrified, shocked, and bewildered. I didn’t understand what he was doing, but I knew it was very wrong
…
I did everything I could to avoid being alone with him, but he was far too big, strong, and, clever for me to be able to escape him (Sanders 28). The points above show that Gayle has experienced these terrifying events which make her traumatized. Those traumatic events will stay in Gayle’s life until there is support and help from others. This will have long lasting effects. Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (152) state that someone who has long – term PTSD has usually experienced a fearful traumatic event, for example when having experienced sexual abuse in childhood or witnessed a murder.
When Gayle was ten, her mother is in process of divorcing her father. She has to find some proof to be brought to the court in order to strengthen her desire to divorce. What her father has done to Gayle is one of the proofs which strengthen her testimony.
Around this time, when I was just ten, something happened which with hindsight, might well have been a significant factor in Mum’s decision to file for divorce. My father was still regularly sexually abusing me. I had never told anyone - it didn’t even occur to me to do so, as I was too frightened of the consequences. But one day, after another brutal assault, I went to the loo and saw the blood in my knickers. This hadn’t happened before and it shocked and frightened me (Sanders 79).
Gayle never tells anyone about her father’s disgusting activity. She only keeps silent because she is too frightened of the consequences that she will faced if she tells anyone she is frightened that her father will kill her mother if she manages to tell other people (Sanders 30). She does not know what to do, but later she realizes that she has to find a way of letting someone know.
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4.2.3 Seeing her father kill her mother
Finally the custody battle between Gayle’s parents has been won by Gayle’s mother. Gayle should be happy, but all she feels is a rising sense of panic. She believes that something awful is going to happen until the fearful moment comes. When her father is angry, his face is terrifying, his eyes are red and he looks possessed. This is a kind of signal for her mother to save herself and Gayle. Then her mother pulls Gayle out of the house so that both of them can run, but that is useless because her father is too strong while Gayle and her mother are too weak in facing father’s cruelty.
When Gayle and her mother meet the father at home, looking at her father’s face she knows that he is going to beat her mother because of the custody. It happens as her father finally manages to yank Gayle and her mother into the house by still holding on Gayle’s other arm. Then her father throws Gayle into the hall and she lands against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. She hits her head on the wall, but she feels no pain because the event is too scary to notice.
I knew that we were both going to be killed. I watched as my father grabbed Mum and began punching her head from both sides, using first one fist and then the other. I saw her face being slammed from side to side as he hit her. Then he began punching her all over the body, raining blows on her stomach, head, legs, and arms. She fell to the floor and he began kicking her, barely pausing between one vicious kick and the next. I sat crouched in the corner, watching, as my father dragged Mum by her hair out into the front garden, and she called out, ‘Gayle, please call the police!’ She managed to say it three times before he climbed on top of her and began strangling her (Sanders 116).
her father on top of her mother. There is blood on her mother’s clothes and lots of blood on the grass. Her mother’s eyes are rolling and at the moment Gayle’s mother screams in a high – pitched voice. It is a painful and haunting scream. Her
mother can only say and gasp two words “’You murderer”’ (117). The scream “’You murderer”’ are Gayle’s mother’s last words, and they have haunted Gayle since that day. After that Gayle sees that her father drags her mother into the house and grabs one of the nooses. Gayle’s mother looks heavy and limp. Then her father begins to hang her mother on the banisters.
He dragged her back into the house, past me, and grabbed one of the nooses. I don’t know if she was still conscious – she looked heavy and limp. He pulled her over to the stairs, put the rope around her neck and began tying the other end to the banisters (Sanders 117).
Here Gayle is only silent and paralyzed. She knows that she will be the next victim and so she begins to run in order not to die. She runs down the road to her friend’s house. Later, the two policemen arrive and one of them says that her mother has died on the way to hospital.
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4.3 Gayle’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (152) state that post traumatic stress disorder is a form of anxiety disorder triggered by a traumatic event and characterized by intrusive thoughts, intense psychological reactivity, and avoidance of the stimuli associated with trauma. If we have a traumatic experience and have troubles in getting back to our regular life and connecting with others, we may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Someone who is diagnosed with PTSD must have been in a situation in which he was afraid for his or her safety and for his or her life and also she or he must have experienced something that made her or him frightened and terrified. It is very common for the sufferer to have nightmares, feel fearful or numb, and also to find it difficult to stop thinking about what has happened. In the novel it is stated that Gayle undergoes all of those effects which can be seen from the symptoms that are analyzed as follows:
4.3.1 Flashbacks and nightmares
At this stage the sufferer will find theirselves re-experiencing the event again and again. Gayle’s post traumatic stress disorder begins when she has flashbacks and nightmares. Gayle has persistently re-experienced one or two things in some ways. Those are recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images and thoughts.
Here Gayle cannot forget her father’s face when he kills her mother and always remembers the scary scene over and over. So this is Gayle’s flashback of her traumatic event. When Gayle arrives at her grandmother’s house, she thinks she sees a cut-out image of her mother lying on the grass in their garden, but she is not sure whether she imagines it or not (Sanders 124). According to Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (152), the traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in one (or more) ways, for example recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions, recurrent distressing dreams of the event, acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (including a sense of relieving experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes.
Again, this is proof that Gayle has the re-collection of the way her mother has died by seeing a cut-out image of her mother. Although Gayle does not realize that she has re-collections, this is a kind of symptom of post traumatic stress
disorder.
Based on the analysis above, we can conclude that Gayle re-experiences the event again and again. According to the theory of Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (152) about post traumatic stress disorder, she also has some re-collections of the traumatic event.
4.3.2 Being on guard
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Sufferers know that in this condition the experience is life-threatening, both physically and psychologically. Here Gayle has the same experiences. Gayle feels anxious and finds it hard to sleep too. She becomes terrified and has nightmares. She also stays alert all the time. This is a type of symptom which helps us to recognize whether the sufferer undergoes post traumatic stress disorder or not. Gayle feels that:
I had never been a good sleeper, but now I had become terrified of the dark and had to keep the lights on at night. Even then I couldn’t sleep, and when I finally did I suffered appalling nightmares that left me trembling and wide awake for the rest of the night (Sanders 143).
After the traumatic events that she has experienced, Gayle has difficulty in sleeping. She cannot relax and becomes terrified. This is normal for the sufferers of PTSD.
The proof above shows that the traumatic events make Gayle unable to relax. She stays alert all the time because although her father is in prison she thinks that her father is still watching her and this really threatens her.
4.3.3 Avoidance and emotional numbing
For several months after she arrives at Beech House, a psychiatric unit, her nightmares increase more and more, because Gayle feels that.
I slept badly: my nightmares were almost constant. I ate very little and lost weight and although I spoke to the staff and other kids when I needed to, I was totally unable to talk about my mother’s death. I spent most of my time sitting alone and disconnected from those around me I and saw absolutely no one from my previous life. And my wish to die intensified to the point that I couldn’t bear to be alive any longer. (Sanders 169)
She does not want to eat and loses weight. She also speaks very little and spends most of her time sitting alone. Gayle feels desperate until she thinks of ending her life. Then Gayle finds it difficult to speak of what she feels or thinks. She is still paralyzed by fear and she gets too nervous so that her mouth dries up and the words just will not come out. She struggles to talk, but she cannot. So she decides to be silent and simply does what the adults tell her to do (Sanders 130). Ruzek in his article Coping with PTSD and Recommended Lifestyle Changes for PTSD Patients, states that by reducing contact with the outside world, a sufferer may avoid many situations that cause him or her to feel afraid, irritable, or angry. However, isolation will also cause major problems. It will result in loss of social friendships, and intimacy. It may produce further depression and fear.
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of Wilson, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (152) about post traumatic stress disorder, avoidance can be indicated by some ways, and one of the ways is by trying not to talk to another about the trauma. Another way is by disconnecting from the people who remind her of the trauma. Gayle uses both of these ways, she tries to avoid speaking to another and she does not talk about her mother’s death and she also disconnects from the people who remind her of the past traumatic experiences.
4.4 Gayle’s ways of coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Coping with PTSD symptoms usually is a sufferer’s challenge. This takes a long time and needs a gradual process, but it does not mean forgetting the traumatic experiences when remembering them. Hopefully, the sufferer is eventually able to cope with and manage the effects of trauma.
Ruzek in his article Coping with PTSD and Recommended Lifestyle Changes for PTSD Patients states that there are two actions in coping with PTSD. The first one is positive coping action. This can include seven ways. Those are learning about trauma and PTSD, talking to another person for support, talking to a doctor about trauma and PTSD, practicing relaxation methods, increasing positive distracting activities, calling a counselor for help, taking prescribed medications to tackle PTSD. Then the second action concerns negative coping actions. Negative coping actions can include four ways namely the use of alcohol and drugs, social isolation, anger, continuous avoidance.
for help and the second is practicing relaxation methods. While in negative coping actions, Gayle does two things. She solves her problems by using drugs and isolating herself from others.
4.4.1 Gayle’s positive coping actions
According to Ruzek in his article Coping with PTSD and Recommended Lifestyle Changes for PTSD Patients, the positive coping action will help to reduce anxiety and distressing reaction. This action also improves the situation which makes the sufferer more comfortable. Positive coping actions can include seven ways, but Gayle only does two of them as follows:
4.4.1.1 Calling a counselor for help
The social worker who takes care of Gayle sends Gayle to the psychiatrist that is called Dr. Dora Black. In a very calm manner, Dr. Dora Black asks some questions of Gayle. She asks about what Gayle feels after she has lost everything and with conviction Dr. Dora Black tells Gayle that she must have had a lot of nightmares and flashbacks (Sanders 211). At this moment, Gayle is unable to believe that apparently there is someone who knows what is going on in her. Then, after the consultation, Dr. Dora Black recommends Gayle to go to Dr. Hayter to have therapy. Then Gayle is accompanied by Dr. Dora Black to meet Dr. Hayter. Gayle feels happy because Dr. Hayter greets her warmly.
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At another time, Gayle feels that she has to do something and find way out to make a better and future life. So she decides to write a letter to Dr. Dora Black, the psychiatrist who specializes in the study of the impact of the killing of one parent by another on the children. Of course this is the first time for Gayle to do something to help herself.
Writing this letter was an important step for me. It was the first time I had done something active to help myself. At this point in my life nobody was going to help me if I didn’t ask for help. I was now young adult, and no longer the responsibility of social services or anyone else. I had to begin to make a life for myself, and the letter to Dora Black was an acknowledgement that I wanted to do this (Sanders 258).
After Dr. Dora Black responds to Gayle’s letter, she plans an appointment to meet Gayle. Then, Gayle meets Dr. Dora Black and begins to talk about her problems, for example: Gayle’s suicide attempts, depression, inability to concentrate, and sense of rejection. At the end of the talking session, Dr. Dora Black says that Gayle has to meet her colleague who is called Stuart, one of the best psychiatrists in the field of post traumatic stress (Sanders 260). Then, Gayle starts her therapy sessions with Stuart. Seeing Stuart is a tur
