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AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, Volume 5, Number 2. May   2021                                          Pp. 104 -114

Embodied Oppression and Psychological Trauma: The Subjugation of O-lan’s in Pearl Buck’s Novel the Good Earth

 Department of English,  College of Education for Women
University of Baghdad

Abstract:

The present paper is qualitative; it illustrates the sense of oppression, negligence, and marginalization; Chinese women suffer from in their society. There, women are bound to doing housework and rearing children; they are a mere tool to meet their husbands’ pleasures and find concubines when needed. Accordingly, the study examines the sources , and types of psychological trauma experienced by the character O-lan, and later by the oppressors, her husband and his new wife, Wang Lung , in Buck’s novel The Good Earth. To meet the objective of the study, Robinson, Smith, & Segal’s (2020) types of trauma will be adopted in the analysis. Such a study help know more about the traditions and values of Chinese society, the role of women there. It further reflects the negative societal consequence s of abusing and humiliating women, and the curse men will gain due to their unjust treatment of their wives. The psychological trauma of O-lan is highly indicated by her husband’s speech and behavior. He constantly belittles her role a wife, neglecting her emotions. She keeps her agony and depression till she collapsed.

Cite as:

Hussein, A. H.(2021). Embodied Oppression and Psychological Trauma: The Subjugation of O-lan’s in Pearl Buck’s Novel the Good Earth. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies 5 (2) 104 -114.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol5no2.8

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Hanan Abbas Hussein is an Instructor of literature at the University of Baghdad. She got her Master from the University of Baghdad in 2014. She is teaching Introduction to literature at the University of Baghdad/ Education for Women. She has participated in different workshops and symposiums in Iraq and published some articles in Journals. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3057-350X