Trauma Recovery in Guzel Yakhina’s Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes

Abstract

Trauma is often a byproduct of war, exile, and displacement. Sometimes, it becomes a source for individuals to gain resilience and rebuild their identity. Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes (2015) by Guzel Yakhina narrates the journey of a female protagonist, Zuleikha, who faces abuse, exile, and loss, resulting in deep-rooted trauma. This study examines her journey of recovery and healing using Herman’s (1992) trauma theory. In her work Trauma and Recovery (1992), Herman describes the aftermath of traumatic events on a person’s psyche and the process of healing. Herman (1992) expands the concept of recovery into three stages: safety, mourning, and reconnecting with life. This work utilises these ideas to study the reconstruction of Zuleikha’s identity after exile and loss. The analysis shows how domestic violence infuses trauma in her. Displacement to a new land initiates the process of recovery. She forms relationships to gain security, reflects and narrates her past life for the second stage. For the final stage, she makes new bonds, co-exists and works for a community, finds a hobby and a job, and lets her son go for a better future. These aspects highlight her emotional and mental growth and identity reconstruction, leading to recovery from trauma.