Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Yellow Birds: A Case-Study in the Light of Psychoanalytical Theories

Abstract

This study is a case study of post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by war. It digs into the unconscious area of the soldiers’ minds and gives the findings according to psychoanalytical Theories. Though this study tackles characters in a novel which might be considered as fictional, these characters are sketched from real life as the soldier is an old veteran who has been fighting in the Iraqi war. The author, Kevin Powers depicts not only his sufferings in and after war, but he sheds light on the sufferings of his colleagues. The hero is diagnosed with PTSD upon his arrival to his homeland. The story is that of the soldier who has witnessed the horrors of wars and suffers terribly from it; he is the one who has felt the agony of grief and loss after witnessing the death and suicide of his friends due to melancholy. The psychoanalytical theories help elaborate on post-traumatic symptoms he suffers from. The protagonist is the mouthpiece of the writer who realizes the catastrophic aftermaths of war on both soldiers and civilians, psychologically speaking. The novel reveals the humanitarian side of the soldier who is forced to kill and make the audience sympathize with him.