THE REPRESENTATION OF INNOCENCE AND ITS LOSS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LOVE IN BAO NINH’S THE SORROW OF WAR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35842/jolali.v3i2.50Kata Kunci:
Love and Loss, Postwar Narratives, Psychoanalytic, The Sorrow of War, Trauma and MemoryAbstrak
Bảo Ninh’s The Sorrow of War offers a haunting portrayal of the emotional and psychological aftermath of the Vietnam War through the central themes of love, loss, and trauma. This study examines how the protagonist, Kien, navigates his fractured identity in the aftermath of conflict, with particular emphasis on his relationship with Phuong and his recurring memories of the battlefield. Drawing on Linda B. Sherby’s psychoanalytic framework, which views love as essential to meaningful life and loss as inevitable yet integrative, the research interprets how war destabilizes emotional continuity and ruptures relational bonds. Through close textual analysis and thematic interpretation, the novel is revealed to depict love as both redemptive and destructive—offering fleeting solace while also intensifying grief. Kien’s fragmented recollections and emotional disconnection illustrate the lingering grip of unprocessed mourning. The study also analyzes how the novel’s nonlinear structure reflects the disorienting nature of trauma and memory, reinforcing Sherby’s notion that healing requires confronting and carrying loss. Ultimately, The Sorrow of War transcends national history, presenting a universal reflection on how war transforms love into longing, and loss into an enduring, unresolved presence within the self. This research underscores the novel’s relevance as a postwar narrative of emotional survival.
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