Date of Award
8-8-2017
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Scott Heath
Second Advisor
Tanya Caldwell
Third Advisor
Jay Rajiva
Abstract
This thesis broadly explores river imagery, which undergirds narrative, plot, and character trajectory in Melvin Dixon’s Trouble the Water. In the novel, the Pee Dee River, with its multi-directional flow, reflects the personal journey of the protagonist, Jordan Henry, and figures as a spatialized metaphor by which time and space are organized and articulated. Additionally, this thesis identifies correlations between river imagery and articulations of trauma and trauma recovery in the novel. Ultimately, this thesis argues that via Jordan’s simultaneous geographical and psychological, literal and symbolic journey, the novel offers an African-centered spiritual framework for moving through and healing from trauma.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/10462266
Recommended Citation
Freeman, Keith D. Jr., ""The River's for Everybody": The River Chronotope and Trauma Healing in Melvin Dixon's Trouble the Water." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2017.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/10462266