Transgenerational War Trauma - Children

So, here are some thoughts on that other essay topic that we discussed in class. You could start with a discussion of Fugitive Pieces and how that novel shows that war, or the effects of war, don't stop with those who have been directly involved in it. The character of Ben, in particular, reveals how the legacy of war continues on into future generations. It is especially through his recounting of childhood memories that we see this, as he is the child of Holocaust survivors. There are certain characteristics that he shares with his (or as a result of) his parents' experiences, as well as Jakob's experiences during the war. And Jakob's memories, of course, are also childhood memories. For example, usually childhood memories are tinged with nostalgia for the past. But this isn't the case with either of these characters. There are a few, isolated, memories that Jakob can resurrect that might be described as nostalgic (memories of Bella playing the paino, for instance) but there are not many. It's as if the music has stopped with her death.

But it's not just the children of Holocaust survivors that are impacted by war history. While the children of Holocaust survivors may have specific legacies, children, in general, whose parents have been damaged by the war also suffer. We see this in Matt Pearson's son, who rejects his father, runs away from home, and so on - and Matt can't really cope with his family in the ways that he perhaps should. In fact, it is interesting that, in some ways he is closer to Charlie than his own son. What is that all about? And what are the effects of this on the children? We get much of the story of Broken Ground through a young person's eyes - and it seems that the war isn't over for any of them.

One of the questions that you could ask yourself is when you think that the effects of war end, and how it constructs history through the generations. Think about the specificity of Ben's experiences - can they be generalized to Charlie and Tanner, or are they quite different? How? Can we generalize to some extent, and then we have to focus on the differences? Or - ?

You could approach this partly in terms of beginnings, middles, and endings. When does a war really begin? End?

Just some thoughts that you can feel free to use in your writing.