From Victim to Perpetrator: A Study of Robin’s Trauma in Babel

Abstract

The novel Babel: Or, The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution has garnered significant acclaim since its publication, praised for its intricate exploration of colonialism, language, and identity. This paper employs postcolonial trauma theory, with a particular focus on Frantz Fanon’s research on the psychological effects of colonialism, as the theoretical framework to analyze the text. The study zeroes in on the character Robin, examining the trauma symptoms associated with his fractured identity and psychological struggles within the colonial context depicted in the novel. The analysis begins by elucidating the various manifestations of Robin’s trauma, followed by an in-depth exploration of the causes rooted in the systemic discrimination imposed by colonizers, the emotional scars from family-related traumas, and the compounded grief from the successive deaths of those close to him. The paper reveals that Robin’s trauma, rather than being alleviated through acts of resistance, becomes increasingly entrenched, culminating in his tragic demise. This exploration not only underscores the destructive impact of colonial oppression on individual identity but also contributes to the broader discourse on postcolonial trauma in literature.