COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND SURVIVAL OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN LAN CAO’S MONKEY BRIDGE AND THE LOTUS AND THE STORM
COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND SURVIVAL OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN LAN CAO’S MONKEY BRIDGE AND THE LOTUS AND THE STORM

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the representations of Vietnam War traumaand the paths taken by the Vietnamese immigrants in the US at the collectivelevel to heal their wounds in Lan Cao’s Monkey Bridge and The Lotusand the Storm. Through the analysis of these literary works, the study intendsto contribute to the efforts in the field of trauma studies that lay emphasison the experiences of war survivors who seek refuge in Western nations.In both of Cao’s novels, although the trauma of the Vietnamese in the USis mostly related to their experiences of the war in their homeland, intoleranceto the Vietnamese presence in the US, and thus, their marginalizationby Americans, impedes the self-healing efforts of the Vietnamese. Despitethe challenges they face in their homeland, on their journey to the USand in the US, the Vietnamese do not prefer a life of passivity; instead, theyseek to heal their wounds in every possible way.

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