WAR THROUGH INNOCENT EYES: VERBALISING CHILDHOOD TRAUMA IN BALLARD, ZUSAK AND BOYNE.

Abstract

This paper explores how childhood trauma is portrayed in war literature, with particular attention to J.G. Ballard's Empire of the Sun (1984), Markus Zusak's The Book Thief (2005) and John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006). In order to highlight the contrast between innocence and the terrible reality of war, the paper will examine how children, as protagonists, understand and express experiences of war, displacement, and loss. The study examines narrative strategies that illustrate the psychological effects of war on developing brains using a qualitative literary analysis based on trauma theory (Cathy Caruth, Dori Laub) and psychoanalytic viewpoints on memory and suppression. Narrative voice, silence, and perspective all of which serve as tools for conveying pain that would otherwise be inexpressible are given particular focus. The results show that the authors employ child narrators to create personal tales of suffering and resilience while also challenging traditional depictions of conflict and highlighting sensitivity and moral awareness. The study finds that the child's perspective highlights the long-lasting effects of war on memory, identity, and emotional development by transforming collective historical trauma into a very personal and emotionally evocative tale.