Generational Trauma on Motherhood in Ashley Audrain's Novel The Push (2021)

Authors

  • Filza Aulia State University of Padang image/svg+xml Author
  • Leni Marlina Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24036/yjayy514

Keywords:

generational trauma, motherhood, feminist literary theory, trauma studies, The Push

Abstract

Ashley Audrain's novel, "The Push" (2021), offers a chilling yet engaging representation of motherhood that passes trauma across generations. In this work, a qualitative assessment of literary elements will highlight the representation of trauma across iterations for the main character in her role as a mother and her ways to cope with trauma inherited within her family. With feminist theory in literature and trauma studies, a thorough analysis of plot, setting, conflict, and characterization will illustrate how trauma transcends generations of women in the family. "The Push" challenges the perspective on motherhood by how the main character deals with generational trauma in her family, using the methods mentioned in the results.

References

Audrain, A. (2021). The Push. New York, NY: Pamela Dorman Books. Caruth, C. (1996). Unclaimed experience: Trauma, narrative, and history.

Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to political terror. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Hirsch, M. (2008). The generation of postmemory. Poetics Today, 29(1), 103–

128. https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-2007-019

Kaplan, E. A. (2005). Trauma culture: The politics of terror and loss in media and literature. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Rich, A. (1976). Of woman born: Motherhood as experience and institution. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Published

16.07.2026

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Generational Trauma on Motherhood in Ashley Audrain’s Novel The Push (2021). (2026). English Language and Literature (JELL), 15(1). https://doi.org/10.24036/yjayy514

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