INDIRECT ACTUALIZATION OF THE CONCEPT TRAUMA IN ELIZABETH STROUT'S NOVEL «OLIVE KITTERIDGE»

Abstract

The article explores the lexico-semantic means of actualizing the concept of TRAUMA in Elizabeth Strout’s novel Olive Kitteridge. The material for the analysis includes 13 chapters of the literary text that reflect the characters’ psycho-emotional and physical conditions, their reactions to traumatic events, as well as the long-term consequences of psychological shocks. The purpose of the study is to identify linguistic devices that function as verbal markers of traumatic experience and reflect the complex inner dynamics of the characters. Particular attention is paid to the physical manifestations of the body that represent mental disorders, somatic symptoms, and both emotional and physical reactions. Such lexical units not only indirectly describe the characters’ psycho-emotional state but also serve as a basis for forming a cognitive image of a traumatized individual. States of anxiety, fear, exhaustion, and disorientation are conveyed through physical symptoms such as her skin broken out in hives, her heart thumped so hard, he rubbed his hand over his thigh, she flushed deeply, her mouth had gone dry, she had hardly slept and felt shaky. Emotional tension is expressed through body posture, facial expressions, reactions of the eyes and hands, breathing, and sensations in the chest, head, and stomach: tears swelled in her eyes, he leaned his head against the wall, her eyesight didn’t seem right, a pinprick of heat started up in her stomach.Through the detailed depiction of behavioral and physiological reactions, Elizabeth Strout reveals the depth of trauma’s impact on the body as a space of suffering representation. This kind of bodily actualization intensifies the emotional effect of the literary text and fosters a deeper immersion into the psychological reality of the characters. Specific expressions related to movements, breathing, heartbeat, facial touches, altered posture, or sensations of heat in the stomach act as codes that signal inner crisis. As a result, indirect semantic actualizations in the novel function as a tool for visualizing the invisible – the language of psychological pain. Thus, the body becomes the main linguistic mediator between the character’s experience and the reader, capturing the transformations caused by various forms of trauma.