The Language of Suffering: A Study of Trauma Narratives in Zoulfa Katouh's Novel As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow

Abstract

This study examines how trauma is communicated through the language of acting out and working through in Zoulfa Katouh’s novel, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (2022). While existing literature emphasizes clinical PTSD symptoms or broader socio-political displacement, a critical gap remains regarding how trauma is communicated through the choice of words. To address this issue, this qualitative descriptive study applies Dominick LaCapra’s theoretical framework of acting out and working through to analyze the protagonist’s psychological transformations. The primary data consist of internal monologues, dialogues, and textual descriptions extracted through close reading. The findings reveal that the language of acting out is characterized by repetitive loops, somatic metaphors of blood contamination, and the sensory personification of fear as Khawf. Conversely, the language of working through manifests through objective environmental observation, verbal narrative confrontation, and symbolic metaphors of resilience, demonstrating a transition from traumatic paralysis to ethical agency.