| Critical trauma theory in literature posits that trauma is both unremembered and unspoken, in line with Freudian hypotheses. This thesis counters, instead arguing that trauma is both remembered and spoken by the survivor, but is not socially permitted to be spoken, which silences survivors. The discrepancy between the Freudian idea of trauma and the experience of trauma is illustrated by conducting a comparative analysis of the Freudian-influenced Light in August to the Traumatic Realist Survival in Auschwitz. This examination reveals that even the deepest traumas are both remembered and spoken, though rarely granted the social permission to be heard. Instead, silencing trauma to avoid listener discomfort overwhelmingly silences the experience of the already marginalized. |