Ruly Indra Darmawan
English Literature, Universitas Negeri Semarang

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Repressed Memories as a Coping Mechanism: The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse Growth in The Perks of Being a Wallflower Beth Icalavida Unggul Dalih; Ruly Indra Darmawan
IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026): IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Lite
Publisher : Universitas Islam Negeri Palopo

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v14i1.10170

Abstract

This article explores the repressed memories as a coping mechanism in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, focusing on how the trauma of childhood sexual abuse impacts the victim’s psychological growth. Through using the Lacanian’s lens of the Real, the Symbolic, and the Imaginary (RSI), this research analyses how the trauma that is pushed into the Real, only resurface through behavioral triggers. The main character in this book, Charlie, as a subject represents a teenager whose a victim of childhood sexual abuse by his Aunt trying to repress his trauma by making a good idealize and reading book as his coping mechanism due to prevent psychic collapse. By analyzing Charlie’s mental breakdown, the study discovers that the return of Charlie’s hidden trauma is the key to his recovery psychology and  personal growth. The transition from being an observer into a person who feels whole, allowing him to achieve self-acceptance and sense of inner peace through friendship.
Trauma and Character Transformation in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Youvelka Shahia Ridha; Ruly Indra Darmawan
IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026): IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Lite
Publisher : Universitas Islam Negeri Palopo

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v14i1.10219

Abstract

This study examines the emotional trauma and psychological transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol through Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic framework, focusing on the Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real orders. The study aims to identify the experiences underlying Scrooge’s trauma and to analyze how his encounters with the three ghosts facilitate his process of self-healing and transformation. Employing a qualitative descriptive method, this research uses close reading and textual analysis of selected excerpts from the novel. The findings reveal that Scrooge’s trauma stems from cumulative experiences of emotional neglect, loss, and isolation, which disrupt his identity formation and result in emotional detachment, distorted values, and social alienation. These conditions are reflected across Lacan’s three orders: fragmented self-perception in the Imaginary, disconnection from social structures in the Symbolic, and unresolved emotional conflict in the Real. Furthermore, the encounters with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to function as a structured psychological process that enables Scrooge to confront, reinterpret, and integrate his traumatic experiences. This process leads to increased self-awareness, emotional growth, and identity reconstruction, ultimately transforming him into a more compassionate individual. The study highlights that trauma not only shapes identity but can also be restructured through confrontation and symbolic reintegration, demonstrating the relevance of Lacanian theory in literary analysis.