Manifestations of trauma in Mónica Ojeda’s Mandíbula

Abstract

This article analyzes the manifestations of trauma in the novel Mandíbula (2018) by Ecuadorian writer Mónica Ojeda, using Literary Trauma Theory as a theoretical framework. It examines how the novel moves beyond the traditional dichotomy of narrating or silencing traumatic events, proposing a broader spectrum of trauma types and manifestations. Through the voices of its characters, Mandíbula reveals the dynamics between memory, language, body, and mind in coping with and assimilating traumatic experiences. Additionally, it explores the role of violence and fear as central threads of the narrative, uncovering how individual and collective trauma shape conflictual and violent familial relationships. Ultimately, the analysis highlights that the literary representations of psychological trauma in Mandíbula are variable, symbolically rich, and contradictory, inviting a reevaluation and expansion of critical approaches to trauma in contemporary Latin American literature.