Representation of Female Trauma in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun

Abstract

While trauma theory has significantly shaped contemporary literary studies, its application to African women’s war narratives remains underexplored. This paper addresses this critical gap by examining the representation of female trauma in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun through an innovative synthesis of trauma theory and postcolonial feminist perspectives. Moving beyond conventional Eurocentric trauma models that privilege individual psychological responses, the analysis demonstrates how Adichie’s novel articulates a distinctly African feminist understanding of trauma that intertwines personal suffering with collective historical memory. By focusing on narrative strategies of fragmentation, embodied testimony, and strategic silence, the paper reveals how Adichie captures both the psychological devastation of the Nigeria-Biafra War on women and their resilient resistance to complete erasure. The study ultimately argues that Half of a Yellow Sun expands the boundaries of trauma literature by centring on African women’s experiences while challenging Western paradigms of trauma representation.