Politics of Memory in Jones' Corregidora

Abstract

Implementating the theoretical modality of psychological trauma, the present research is the analysis of the novel Correigdora from the viewpoint of how the past affects the psyche of the individuals and their daily activities. Ursa, the protagonist of the novel as well as the representative of the feminine gender, is the victim of the past memory of being underdogged and manipulated by the males. The past not only haunts Ursa's present but also affects her present daily activities. The analysis and interpretation of the profound psychological effects this family edict has on Ursa elicit an examination of the psychological symptoms of trauma in the course of the analysis of the novel from the perspective of psychological trauma. Corregidora reveals the symptoms and structure of traumatic experience and its aftermath, and more significantly, it lays bare Ursa’s confrontation with and integration of this inheritance with her present self.