The Infliction Of Divorce-Related Abuse

Child abuse is one of the most horrifying, debilitating, and scarring forms of torture to ever exist. Subjecting innocent children to these cruel acts of horror is truly outrageous and immoral and would be best eradicated. However, child abuse is appallingly common in today’s society and most people are preoccupied with the idea of the act itself, overlooking the other chilling aspects of it. In reality, although the mistreatment itself is quite frightening to a child, it is crucially important to note how severely it can affect a child’s future. It is evident that the adverse effects of different child abuses, such as physical, religious and divorce abuse, directly influence the actions and emotions of characters in Neal Shusterman’s Unwind

The child then becomes inadvertently trapped in the middle of the fiery feud between the parents, forcing the strain of the relationship directly onto the child’s shoulders. They are used as a sort of stepping stone to heighten to animosity between the dueling parents, especially in a custody battle.. The weight of the conflict being inflicted upon them can contribute to deleterious effects on children, which include, but are not limited to, anxiety, depression and the manifestation of physical sickness (2). In reality, divorce has the most serious effects on children involved but their issues are most commonly neglected (“How” 1). Due to parents consistently believing that their actions are always justified, they shrug off any of their child’s problems as their own doing (Direnfield 3). It is important to note that no two child’s personalities are affected the same as the severity of the harmful actions of the parents directly correlate to a child’s trauma (“How” 1). In Unwholly, the sequel to Unwind, divorce-related abuse is illustrated through the behavior of a character named Hayden, whose parents partook in an intense custody battle over him. Due to the pair’s

Religious abuse is most commonly perpetrated inadvertently by sincere and dutiful followers of a religion (Nicloy 1). The perpetrator is so fixated upon their own connection with God that they completely overlook the possible harm they are inflicting upon the child and believe that their actions are always righteous due to their supposed holiness (2). However, this form of abuse, whether intentional or not, plays on the conscience of the victim by binding a certain act or emotion to the will of God. Oftentimes, this abuse is not clearly evident, being shrouded in many deceptive layers, making victims even more susceptible (Monroe 1). Unfortunately, this form of abuse disturbs children in a deep and often irreversible manner (Oakley 2). An initial state of perplexion over God rapidly morphs into an intense questioning of faith (3), which can contribute to severe detriment in their character. This omnipresent disdain can reflect into trust issues and greatly impact further decisions in life. With such an intense betrayal, it can be difficult for the victim to maintain their religious lifestyle and depression and anxiety can become prevalent (2). In Unwind, Lev’s parents had sent him to be tithed - or unwound as servitude to God (Shusterman 31). However, once Lev is forcefully separated from his duty to God, he feels wholly and inexplicably lost (81). At one grave point in his life,