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Intergenerational Trauma In The Break By Katherena Vermette

2075 Words9 Pages

Ms. Kralj ENG3UI-03 30 January 2023 Final Summative Essay As the sun sets on the streets of North End, Winnipeg, a community is left to grapple with the aftermath of a devastating event that shatters the lives of those involved. In “The Break,” author Katherena Vermette masterfully explores the impact of intergenerational trauma on a family and community by looking at those directly affected. After Emily, one of the younger members of the family gets brutally assaulted, the family comes together and confronts their shared pain. Through the novel’s intricate web of characters and their interconnected stories, Vermette paints a poignant and powerful picture of the resilience and strength of those who have been broken but refuse to be broken further. …show more content…

This is demonstrated through the characters who struggle with unresolved trauma, precisely because they lack the support and emotional connection provided by familial relationships. These characters serve as a contrast to those who are able to overcome their trauma through the support of family members, further emphasizing the importance of familial connections in the healing process. Stella, the first character introduced in the story, struggles with trauma following the death of her mother. Quotes from the text reveal that she appears "pretty rough, like depressed, or postpartum" (Vermette 246), indicating that her mother's death is still fresh and causing her pain. This is attributed to her lack of connection with her family members, as she admits that “It has been months since she's seen her family” (Vermette 87). This serves as an example of how a lack of familial ties can prevent an individual from overcoming intergenerational trauma. The relationship between Phoenix and her mother Elsie is portrayed as distant and estranged. This is exemplified in a scene where Phoenix is going to prison and Elsie attempts to reach out to her, but she rejects the gesture by moving away and refusing to touch her mother. Phoenix also expressed disdain for her mother's weakness, “she does not want to look at her, does not want to see Elsie groveling in her Elsie way, being weak. She does not want to feel sorry for her, or feel anything for her” (Vermette 323). Finally, Phoenix has trouble recalling the last time she met her mother “Phoenix tries to remember the last time she saw her mother. A year, no, fourteen months ago” (Vermette 314). These examples demonstrate the lack of a strong familial bond between Phoenix and Elsie, highlighting the impact of intergenerational trauma on the characters' relationships. It also becomes

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