Inherited Family Trauma Model and Its Application in Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing

Abstract

Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing is a polyvocal narrative that touches on death, institutional racism and multi-generational trauma. The novel explores the trials and tribulations of a broken Mississippi family through the perspective of a twelve year old boy named Jojo, his mother Leonie, and a ghost by the name of Richie. Inherited family trauma is at the forefront of this novel as it unveils the effects of slavery and how stress factors and behavioral responses translate across generations.