RACE-BASED TRAUMA IN ALICE WALKER’S THE THIRD LIFE OF GRANGE COPELAND

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Racial and ethnic minorities face distressing experiences due to theirrace. The literary researchers began to coin to investigate ‘race-based trauma’ tofathom out how the race affects the social, emotional, and psychological well-beingof racial groups. These researchers were pointing out race as a leading factorfor experiencing trauma among racial and ethnic groups. Black Americans, as racialminorities, are exposed to race-related problems; therefore, they are likely tosuffer from race-based trauma. Alice Walker’s The Third Life of Grange Copelandis an embodiment of how race brings about emotional stress, fear, and trauma inthe Black society. Walker, through the portrayal of the Copeland family, depictscircles of repression, degradation, and poverty. In the story, Grange and his family,as the microcosm of the black society, are depicted as powerless, oppressed,and traumatized. Walker exposes that the life of the Copeland family is devoidof any rights and values, as they do not belong to the white hegemonic society.Nonetheless, Walker reveals the healing process and metamorphosis journey ofthe characters. This article aims to explore the role of race in relation to trauma inAlice Walker’s The Third Life of Grange Copeland. Moreover, the article unearthsthe characters’ healing process from the trauma.