The psychological impact of sexual harassment in laurie anderson's speak

Abstract EN

The statistics of sexual assault in the U.

S are alarming.

Fiction writers in The U.

S have represented victims and have highlighted the psychological repercussions of such assault; one of these authors is the American author Laurie Halse Anderson(1961--).

The aim of this research paper is to depict the psychological impact of sexual harassment on young adult girls with reference to Speak (1999) written by Laurie Halse Anderson.

The research paper focuses on the aftermath of sexual harassment on young adult girls, who are usually traumatized.

The traumatized suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is manifested through different symptoms such as: silence, disconnection, losing trust.

Besides PTSD, methods of recovery represented in the novel are analyzed.

The analysis draws on trauma theory with reference to Judith Herman's book Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.