Trauma and (Dys) Functional Family Bonds in Terry McMillan's A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Abstract

: The dynamics of narrating dysfunctionality balances the writer’s compelling task of divulging despondencies and short-comings of individuals in the society in discharging certain social responsibilities. This paper interprets Terry McMillan’s A Day Late and a Dollar Short as an exploration of diverse and enduring problems within African American families; the internal crisis among individuals and the therapeutic role of mothers in finding a balance rhythm in a world of turbulence. The paper interrogates manifestations of dysfunction as distinct relics of racist traumatic experiences; its complexities and the perspectives that articulate significantly in relationships. Against the theoretical backdrop of psychoanalysis and its relatively new area of trauma studies, this paper effectively connects Black female writing in America to ingrained experiences of pain and trauma through characterization and authorial dictum. The paper concludes that McMillan’s text exhibit a leaning towards a literary and flexible reassessment of individual and social constructions of personality while re-ordering the female narrative.