The Lingering Impacts of Defense Mechanisms on the Human Psyche in Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing

Memory serves as the bridge linking the past, present, and future, weaving a continuous thread through time. Remarkably, the past holds undeniable significance for humans. Various experiences, encompassing both trauma and negative encounters, resulted from the past and frequently molded human behavior. Trauma can leave lasting emotional scars, influencing how people perceive and interact with the world around them. As a result, individuals often experience insecurities and anxieties, leading to potential changes in their behavior. This aspect is represented in Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing. This paper aims to reveal the cause of Leonie's trauma and how it affects her personality. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the impact of unpleasant experiences due to racial discrimination and the loss of a loved one because of systemic violence on an individual's behavior. It further sheds light on the uses of coping mechanisms such as denial and displacement by the character Leonie through the lens of psychoanalytical theory. It also intends to examine the impact of Leonie's defense mechanisms on her personality and explore the adverse effects they have on her surroundings.