Analysis of Psychic Trauma in Don Delillo's Falling Man

This paper analyzes the psychological trauma and mental breakdown of the victims of the attacks, focusing on Keith Neudecker. Don Delillo’s Falling Man portrays the emotional void and frustration that victims of the 9/11 attacks experienced after the event. Keith Neudecker, the protagonist of the novel, is a survivor of the attacks as he was working as a lawyer in the North Tower when the hijacked passenger plane hit. In the novel, DeLillo employs fragmentation and disorientation in the plot and form of the novel to mimic the event of 9/11 and the manifestation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) in trauma victims. Therefore, the discussion in this paper reveals that individual experience of the trauma of the tragedy differs from one person to another. However, while other characters go through their mourning successfully, Keith Neudecker is ceaselessly haunted by his traumatic memory. After all, this paper suggests that though he may have had some temporary relief and control by suppressing grief, Keith Neudecker never overcame the traumatic experience. (Paichai University)