Setiawanta, Luna Puti Aulia (2026) TRAUMA AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE RESPONSES EXPERIENCED BY ROBIN SWIFT IN R.F. KUANG'S BABEL, OR THE NECESSITY OF VIOLENCE (2022). Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Diponegoro: Fakultas Ilmu Budaya.

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Abstract

This research analyzes the self-destruction of the main character, Robin Swift, in the novel Babel, or The Necessity of Violence (2022) by R.F. Kuang. The study aims to explain how the trauma of colonization results in Robin Swift’s self-destruction through repetition, grief, repression, and identity conflicts. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method, with data in the form of narratives, dialogues, and the actions of characters in the novel. The results show that Robin’s trauma develops through colonial power relations, outsider identity, moral conflict, and repeated experiences of loss. Drawing on Cathy Caruth’s Psychological Trauma Theory in her book Unclaimed Experience (1996), these experiences remain unprocessed, continues to return through guilt, denial, and psychological fragmentation, which slowly erodes Robin’s ability to defend himself. The study also finds that Robin’s destructive actions are not only related to political resistance but also develop from the accumulation of colonial trauma and psychological exhaustion that persist throughout his life.

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