The Power of Language in and Following Moments of Trauma: An Analysis of A Stolen Life

Abstract

This paper examines the memoir of Jaycee Dugard, a woman who was kidnapped as a child and kept as a sexual slave for much of her life. Her work demonstrates how language is blocked in times of trauma but also how writing is an essential tool for victims to use to sort through their experiences. This paper also looks at the ways in which her captor kept her under his control through physical and verbal threat to show how language can help keep someone imprisoned. By looking more closely at stories like Jaycee’s, people can better understand the experience of the victim and the tactics of the abuser, and people can more effectively help victims of sexual slavery and abuse.