Comfort Woman, written by Nora Ojka Keller, tells the fictional story of two women, a mother and a daughter, linked by their genetics and divided by their different cultures and experiences . Keller explores not only the past experiences of her mother Akiko, a World War II Korean refugee forced to work in an internment camp as a "comfort woman" for Japanese soldiers, but also the harmful psychological effects - including the onset of this which appears to be post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – what these experiences have on Akiko and, as a result, how they affect her inability to form healthy relationships later in life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Akiko exhibits many symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, a debilitating anxiety disorder caused by “exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened” (NIMH 1 ) The main symptoms of PTSD include dissociative symptoms, emotional numbness, reliving the terrifying experience over and over, and the inability to form healthy relationships after the experience (NIMH 1). by Akiko at some point in the novel Although a variety of events can cause PTSD, there is sufficient research showing that rape, sexual assault, or sexual assault is a large risk factor in women (Tuft). 1) As a comfort woman, Akiko endured intense sexual abuse and throughout the book she reveals, little by little, disturbing anecdotes about her experiences. For example, Akiko describes an abortion she had while in the camp. The doctor who performed the operation offered her to “choose between rat poison and the stick” to remove the fetus. Akiko painfully recounts that while the doctor was "digging and perforating" her uterus - with her mouth and hands tied - he talked about women, comparing them to female rats who are controlled by male rats and, regardless of the circumstances, " they will always respond sexually to him." " (Keller 22). The doctor then, “squeezed the nipples, pinching them until they tightened” and declared, “See?” (Keller 22) Terrifying for Akiko, not only physically, but undoubtedly mentally as well. Perhaps the strongest symptoms of PTSD that have affected Akiko are those considered "dissociative symptoms" - or the ability to block out certain memories. , slipping into "trance" or experiencing emotional numbness. Akiko displays this type of dissociative behavior several times in the novel. For example, she displays emotional numbness at the beginning of the novel, when she explains that she was "already dead" when her first was born. child (Keller 15). She talks about the fact that the Japanese soldiers had not only left her insides "too bruised and battered, impossible to heal completely", but had also taken her soul (Keller 15). "trances" which are only part of the dissociative symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, but also show similarities to the delusions present in many schizophrenics. Those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are, in fact, prone to developing symptoms of schizophrenia mild, such as delusions and hallucinations (Braakman 16). In one study, the hallucinations exhibited by PTSD subjects were mostly related to the traumatic event they had suffered, for example, "voices of dead friends crying for help" and the delusions were mostly "paranoid/ persecutors" (Braakman 18). Akiko displays delusional behavior throughout the novel. For example, Akiko is convinced that she is capable ofcommunicate with the dead. When Akiko enters a “trance,” she truly believes she is communicating with the dead (Keller 46). Akiko names each spirit she communicates with and describes each as having their own unique personality and appearance. A typical "trance" would involve Akiko attempting to summon the spirit calling Saja the Herald of Death and, according to Beccah, Akiko "danced, holding raw meat in her arms - chicken, or pig's feet, or pig's head - calling ' Saja, Saja'in a sing-song voice." Even when Beccah tried to stop her, Akiko continued to “waltz” with the pig's head and ignore her (Keller 47). Akiko also experienced paranoid delusions. Akiko is extremely paranoid about Beccah and the red mess and the sal she believes will contaminate her baby. Akiko feared Beccah becoming a woman so much, that she made desperate attempts to protect Beccah from her inevitable transition into womanhood, including destroying red articles of clothing, not allowing Beccah to go on school trips, and even visiting Beccah's school to try it (Keller 76). Everything in Akiko's world contained sal, and Beccah began to feel "sal seeping out of [her] pores" (Keller 82). Paranoid delusions like this are common among those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Constantly reliving the traumatic event is another common PTSD symptom, also exhibited by Akiko (NIMH 1). Akiko, when she first came to live with the missionaries, did everything she could to keep herself busy. She remembered that she "couldn't stop cleaning, washing, cooking, gluing because if [she did], the sounds of the camp would envelop her and [she] would go back there" (Keller 65). She was terrified that if she didn't keep busy, she would begin to relive or feel pain from the experience. To avoid this, she jumped out of bed every morning and “rushed into action” because if she didn't, she knew she would be “consigned to the fields once again” (Keller 65). There is also a strong correlation between PTSD and depression, with between 43% and 64% of battered women with PTSD also reporting symptoms of depression (Tuft 407). Akiko, according to Beccah, “tried twice to meet the Herald of Death on his own terms” (Keller 47). Suicidal thoughts and actions are easily the most dramatic and damaging effects of depression. Not only do PTSD sufferers endure bouts of depression, emotional numbness, and fall into “trance-like” states, but they also develop problems with intimacy and forming healthy relationships (NIMH 1). Akiko never seemed to develop a normal relationship with her husband or daughter. Her intimacy issues become apparent the first time Akiko has sex with her husband. He is unable to let go and have fun, or feel any kind of affection towards her. Akiko said that “as he positioned himself on top of me, sandwiching himself between my thighs, I let my mind fly away. For I knew then that my body was, and would always be, locked in a cubicle in the fields, trapped beneath the bodies of countless men” (Keller 106). Another example of her inability to feel affection or maintain a healthy relationship occurred when Akiko described an incident in which her husband sang to Beccah. The singing reminded Akiko of her husband when she first met him, and the way he “lulled and lured” the girls at the mission home with that same voice (Keller 69). Akiko said the songs are “silly songs that my husband sings to comfort our son, but I hate them and I hate him” (Keller 69). It seems that Akiko can't enjoy her voice because she feels that while she was in the house of. 15-24.