TRAUMA AND MOURNING: A KLEINIAN PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE ON THE NOVEL BLACK ROCK WHITE CITY

Abstract

The paper analyses the novel Black Rock White City (2015) by A. S. Patrić through the lens of Kleinian psychoanalysis. The novel follows Serbian refugees Jovan and Suzana as they navigate the long-term repercussions of war and the loss of their children, while attempting to assimilate into Australian society. Jovan’s encounter with Melbourne particularly through his work as a janitor and his obsession with the cryptic graffiti of Mr. Graffito—serves as a manifestation of his unprocessed trauma, reflecting Melanie Klein’s concept of the paranoid-schizoid position, splitting and projection of persecutory objects. In contrast, Suzana’s gradual engagement with daily life suggests a movement toward reparation. This study interrogates the limitations of assimilation caused by the psychological processes. The analysis ultimately underscores the novel’s exploration of projection, paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions, trauma and mourning along with the existential struggle for meaning in the aftermath of loss.