Abstract

Through cryptonymy, the phantom, as explained by Esther Rashkin’s theory for psychoanalytic analysis, is revealed. Symbols and silences for three first-person protagonists in four contemporary American novels are analyzed. Holden Caulfield in J. D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” Scout or Jean Louise Finch in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Go Set a Watchman,” and Theresa in Alice McDermott’s “Child of My Heart” reveal their unresolved grief caused by trauma or loss of a loved one. Characters reveal their conflicted identities, their clash with family and cultural norms, and their consequent fallout from society, or ambivalence to it. Discourse and symbols in a text tangential to the movement of the plot reveal encrypted elements of the truth, often a deep family secret. Storytelling though in each story allows for hope that the narrator or protagonist heals.