TOTAL WAR UNVEILED: ANALYZING THE SUFFERINGS OF UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS IN SERHIY ZHADAN'S "INTERNAT"

Abstract

This study aims to explore the suffering and trauma experienced by individuals residing in Ukraine, a conflict-ridden country in Eastern Europe. Ukraine has become a focal point of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with Russia deploying troops near the Ukrainian border under the pretense of "training exercises" and subsequently launching an invasion. As a result of this invasion, Ukrainian civilians have been subjected to direct violence and its associated consequences. Despite the severe nature of these traumatic experiences, and the corresponding literature that has emerged from within Ukraine, there has been limited scholarly attention given to amplifying these accounts, which are crucial for an accurate portrayal of the situation in Ukraine.

This article utilizes the theoretical framework of Total War Theory, as outlined in Martin van Creveld's "The Transformation of War," to analyze a selected Ukrainian literary text titled "The Internat" by Serhiy Zhadan. Through this analysis, the study examines how the collective traumatic experiences endured by the Ukrainian people as a community, due to the ongoing Russian invasion, have led to immense suffering and the degradation of their quality of life. In this context, the Ukrainian narrative assumes the responsibility of presenting the harsh realities of life in the midst of conflict. The findings of this investigation highlight how fictional narratives, through the depiction of traumatic experiences, convey a compelling narrative of perpetual suffering, underscoring the notion that moral responsibility should lie with the collective rather than with individuals.