The Testimony of Silence: Exploring Trauma in Aleksandar Tišma’s The Use of Man

Aleksandra  Z. Stojanović

doi:10.21618/fil2430382s

Authors

Aleksandra Z. Stojanović University of Kragujevac Faculty of Philology and Arts

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21618/fil2430382s

Keywords:

Holocaust representation, testimony, silence, diary, trauma, The Use of Man, Aleksandar Tišma

Abstract

This paper explores the intricate web of testimony, storytelling, and the haunting (in)ability to speak in Aleksandar Tišma's novel The Use of Man. With a thematic framework encompassing critical perspectives on Holocaust representation, unspoken narratives, and the healing of trauma, the paper presents the multifaceted experiences of survivors and their enduring narratives. Tišma's unique approach to Holocaust representation serves as the backdrop for our exploration, emphasising the significance of testimony as a means of bearing witness to the indescribable Holocaust atrocities. Distinguishing between silence and muteness, the paper focuses on the silences that permeate the characters' lives, recognising that some stories are too painful to tell, even within the intimate confines of diary writing. Tišma's protagonists, like many reallife survivors, undergo a complex process of reintegration into their former lives, allowing in-depth exploration of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable suffering. By weaving these themes together, an analysis of intricate narratives that emerge from the ashes of history provides evidence that silence can sometimes serve as the most poignant form of testimony.

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