Wolf in White Van is a tragic novel written by John Darnielle. Throughout the novel, Darnielle explores just how complicated it can be to deal with intense trauma. He tells the story of Sean Phillips and how he handles his truamatic accident in a very unique way. To read more about how every person handles trauma differently, continue reading at Everyone is Different.
The novel Wolf in White Van demonstrates how Sean Phillips copes with his trauma left by his suicide attempt. In my analysis (first draft), I mainly portray how Sean’s physical trauma leads to psychological trauma and argue that he does not actually recover from that trauma through his game, Trace Italian.
My Wolf in White Van essay is about Darnielle’s use of games as a healing mechanism to people after going through traumatic moments.
After having played the first part of Kentucky Route Zero so long ago, it was hard for me to remember what my purpose was during the game. I think the game in general is very casual to play because you are just choosing which option to take. However, I never felt like I got too invested in the outcome of the game. In comparison with the other games we have played I thought Kentucky Route Zero was one of my least favorites.
My Wolf in White Van essay identifies Sean’s method of coping with trauma is getting lost in the details of realities and scenarios that he synthesizes. By creating extremely detailed false realities Sean is able to escape the grim monotony that has become his life and is able to cope with his injury. By examining the details and zooming in on his life, Sean is not forced to confront the big picture of the reality he is living and does not actually have to come to terms with what the consequences of his actions that faithf
The novel, Wolf in White Van, features about a character, Sean, who is isolated from the world by the disrespects which he receives from his family and himself. Sean copes his trauma with living in the imaginary world he creates, but he will never find the shelter in the real world, unless he finds it in the world in which he physically resides. You can read the full essay here.
The novel Wolf in White Van features a character who struggles to disconnect himself from the past. This inability prevents him from effectively coping with Trauma that has occurred in his life. You can read the full essay here.
Learn about how Sean utilizes his own contrived world to replace his loss of control in his real life by clicking here.
“Sean attempts to make his life fit into the framework of a game, a set of discrete narrative choices imbued with meaning by the game master and never veering from a controlled path. This choice, which brings Sean even deeper into those fictional worlds he had difficulty separating from reality, is his way of coping with trauma and specifically with the frightening ambiguity of shooting oneself in the face for no discernible reason”
Read the rest here.