Psychoanalysis and the Representation of Desire and Trauma in Netty Ejike’s Stormy Affairs

Abstract

This study examines psychoanalysis and the representation of desire and trauma in Netty Ejike’s Stormy Affairs. Contemporary writers portray interpersonal relationships as mere battlegrounds of passion, frequently overlooking the deeper psychological undercurrents that dictate behavioural patterns. The problem lies in understanding how surface-level romantic pursuits in contemporary genre fiction actually serve as masked manifestations of deep-seated trauma and unarticulated psychological desire. This study adopts a psychoanalytic literary theory based on Sigmund Freud’s theories of repression and desire, alongside John Bowlby’s attachment theory, to reveal the subconscious motivations of the protagonists. The close-textual analysis of Stormy Affairs revealed character dialogue, internal monologues, and behavioural contradictions. The research deployed purposive sampling in the novels under study. The data was collected by close reading, plot events, journal articles and previous psychoanalytic studies that provide theoretical support and interpretations. This qualitative research was library-based while the method of data analysis was description of characters with observable features traumatic experiences, dreams and fantasies. The study demonstrates how the narrative tension mirrors the perpetual friction between the id and the superego which proved to be therapeutic, though painful, in the volatile romance. The study concludes that Netty Ejike’s Stormy Affairs offers a complex exploration of human psychology where romance acts as a crucible for trauma resolution. The psychological trajectories of Miles and Brooke highlights how contemporary romance can successfully stage deep-seated existential anxieties. The research proved that reconciliation with a partner is fundamentally tied to an internal reconciliation with the self.