The Global Catastrophic Impact of 9/11 Attack: Analyzing the Mental Condition in the Postmodern Novels and Media in the Post-Apocalyptic Context

Abstract

Post-Apocalyptic novels unveil the disasters that traumatize the psyche of the people. Apparently, such a catastrophe has an excruciating impact. This paper analyses the impact of the World Trade Centre (9/11) attack on American postmodern characters, it’s representation through Media and as a result, the reverberating references in Indian novels as well. Don DeLillo’s novel Falling Man presents the dreadful effects of the 9/11 attacks through the complex life of the Postmodern characters. The title, “Falling Man” is identical to the name given to a photograph released on The New York Times, “The Falling Man” taken by Drew, Associated Press. It is the media’s representation of the 9/11 American fall. Along with the postmodern tenets, themes, and techniques, the paper probes into the mental condition of the postmodern characters in the Post-Apocalyptic context. Horney's psychoanalytic social theory is an effective tool for comprehending how catastrophic events influence people psychologically as well as how they interact and behave. The impact of the catastrophe is traced in the American novel, in the Media’s photograph and in the Indian Novel.