The Ripple Effect of Physical Trauma as Seen in Lucky Lilly Milman College

It is not uncommon for the pain of physical trauma to transcend into mental trauma as well. This can be seen in Alice Sebold’s memoir Lucky, in which she describes the aftermath of a brutal rape. Although she was physically hurt by the man that attacked her, she still dealt with the mental turmoil of the event years after her wounds healed. The physical act of rape resulted in a complete shift in her worldview, as exemplified by her changing relationships, her speech, and her definition of virginity.

The physical trauma that Sebold experienced as a result of the rape is undeniable, as she was violently attacked by Gregory Madison. In the first few pages of the memoir, she describes the attack in exact detail, writing how “he reached out and grabbed the end of [her] long brown hair” and she felt it “coming out painfully from [her] skull” (Sebold 5). Whenever she thought she had escaped, he retaliated with even more aggression than before. For example, after he dropped his knife, he “sat on [her] back” and “pounded [her] skull into the brick” (Sebold 6). She even “lost consciousness” for a moment when “he wrapped his hands around [her] neck and began to squeeze” (Sebold 6). It is clear that before the rape even began, her body...