• Fouzia Kaukab
• Amit Thakur

This paper explores the nuanced portrayal of childhood trauma and resilience in the Canadian television series Anne with an E (2017–2019), a reimagining of L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne of Green Gables. Moving beyond the romanticized orphan trope of the original narrative, the series showcases Anne Shirley-Cuthbert’s traumatic past, which is full of abandonment, abuse, and social alienation. The show traces her journey towards healing through imagination, found family, and community. Using the lens of psychoanalytic literary theory, particularly the works of Sigmund Freud, D.W. Winnicott, and Julia Kristeva, this study analyzes how Anne’s inner world operates as both a site of repression and creative resistance. The paper focuses on the mechanisms Anne employs to survive her trauma, particularly her vivid imagination, her dissociative tendencies, and the construction of alternate realities. The analysis draws on Winnicott’s concept of the “transitional object” and Kristeva’s notion of “abjection” to break down the show’s depiction of healing, emotional attachment, and belonging. The paper argues that Anne with an E offers a trauma-informed and psychologically rich representation of childhood resilience. By centering the emotional and imaginative life of a young girl who reclaims her identity through connection and storytelling, the series challenges dominant narratives of childhood innocence and highlights the transformative power of empathy, memory, and imagination in the aftermath of trauma.

Childhood Trauma, Psychoanalytic Theory, Resilience, Imagination, Abjection, Transitional Object, Identity Formation, Trauma Narrative

"Kindred Spirits and Haunted Pasts: Childhood Trauma and Resilience in Anne with an E", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 4, page no.d621-d624, April-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2504383.pdf

"Kindred Spirits and Haunted Pasts: Childhood Trauma and Resilience in Anne with an E", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 4, page no. ppd621-d624, April-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2504383.pdf