Psychological Trauma Theme Analysis

In addition to depicting an incredibly abusive parent, A Child Called “It” studies the effects of child abuse on the abused children themselves. For years, Mother beats Dave Pelzer, the author and narrator of the book, leaving him with scars and bruises, but also a longer-lasting sense of shame, guilt, resentment, fear, and self-hatred—in a word, trauma. Through Dave’s eyes, readers come to understand the traumatizing psychological effects of abuse on young children and—more implicitly—how abused children can come to terms with their trauma.

A Child Called “It” suggests that the greatest harm of child abuse is often psychological, not physical. In the case of Dave Pelzer, Mother’s abuse leaves Dave with a lasting sense of hatred—both for other people and for himself. For years, Mother beats him and subjects him to countless forms of physical abuse. However, she insists again and again that she’s hurting Dave because he’s been bad, and even forces him to repeat, “I’m a bad boy.” After many years of abuse, Dave’s life becomes so miserable that he comes to envy and resent other children who lead happier lives than his own. In particular, he comes to despise his brothers, who Mother doesn’t abuse, and his classmates. He also comes to hate himself, partly because Mother has brainwashed him into doing so by making him repeat, “I’m a bad boy” and partly because he can’t stand that he’s too frightened to fight back against Mother’s cruelty.

One of the greatest tragedies of child abuse is that, very often, people who were abused as children grow up to abuse their own children, creating a cycle of cruelty, trauma, and hatred. While it might seem hard to believe that victims of child abuse would beat their own children, they sometimes do so, for the very reasons that A Child Called “It” lists: like Dave, they hate people who seem happier than they are, and take out their frustration and self-hatred by hurting others (and, furthermore, they’ve been taught to do so by their own parents).

A Child Called “It” does more than simply list the evils of child abuse; it shows that Dave Pelzer escapes the cycle of abuse and learns ways of gaining some control over his trauma (as he says in the Epilogue, “I’m free”). As the book comes to a close, Pelzer writes that he’s the proud parent of a beautiful boy, Stephen, whom he treats with nothing but love and warmth. That Pelzer has become a loving parent and is “free” would suggest that he’s escaped the worst effects of trauma, such as self-hatred, PTSD, and chronic anxiety, and has made a happy life for himself.

Some critics, however, have pointed out that Pelzer never explains how exactly he copes with his trauma, and some have even suggested that Pelzer is more interested in selling shocking books than in using literature to help people. Yet Pelzer has also traveled across the country, often working one-on-one with victims of child abuse, suggesting that he’s sincerely committed to helping people cope with trauma, not just thrilling his readers. Furthermore, such criticisms ignore the fact that writing A Child Called “It” represents, in itself, a way for Pelzer to overcome his trauma. Writing about his own abuse took tremendous courage, and by doing so, Pelzer distanced himself from his past, came to terms with his self-hatred, and, in general, found ways of coping with his trauma without denying or forgetting his experiences.