Yes, this is another
post about Downton and as the Dowager would say, “You can just put that in your
pipe and smoke it!” But let’s be real here—when our class started talking about
trauma, I couldn’t help but think about the emerging PTSD found in returning soldiers
during WWI which is when Downton, Series 2 takes place. The new valet, Mr. Lang
experiences what is known as “shell shock” and it becomes increasingly worse as
the Abbey is turned into a hospital for officers to recuperate after getting
cleaned up and undergoing surgery, if need be. When Mr. Lang starts
experiencing panic attacks, with lack of understanding from his fellow
servants, he begins to feel like an outsider, isolated and different from
everyone else. In one line, he states how, "I sometimes feel I'm the only
one who knows what's going on over there" (Lang). It is harder for people
to understand something when they haven’t experienced it for themselves. Mr.
Lang is eventually let go from the Abbey due to his “shell shock.” Also, Series
6, Anna, the ladies’ maid is raped by a valet of a guest at Downton. Afterward,
she did not tell her husband, Bates but instead kept it to herself. For a long
time, she was scared of Bates’ touch, isolating her in their marriage. Tom
Branson, after his wife Sybil dies has never been able to truly find love again
with another woman because he was so traumatized after Sybil’s death. He
eventually assimilated to the family and found a loving home after some time.
Mary Crawley, after Matthew’s untimely death from a car crash at the end of
Series 3, begins dating a road racer in Series 6 and when a car crash occurs at
one of the races, Mary thinking it’s her beau has a panic attack, similar to
that of Mr. Lang’s in Series 2. Mary, after Matthew’s death, became very cold
and reclusive for many years because she was so traumatized from it. In 12
Years a Slave when Ford is standing over Soloman in the grand foyer, Ford tries
to sympathize with Soloman but even though he sees Soloman’s suffering, he can’t
fully understand it because he is not in Soloman’s position. Trauma, in a way
seems to isolate people for this reason until something is finally done about
it. What I find interesting is how trauma is portrayed before PTSD was taken
very seriously and how a modern-day film and television series both portray
trauma as a large part of a character’s life. PTSD, nowadays is mainly thought
of as being something only soldiers experience but perhaps Downton Abbey and 12 Years a
Slave are trying to represent that it can affect anyone for various
different reasons, no matter who they are.
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