Galen May
Writing
Writing has always been at the core of my creativity. From short stories that balance the eerie and the intimate to pieces that explore identity and transformation, I use language to uncover the strange beauty within human experience. Below are selected works from different periods of my life that represent the range of my voice, from the haunting to the reflective.
Academic Writing
Can’t Nothing Heal Without Pain
Examines Toni Morrison’s Beloved as a trauma novel, focusing on Sethe’s struggle with the haunting presence of her past and the psychological scars of slavery. Drawing on PTSD theory, it explores how Morrison represents memory, “rememory,” and intrusion through the ghost of Beloved, and how Sethe’s path toward healing requires confronting, rather than avoiding, her trauma. Beloved remains one of my favorite books of all time and I could write about it endlessly.
Beyond Hamlet: The Impact of Ophelia
Reexamines Ophelia’s role in Hamlet, shifting focus from her use as a plot device to her lasting cultural and psychological impact, especially around mental health and young women. While Shakespeare’s characters treat her as passive and expendable, her madness, silence, and death resonate beyond the play, becoming a lens through which generations have explored women’s mental health and societal pressures.
Confessions and Forgiveness
Analyzes Louise Erdrich’s The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse, focusing on Father Damien’s role as both priest and bridge between Catholic and Ojibwe beliefs. It explores how Erdrich reimagines confession and forgiveness as acts that transcend doctrine, showing how compassion, patience, and human connection complicate traditional ideas of guilt and absolution.
Zwischen Mohnfeldern und Müllsäcken
Compares Ferdinand von Schirach’s short story Glück with Doris Dörrie’s film adaptation, arguing that the two diverge sharply in both tone and focus. While Schirach’s version centers on Irina’s traumatic past, her survival, and the disturbing crime that overshadows her love, Dörrie transforms the narrative into a bittersweet love story, softening its harshness with romance.
Creative / Personal Writing
