The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America left all Americans homeless and traumatized because the security of the American home was permanently and traumatically altered and attacked. Following the events of September 11, 2001 Americans attempted to return to their former sense of home, which no longer existed. Today, many Americans continue to search for a home that no longer exists. The loss of one's home is a source of permanent trauma, which can be vicariously transmitted to future generations.;This dissertation applies the principles of trauma theory to four September 11, 2001 fictional novels to demonstrate, via the protagonists and novels, the traumatic and profound effects of the loss of home on people of the world following the events of September 11, 2001. Each of the novels discussed document the magnitude of living through traumatic times with its persistent generational long-term effects on one's concept of home. The first two novels discussed, The Writing on the Wall by Lynne Sharon Schwartz and Falling Man by Don DeLillo, focus specifically on the aftermath of a healing New York City following the tragedies of September 11, 2001. Both novels demonstrate that the events of September 11, 2001 forced average everyday citizens to reevaluate their lives, the changing world around them, and their previous comforts in an obviously more dangerous and threatening world. The next two novels considered in the dissertation, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, investigate the intergenerational effects of trauma as it is passed down from one generation to the next. Each of these novels demonstrate that it is impossible to rebuild one's sense of home following its initial destruction.
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