BETWEEN TRAUMA AND DESIRE

A PSYCHOANALYTIC AND LITERARY ANALYSIS OF BANANA FISH

Abstract

Akimi Yoshida’s Banana Fish presents a universe marked by violence, trauma and desire, which are central elements for a psychoanalytic reading. This article proposes an analysis of the narrative from the perspective of Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, exploring concepts such as repetition compulsion, structuring of the subject, desire and the role of the gaze. Ash Lynx’s trajectory is examined as a journey traversed by trauma and the attempt to escape the symbolic
order that imprisons him. In addition, the function of the name “Banana Fish” as an enigmatic signifier that structures the plot is discussed. The study also incorporates a literary reading of the work, highlighting its narrative constructions and its relationship with noir aesthetics. In the end, it is argued that Banana Fish is configured as a contemporary tragic novel, where the boundaries between desire and destruction become inseparable.