THE SILENCE THAT SPLITS THE SEA - Incest, Trauma, and the Haunting of Percival in Woolf’s The Waves

Abstract

This essay offers a reading of The Waves (1931) by Virginia Woolf informed by trauma theory, arguing that the character Percival functions as a symbolic embodiment of the incestuous abuser – an absent yet hauntingly present figure whose influence permeates the narrative through the fragmented perspectives of the six other characters. The analysis begins by identifying an incestuous atmosphere introduced early in the novel through a disturbing bathing scene involving Mrs Constable and Bernard, which sets the tone for the underlying theme of abuse. Although Percival never speaks and appears only through the voices of others, his presence dominates the narrative. He embodies both absence and control, a dynamic often found in representations of trauma. The characters express conflicted emotions toward Percival, oscillating between idolatry and deep discomfort, reflecting the psychological ambivalence common in abusive relationships. These emotional tensions deeply trouble the characters and they coincide with a fragmentation of identity, emphasized through the novel’s shifting narrative voices and disrupted sense of self. The fragmentation further extends to the body, evoking strong dissociation – a response associated with Percival’s distressing presence. Water imagery recurs throughout the text as a symbol of intense emotional experience and a yearning for escape, particularly from the repressed trauma and psychological entrapment associated with incestuous abuse. This culminates in Rhoda’s death, interpreted here as a final dissociative act in response to the unbearable psychological burden Percival represents. By tracing this recurring pattern, the essay demonstrates that Woolf encodes incest trauma into the novel’s structure, imagery, and narrative voice, and makes a case for reading Percival not merely as a symbolic presence, but as the incestuous abuser at the core of the characters’ psychological distress.