Phantom Lives Narratives of Possibility

Phantom Lives, Narratives of Possibility Phantom Lives, Narratives of Possibility is a short intruductory article written by Elizabeth Alice Honig. She starts out her article speaking of the many fairytale-like fictional stories that were written about adoptions. The stories she goes on to talk about revolve around adoptive parents who have issues of their own. For example, Good night Mr. Tom is a story about William, an adoptee from London who ends up in Tom’s care. “Sour Tom” as he’s known, is a man who lost his wife and child while in childbirth. Throughout the course of this novel, Tom and William’s life are both changed for the good because of the events that occur between the two. Anne of Green Gables is another classic story that was brought up and a little history behind the “home boy” was revealed. She goes on to talk about the Kindertransport that saved the thousands of Jewish lives, which leads into the main topic of the story: the phantom lives of adoptees. “Transnational adoptees live with phantom lives, lives defined as possible but unlived.” These alternative lives that they’ve narrated for themselves include a lot of what-ifs, such as “what if my birth mother had been able to keep me?” or “What if I was adopted by somebody else” The adoptees tend to build a story in their heads of what could have been. Usually, these narratives come to a person if they have suffered some serious trauma in which they were powerless to control it. The views the adoptee has however, changes its aspect with any addition and progression into their life. For example, as the adoptee grows older, their perspective changes, and their views on what could have been can change. The way this introductory article was written is almost like the adoptees are slightly in a cultural identity crisis. My interpretation is that they’re suffering from the what-ifs of the adoption and they ponder about what it’s like to be in a family that is actually their own, or of their own...