Ochendo: An African Journal of Innovative Studies

The casualties of wars are not only determined by the apparent brutalities of both warring camps but also the deception and betrayal that often characterize such violent engagements. This usually is seen between the ruling authority and common soldiers in both camps. The novel, Heroes(1986) by Festus Iyayi, therefore, functions as aninsightful narrative intersection through which the Marxist tempers and traumatic incarcerations of the novel connect to evaluate the socio-political intricacies of war and class struggle in postcolonial Nigeria. Many critics have subjected the novel to diverse interpretations particularly in relation to its revolutionary dispositions. However, in extending this idea, this article throwsmore lightnot only on the Marxist's tendencies inherent in the novel but also interrogates the depth of its psychological trauma. Therefore, relying on the theories of Marxism and Trauma by Karl Max and Cathy Caruth respectively, this article probes the class hostilities and deep emotional wound the characters confronted/ experienced? during the Nigerian civil war. The convergence of these theories, undoubtedly,underscore the double tragedy that constructs the enraged encounters of Iyayi's characters which foreground the condemnation of class oppressiveness, imperialistic combat and bizarre veneration of nationalistic heroism.

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