Ahmet Yusuf Akyüz, İsmail AVCU
Child sexual abuse and pedophilia are pervasive issues with profound and enduring effects on victims, shaping their emotional, psychological, and social development. This paper examines these themes in Ian McEwan’s novel Lessons, exploring the complex interplay between child sexual abuse, pedophilia, and their long-term repercussions. It explores the lasting effects of such experiences, including the persistent intrusion of past traumas, the psychological and emotional scars borne by survivors, and the life-altering consequences of abuse. Furthermore, this paper interrogates societal myths and realities surrounding pedophilia and pedophiles, touching upon the broader discourse on this taboo subject. Through the story of Roland Baines, an adolescent boy subjected to sexual abuse by his piano teacher, Miriam Cornell, Lessons exposes the uneasy intersection of predatory behaviours and their permanent impact on childhood development. Thus, this paper, by employing trauma and psychosexual theories, addresses these unsettling realities and argues that McEwan’s nuanced portrayal compels readers to confront the psychological and ethical complexities of abuse and its aftermath.