The evolution of agony: Pain as a literary motif across time

Abstract

This article explores the evolution of pain as portrayed in literary works from the 19th century to the 21st century. Focusing on Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley, Johnny Got His Gun (1939) by Dalton Trumbo, Misery (1987) by Stephen King, The Road (2006) by Cormac McCarthy, and The Push (2021) by Ashley Audrain, we trace how the depiction of pain has shifted from symbolic and Gothic representations to more intimate, realistic, and psychologically complex. Moreover, each work reflects its cultural and historical context, revealing how attitudes towards pain have transformed—from existential and moral dilemmas to the brutal realities of war, the psychological terror of captivity, and the modern challenges of survival and domestic trauma.