Auto-fiction: Fact or Fiction? A Psychoanalytical Study of Aron Ralston’s Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Abstract

This research aims to tackle the interplay between fact and fiction in self-writing and autobiographical accounts in light of Aron Ralston’s autobiographical novel Between a Rock and a Hard Place (2004). Self-writing, as a literary genre, blurs the boundaries between objective truth and subjective interpretation, raising questions about the authenticity of personal narratives. Therefore, this study is an attempt to find answers to vital questions such as how memory and personal perspective shape the narrative? And can writers genuinely recount their personal experiences without alterations? Relying on Ralston’s account of his harrowing experience, while trapped in a remote canyon and being reluctantly forced to take dire decisions to do the unthinkable, serves as a compelling case study for examining the construction of selfnarratives. Moreover, by means of a psychoanalytical approach, our paper shall tackle key notions and crucial theories such as Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction theory as well as Lacan’s concepts of the self and subjectivity. Additionally, the study examines Ralston’s use of storytelling techniques, such as vivid descriptions and emotional appeal, to balance factual accuracy with narrative creativity and reader engagement. Ultimately, this analysis highlights the dual nature of self-writing, where lived experience and creative storytelling coexist, contributing to the complexities of representing the self and reality in literature