History Literature / WhenRabbitHowls

Yet beneath her outward success, the woman who calls herself Truddi is beset by free-floating fear, periodic blackouts, flicks of terrible memories, and a strange sense of distance from her own day-to-day life. Her explosive anger and unpredictable nature causes her husband to take their daughter and divorce Truddi, finally driving her to seek help, even as she fears the worst. Her therapist discovers that Truddi is not really a person, but a "shell" created as a [[TheFace unified front]] for the ninety-two "Troops" who present themselves through her. Together, they reveal a shocking truth: the original personality, the "first-born child", ceased to exist decades ago. The Troops are all that remain.

* '''The Suicidal Warrior''': He has given up all hope, but is too lethargic and drained to commit suicide. Ean helps lay him to rest.

As the Troops' begin to share their memories with each other, they make the collective decision to tell their story to the outside world in order to reveal the devastating impact of child abuse, insisting on filming each therapy session to be shared with the psychologist's students, as well as with abuse victims, law enforcement, and perpetrators. The Troops will remain silent no longer--except for a tiny child named Rabbit, who can no longer speak, but only howls in pain.

Truddi& lived most of their life in the Washington, DC area and in Dallas. They never remarried, but had a caring partner, Daniel Davis. The Troops were reunited with daughter Kari (Page in the book) who trains service animals. At the time the book was published, they were a legal secretary for Southland Corp., which owns 7-Eleven. A lifelong heavy smoker, Truddi& died of COPD in 2010. Dedicated to preserving her mothers' memory, Kari edited and self-published the Troops' second and final book, ''The Creature of Habit: A Journey'', lavishly illustrated by the Troops themselves.

** Truddi& was a successful real estate entrepreneur and a talented artist, at the same time living with the emotional aftermath of a horrifying abusive childhood and severe DID.

* SharkPool: As a punishment her sadistic stepfather [[spoiler:lowers her into a well infested with snakes.]] This incident kills the second of the two Olivias, an artistically gifted little girl who manages to communicate ideas for paintings long after her death. Catherine is her adult mirror-image. Elvira is the adult mirror-image for the first Olivia.

* TheIngenue: Twelve is a savvy twelve-year-old genius who is able to comprehend and explain the Troops' internal mechanisms and other ponderous subjects in plain language, as well as being artistically and socially gifted.

* NobodyPoops: Lampshaded in the strangest way: partway through therapy, The Woman suddenly realizes that she has no memory of ever using the bathroom because other Troops have always handle those functions (the stepfather used to spy on them going to the bathroom.)[[note]]In the house they designed and had built, the 'powder room' is a solid brick closet with one solid brick door and a solid brick ceiling with lights and hanging ferns. They've got a framed poster in there with the lyrics to Music/BobSeger's "Night Moves" for sarcastic humor). Catherine had "personally supervised the laying of every brick."[[/note]]

* ArcWords: "For you, there isn't any more" - the Troops often say this to the woman. "It won't be long now" -- the stepfather used to say this and the Troops regard it as a loathsome phrase.

* BrokenAce: Truddi& was a successful real estate entrepreneur and a talented artist, at the same time living with the emotional aftermath of a horrifying abusive childhood and severe DID.

Yet beneath her outward success, the woman who calls herself Truddi is beset by free-floating fear, periodic blackouts, flicks of terrible memories, and a strange sense of distance from her own day-to-day life. Her explosive anger and unpredictable nature causes her husband to take their daughter and divorce Truddi, finally driving her to seek help, even as she fears the worst. Her therapist discovers that Truddi is not really a person, but a "shell" created as a [[TheFace unified front]] for the ninety-two "Troops" who present themselves through her. Together, they reveal a shocking truth: the original personality, the "first-born child," ceased to exist decades ago. The Troops are all that remain.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Many of the personalities have these--Ten-Four, Nails, The Seventh Horseman, The Zombie, and Miss Wonderful, among others.

* MustHaveCaffeine: Most of the adult Troops love coffee.

* GenkiGirl: Elvira/The Outrider, a laidback sarcastic woman who loves loud music and partying. She's named for the Oak Ridge Boys song. She is the adult mirror-image of the first of the two Olivias, who died at age three.

'''''When Rabbit Howls''''' is a 1987 autobiography by "The Troops" (the collective name for the author's multiple personalities) writing for Truddi Chase.

* BadassAndChildDuo: [[ScaryBlackMan Mean Joe]] and [[TroubledChild Lambchop]].
* TheBigGuy: Mean Joe Green, although his imposing presence is strictly mental.

* MentalWorld: The Troops have the Tunnel, where the many selves live and communicate. As they progress they are able to see one another as independent persons outside the shared body. This is not uncommon for multiples. As the Troops reiterate throughout the book, many things that would be considered irrational or hallucinations for a singlet are perfectly normal for multiples.

* PapaWolf: Mean Joe. A huge black man, he's very intelligent and along with Ean helps to parent the Children. The Troops in general perceive black men as safe and nurturing. Dan Davis, the Troops' later partner, was also black.
* ProductPlacement: 7-Eleven is mentioned many times, as the Troops like to go there. (They later became a legal secretary for the Southland company.) The first time the woman notices two selves (Mean Joe and Miss Wonderful) using the body at the same time,[[note]]Yes, "co-running" is possible, even normal for multiples. They can even talk out loud with each other (think about this the next time you see someone talking into thin air. Even if they've got a Bluetooth on their ear. That could be a multiple using the device as a cover). There is also "co-presence", people watch what's going on (and may comment or kibitz) while others use the body.[[/note]] they're heading to 7-Eleven for coffee. Later, Page hopes she can get a Slurpee on the way home from a custodial visitation. Page and the Troops order chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP. Both Stanley the therapist and Truddi's friend Jeannie gift the young Troops with Crayolas (only the iconic yellow-and-green box is mentioned). Mean Joe likes Grey Flannel cologne, which makes the woman worry that she might sometimes "smell like a man." The Children like Yoo-Hoo and send the woman out in the middle of the night to get some. Lambchop loves chocolate and is seen nibbling a giant Hershey's Kiss (with Joe reminding her to brush before bed), while other children remember fondly the rich chocolate cake the mother made from the recipe on a Hershey's cocoa box.

* SplitPersonality: Truddi has been multiple since the first time she was raped, at the age of ''two''.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: The Troops refuse to do so. Like many multiples before and after them, they view so-called integration as murder. As the barriers between them come down, they communicate and live their best lives as a MindHive.

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The space where The Woman exists when the other Troops assume the consciousness, it is described as a WhiteVoidRoom of [[HappyPlace perfect, blissful peace]], completely empty of internal or external input. At one point the Troops deliberately withdraw all their memories at once, allowing the woman to experience the Void for the first time while conscious. It's so beautiful that [[UnwantedRevival she's reluctant to come back]].[[note]]The Troops deny that this is in any way, shape or form a mystical or spiritual experience; they detest religion and UsefulNotes/NewAge ideas, and words relating to religion -- god, jesus, christian, etc. -- are never capitalized. Many are atheists, others like Ean are agnostics ("Believe as y' will, but god, if he be a'tal, is not a single, far-off entity teachin' through fear those less than he be. There is nothin' t' teach. The knowledge is already inside each man on earth, merely waitin' t' be tapped.").[[/note]]
* TheWatson: The police detective with whom Stanley discusses the case was created for the book as a way to discuss both therapy details and information about child abuse. As with Mrs. Greenwood, he did not exist in real life. Same with Dr. Marshall Fielding, who is a fictional character meant to embody all that the Troops learned about multiple personality and their own experiences being plural. These characters are so carefully detailed that some readers have mistaken them for actual persons.

** And then subverted, as later in life Truddi& speak with counselors at a center in Maryland called "A Woman's Place"[[note]]in the film, they discover a child-abuse hotline[[/note]] that leads them to understand that attitudes toward child abuse have changed. Mrs. Greenwood (one of the characters the Troops made up for the book to embody the many tough but empathetic agency staff they'd consulted) tells Stanley that a billboard with a child abuse hotline number had to be taken down because they got swamped; 750 verified calls in the first 24 hours. Mrs. Greenwood also relates a heartbreaking fact; Truddi& told her they had visited a library looking for information about abuse, but were unable to find any books. The librarian tells them that abused children come and check out every book on child abuse in order to know they're not alone.

* '''Ean''': Claims to be (and certainly behaves like) the spirit of an ancient Irish warrior and hinted (by Dr. Phillips) to be a vestige of one of Truddi's past lives, he is a wise storyteller and a source of strength and encouragement for the others. The Troops use a FuneticAksent to convey his speech pattern and cadence.

* '''Ean''': Claims to be (and certainly behaves like) the spirit of an ancient Irish warrior and hinted to be a fragment of one of Truddi's past lives, he is a wise storyteller and a source of strength and encouragement for the others.

* NobodyPoops: Lampshaded in the strangest way: partway through therapy, The Woman suddenly realizes that she has no memory of ever using the bathroom because other Troops have always handle those functions (the stepfather used to spy on them going to the bathroom.[[note]]In the house they designed and had built, the 'powder room' is a solid brick closet with one door [which locks] and no window, just a frosted skylight. They've got a framed poster in there with the lyrics to Music/BobSeger's "Night Moves" for sarcastic humor).[[/note]]

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The space where The Woman exists when the other Troops assume the consciousness, it is described as a WhiteVoidRoom of [[HappyPlace perfect, blissful peace]], completely empty of internal or external input. At one point the Troops deliberately withdraw all their memories at once, allowing the woman to experience the Void for the first time while conscious. It's so beautiful that [[UnwantedRevival she's reluctant to come back]].[[note]]The Troops deny that this is in any way, shape or form a mystical or spiritual experience; they detest religion and UsefulNotes/NewAge ideas, and words relating to religion -- god, jesus, christian, etc. -- are never capitalized. Many are atheists, others like Ean are agnostics ("Believe as y' will, but god, if he be a'tal, is not a single, far-off entity teachin' through fear those less than he be. There is nothin' t' teach. The knowledge is already inside each man on earth,
merely waitin' t' be tapped.").[[/note]]

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The space where The Woman exists when the other Troops assume the consciousness, it is described as a WhiteVoidRoom of [[HappyPlace perfect, blissful peace]], completely empty of internal or external input. At one point the Troops deliberately withdraw all their memories at once, allowing the woman to experience the Void for the first time while conscious. It's so beautiful that [[UnwantedRevival she's reluctant to come back]].[[note]]The Troops deny that this is in any way, shape or form a mystical or spiritual experience; they detest religion and UsefulNotes/NewAge ideas, and words relating to religion -- god, jesus, christian, etc. -- are never capitalized. Many are atheists, others like Ean are agnostics ("God, if he be at all").[[/note]]

* '''Black Katherine''': A woman filled with murderous rage, she only presents through a "mirror-image" personality -- many of the Troops are partnered with both child and adult mirror-images for various reasons -- through whom her anger can be safely filtered.

* '''Olivia I and Olivia II''': The original Olivia "died" during the first rape when Truddi was two. Her personality was assumed by Olivia II, who became a child genius and brilliant artist. Olivia II was killed in an incident where the Stepfather hung her down a well and tossed a bucket of snakes on her. Catherine now assumes Olivia II's memories, but her ghost sometimes presents whole, context-less memories and ideas for art.

* GenkiGirl: Elvira/The Outrider, a laidback sarcastic personality who loves loud music and partying. She's named for the Oak Ridge Boys song. She is the adult mirror-image of the first of the two Olivias, who died at age three.

* HeroicBSOD: Grace the Zombie is the literal embodiment of this, functioning as a personality who emerges in times of extreme physical or emotional stress to deal with situations in a plodding, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other manner while the other Troops adjust and recover. In spite of her "deadened" nature, Grace is very much capable of expressing emotion and preferences just as any other Troop member (as evidenced in a rather charming scene where she informs The Woman how she likes her coffee).

* SpellMyNameWithAThe: As the "original" personality no longer exists, and since most of the Troops will not acknowledge the original child's parents as their own, all of her relatives are referred to as "the" (i.e. the stepfather; the father; the mother). Some of the Troops do say "my".

* NobodyPoops: Lampshaded in the strangest way: partway through therapy, The Woman suddenly realizes that she has no memory of ever using the bathroom because other Troops have always handle those functions (the stepfather used to spy on them going to the bathroom. In the house they designed and had built, the 'powder room' is a solid brick closet with one door [which locks] and no window, just a frosted skylight. They've got a framed poster in there with the lyrics to Creator/BobSeger's "Night Moves" for sarcastic humor).

* ProductPlacement: 7-Eleven is mentioned many times, as the Troops like to go there. (They later became a legal secretary for the Southland company.) The first time the woman notices two selves (Mean Joe and Miss Wonderful) using the body at the same time,[[note]]Yes, "co-running" is possible, even normal for multiples. They can even talk out loud with each other (think about this the next time you see someone talking into thin air without a Bluetooth on his ear). There is also "co-presence", people watch what's going on while others use the body.[[/note]] they're heading to 7-Eleven for coffee. Later, Page hopes she can get a Slurpee on the way home from a custodial visitation. Page and the Troops order chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP. Both Stanley the therapist and Truddi's friend Jeannie gift the young Troops with Crayolas (only the iconic yellow-and-green box is mentioned). Mean Joe likes Grey Flannel cologne, which makes the woman worry that she might sometimes "smell like a man." The Children like Yoo-Hoo and send the woman out in the middle of the night to get some. Lambchop loves chocolate and is seen nibbling a giant Hershey's Kiss (with Joe reminding her to brush before bed), while other children remember fondly the rich chocolate cake the mother made from the recipe on a Hershey's cocoa box.

* FirstFatherWins: In contrast to their feelings toward the stepfather, most of the personalities remember Truddi's biological father as a warm, loving man.

** Many of the personalities themselves have this sort of name: The Outrider, The Junkman, The Seventh Horseman, The Weaver, The Collector, etc. It's suggested that they each have proper names (The Outrider is Elvira, The Zombie is Grace), but as Black Katherine points out, giving a name gives another person some measure of power over you.

* TalkingToThemself: The author's various personalities have internal conversations with each other.

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The space where The Woman exists when the other Troops assume the consciousness, it is described as a WhiteVoidRoom of [[HappyPlace perfect, blissful peace]], completely empty of internal or external input. At one point the Troops deliberately withdraw all their memories at once, allowing the woman to experience the Void for the first time while conscious. It's so beautiful that [[UnwantedRevival she's reluctant to come back]].

Yet beneath her outward success, the woman who calls herself Truddi is beset by free-floating fear, periodic blackouts, flicks of terrible memories, and a strange sense of distance from her own day-to-day life. Her explosive anger and unpredictable nature causes her husband to take their daughter and divorce Truddi, finally driving her to seek help, even as she fears the worst. Her therapist discovers that Truddi is not really a person, but a "shell" created as a [[TheFace unified front]] for the ninety-two "Troops" who present themselves through her. Together, they reveal a shocking truth: the original personality ceased to exist decades ago. The Troops are all that remain.

* '''Black Katherine''': A woman filled with murderous rage, she only presents through a "mirror-image" personality through whom her anger can be safely filtered.
* '''Brat''': A child personality, presumably as bratty as her name implies.

* '''The Collector''': A withdrawn blind personality who prefers to collect beautiful words and poetry rather than to look out on the real world.
* '''Catherine''': A wry, savvy, dominant personality who helps keep the other Troops organized.
* '''Ean''': Claims to be the spirit of an ancient Irish warrior and hinted to be a fragment of one of Truddi's past lives, he is a wise storyteller and a source of strength and encouragement for the others.
* '''Elvira/The Outrider''': A laidback, easy-going and sarcastic personality who uses her music to avoid pain.
* '''The Gatekeeper''': A personality who determines which of the others may assume the body's consciousness.
* '''Grace the Zombie''': A personality who appears when the system is overwhelmed, she is perpetually calm to the point of appearing zombie-like.

* '''Lady Catherine Tisseau''': A haughty, snobbish personality who insists on perfect manners and imposes them on others.
* '''Lambchop''': Often calls herself Lamb Chop or Lamchop, she is a tiny child under the protection of Mean Joe.
* '''Mabel''': A personality who is a professional housekeeper, performing mundane chores quickly and perfectly so that the others will be free to pursue their creative endeavors. It's also hinted that she keeps the house clean in order to present outward normalcy that will keep people from snooping.
* '''Me''': A child personality of whom little is known, she appears to be a typical lonely, bored child demanding entertainment.

* '''Miss Wonderful''': An innocent [[ThePollyanna Pollyanna]] under the especial protection of Mean Joe, she has no knowledge of anything sexual and believes that everything is always "just lovely." She takes her name from a joke by one of Truddi's friends who teased her about behaving like a perfect hostess.
* '''Nails''': A tough, hardened personality who deals with both rejection and the painful loneliness that comes from the Troops' isolation.
* '''Olivia I and Olivia II''': The original Olivia "died" during the first rape when Truddi was two. Her personality was assumed by Olivia II, who became a child genius and brilliant artist. Olivia II was killed in an incident where the Stepfather hung her down a well and tossed a bucket of snakes on her. Catherine now assumes Olivia II's memories, but her ghost sometimes presents whole, context-less memories.

* '''Rachel''': A personality similar to Sixteen, she is a young woman with enough sexual knowledge "to run a bordello."

* '''The Seventh Horseman''': A mysterious personality who appears as a soldier dressed in grey, riding a horse, they warn the others of danger and seem to provide a fantasy of rescue. The Seventh Horseman also does not appear to identify as any gender.
* '''Sewer Mouth''': An angry personality who vents her rage safely through constant, creative cursing.
* '''Sister Mary Catherine''': A nun who represents both the Mother's Catholic faith and the Troops' own guilt, she regards all sexual feelings as abhorrent, but is notable as one of the few personalities who directly resisted the stepfather.

* '''The Suicidal Warrior''': A personality who has given up all hope, but is too lethargic and drained to commit suicide.

* '''Twelve''': A twelve-year-old genius capable of explaining the Troop's mechanisms in plain language.

* '''The Woman''': The "main" personality and the one most commonly known as "Truddi," she was in fact created by the Troops as an empty vessel to present to the world and has no memories of her own.

* AlphaBitch: Catherine was created to be a strong, dominant personality who could force the Troops into line.

* DisabilitySuperpower: One of the most controversial aspects of the book is Chase's apparent ability to interfere with electronic devices with her mind, [[HandWave handwaved]] as the electronic feedback of many minds coming and going at once. She also allegedly displayed mild precognitive and mental domination abilities. Truddi& were the model for Crazy Jane in ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'', who had a different superpower for each person in her system.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: None of the Troops will refer to the stepfather or the mother by name.
* EyeColorChange: Frequently occurs when a different personality emerges. The selves look taller or shorter, have a slightly rounder or thinner face, etc. depending on their posture and muscle tension/relaxation. You can see this in films of their television appearances.
* FightingIrish: Ean presents himself as the reincarnation of an ancient Irish warrior and is implied to be a remnant of one of Chase's past lives. The less mystically minded interpret Ean as an internalized version of Truddi's beloved Irish grandfather.

* MultiGenderedSplitPersonalities: The Troops have male and female selves of different races, ranging in age from preverbal toddlers to ancient Ean. Some, like the Seventh Horseman (a woman), seem to have come from outside the original mind in "walk-in" fashion.

* NobodyPoops: Lampshaded in the strangest way: partway through therapy, The Woman suddenly realizes that she has no memory of ever using the bathroom because other Troops have always handle those functions (possibly due to specific incidents of abuse related to bathrooms).

* ProductPlacement: 7-Eleven is mentioned many times, as the Troops like to go there. (They later became a legal secretary for the Southland company.) The first time the woman notices two selves (Mean Joe and Miss Wonderful) using the body at the same time,[[note]]Yes, "co-running" is possible, even normal for multiples. They can even talk out loud with each other (think about this the next time you see someone talking into thin air with a Bluetooth on his ear). There is also "co-presence", people watch what's going on while others use the body.[[/note]] they're heading to 7-Eleven for coffee. Later, Page hopes she can get a Slurpee on the way home from a custodial visitation. Page and the Troops order chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP. Both Stanley the therapist and Truddi's friend Jeannie gift the young Troops with Crayolas (only the iconic yellow-and-green box is mentioned). Mean Joe likes Grey Flannel cologne, which makes the woman worry that she might sometimes "smell like a man." The Children like Yoo-Hoo and send the woman out in the middle of the night to get some. Lambchop loves chocolate and is seen nibbling a giant Hershey's Kiss (with Joe reminding her to brush before bed), while other child personalities remember fondly the rich chocolate cake the mother made from the recipe on a Hershey's cocoa box.
* TheIngenue: Twelve is a savvy twelve-year-old genius who is able to comprehend and explain the Troops' internal mechanisms in plain language, as well as being artistically and socially gifted.

* SocialServicesDoesNotExist: Justified, as at the time of Chase's abuse (the mid-to-late 1930s through 1950), social services and child welfare agencies as we know them really ''didn't'' existed.

* [[spoiler: CallingTheOldManOut: At the end of the novel, the Troops arrive ''en masse'' on the Stepfather's doorstep, in their own bodies, to deal out their revenge. Turns out it was AllJustADream, or rather All Just A Story written by elder Troop member Ean and read lovingly to the Children.]]

* [[CreepyChild Creepy Children]]: The little ones in the Troop formation are very damaged, very angry, and hungry for revenge.

'''

* TheVoiceless: Rabbit only screams in pain and horror. Toward the end of the book she begins to communicate with the others.

From the age of two until the age of eighteen, Truddi endured [[RapeAsBackstory horrific sexual and physical abuse]] at the hands of her stepfather and her mother, finally managing to escape to the city, where she becomes a highly successful real estate mogul and a freelance commercial artist with a husband and child of her own. Yet beneath her outward normalcy, the woman who calls herself Truddi is consumed by both intense, unnamed fear and a sense of emptiness. Her explosive anger and unpredictable nature causes her husband to take their daughter and divorce Truddi. Designing and moving into her own house, she continues her work in commercial real estate, but is beset by free-floating fear, periodic blackouts, flicks of terrible memories, and extreme startle reactions from seemingly minor events. Finally, fearing the worst, she seeks help from a hypnotherapist, who discovers that Truddi is not really a person, but a "shell" created as a [[TheFace unified front]] for the ninety-two ''selves'' or personalities who present themselves through her. Together, they reveal a shocking truth: the original personality ceased to exist decades ago. The Troops are all that remain.

From the beginning, the Troops want their story made public and insist on filming each therapy session to be shared with the psychologist's students and with abuse victims ''and perpetrators''. Knowing intellectually about the abuse is not the same as going back and reliving it in detail, and the Troops are stunned and enervated by the process of "evidencing" -- revealing themselves and the abuse memories to each other. At the same time, the S&L scandals of the Reagan administration take place, and Truddi's real estate business suffers badly. She gives up her work and goes into a period of hiding on the second floor of a warehouse she owns (a classic car collector rents the ground floor). By the end, she's turned this place into a home and is beginning to communicate with her selves and see them as independent persons, each with their stories to tell.

The novel details the Troops' therapy as they begin to share their memories with each other and with the outside world in order to reveal the devastating impact of child abuse. Artist Sam Greenwald created [[https://prezi.com/x8j5pnu59lhc/the-troop-formation-of-truddi-chase/ this map/family tree of the Troop Formation]] which may help the reader keep track.

Truddi Chase et al. lived most of their life in the Washington, DC area and in Dallas. They never remarried but had a caring partner, Mr. Daniel Davis. The Troops were reunited with daughter Kari (Page in the book) who trains service animals. At the time the book was published, they were a legal secretary for Southland Corp., which owns 7-Eleven. A lifelong heavy smoker, Truddi& died of COPD in 2010. Dedicated to preserving her mothers' memory, Kari completed editing on the Troops' second book, ''The Creature of Habit: A Journey'', and self-published it. It is lavishly illustrated by the Troops themselves.

* ArcWords: "For you, there isn't any more" - the Troops often say this to the woman. "It won't be long now" -- the stepfather used to say this and the Troops regard it as a loathesome phrase.