Abstract: The Secret History revolves around a murder incident involving several students at Hampton University, delineating the psychological transformations of these young individuals and showcasing the complexity of human nature. The novel is permeated with incredible coincidences from beginning to end. However, unlike the traditional use of coincidences in suspense and murder mysteries, the coincidences in The Secret History are not primarily intended to obscure the identity of the murderer. The novel's brilliant coincidences actually serve a threefold purpose: on the narrative level, they influence the development of the plot and the construction of suspense; on the character level, they reveal the deep workings of the collective unconscious of the subjects; and on the external world level, they hint at the relationship between causality and the operation of the world. Through the various meanings presented by coincidences in the work, the novel conveys the author's dialectical reflection on the traditions and realities of the objective world.

Key words: The Secret History, coincidence, unconscious, causality