after five weeks of being gone, i came back and tried to drive my car. after wrestling down the driveway, i figured out that the rear axle on the drivers side simply would not rotate. so i was essentially pushing my car on that stuck wheel. any clue what’s going on? i’m utterly stumped. car make: 97 honda civic, 2 door.
I would suspect that either your regular brake or your parking brake for that wheel is stuck. If you’re somewhat mechanically inclined, remove the rear tire on that side and start looking at the brakes(and use jack stands).
Well first off, you don’t have a rear axle, so if one is back there and stuck, I think we’ve found your problem - - -someone jammed an axle into your wheel 
Sounds like the caliper has seized. Disassemble it, then clean and regrease the slides.
If your parking brake was set for those five weeks, then it is probably stuck. Before you go tearing everything apart, try this first, Pull up on the parking brake handle as hard as you can. If you pull it up higher than it was set at for those five weeks, it may break free where it is currently frozen. Get the strongest person you know to help you if need be. Once you get it past the frozen point, it should release.
If that works, then have someone look at the parking brake cable, it may have some rust on it.
If that doesn’t work, jab the brake pedal hard a few times and see if that works. If it does, then the caliper pins need lubrication.