Overcoming Bereavement in Sigrid Nunez's The Friend (2018)

Sherly Agustiliana(1), Desvalini Anwar(2),
(1) Universitas Negeri Padang  Indonesia
(2) Universitas Negeri Padang  Indonesia

Corresponding Author
Copyright (c) 2023 Sherly Agustiliana

DOI : https://doi.org/10.24036/ell.v12i3.122949

Full Text:    Language : en

Abstract


The purpose of this analysis is to expose the issue of overcoming bereavement in the novel The Friend (2018) by Sigrid Nunez. This analysis discusses the effects that occurs to the main character after losing someone she loves and the ways she does to overcome the bereavement. The conflict that occurs to the main character is losing someone she loves because of suicide and makes her feeling devastated and difficult for her to live, but she soon gets up from this loss thus, she can return to living her life as before. This analysis is related to the concept of defense mechanism which proposed by Sigmund Freud. The use of the concept is based on the interpretation of text and context of the novel. Also, uses a lot of fictional element such as theme, plot, and character to reveal the meaning. The result of the study shows that losing someone she loves effects her life but she also show her ways to overcome the bereavement she had and continue her life.

Keywords


Bereavement; Defense Mechanism; Denial; Sublimation

References


Cramer, P. (2006). Protecting the self: Defense mechanisms in action. Guilford Press, New York.

Cramer, P. (2015). Understanding defense mechanisms. Psychodynamic psychiatry, 43(4), 523-552. William College, Massachusetts.

Cramer, P., (1987). The Development of Defense Mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 55(4), pp.597614. William College, Massachusetts.

Freud, Anna. (1993). The Ego and The Mechanisms of Defence. Karnac Book, Strype St, London.

Freud, Sigmund. (1917). Introduction to Psychoanalysis. Clark University.

Pitman, A. L., King, M. B., Marston, L., & Osborn, D. P. (2020). The association of loneliness after sudden bereavement with risk of suicide attempt: a nationwide survey of bereaved adults. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 55(8), 1081-1092. Springer, Berlin.


Article Metrics

 Abstract Views : 31 times
 PDF Downloaded : 21 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Sherly Agustiliana

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.