A Psychoanalytical Study on the Personality of the Character Mariam in the Novel A Thousand Splendid Suns

ABSTRACT Fitri, Fidelia. 2015. A Psychoanalytical Study on the Personality of the Character Mariam in the Novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. Thesis. English Department, Faculty of Letters, State University of Malang. Advisor: Drs. Kukuh Prayitno Subagyo., M.A. Keywords: A Thousand Splendid Suns, personality, psychoanalysis, id-ego-superego The rise of feminism and the issue of women subordination have long caught the attention and interest of many, including those of artists from all around the world. This can be seen from the vast array of literary works on the topic, regardless of their diverse geographical and cultural background. One example of the literary works referred is A Thousand Splendid Suns, a bestselling novel written by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan-American in 2007 following its predecessor, another bestselling novel of Hosseini The Kite Runner, which debuted in 2003. Studies on the issue of women subordination in the novel have also been conducted, leading to the finding that the main character Mariam and Laila are but the representation of Afghan women in the 20th century under the domination of patriarchal and conservative society. While this is true, the researcher finds it interesting, nevertheless, to see how the unique personality of a character, in this thesis Mariam, is still very highly linked to her respective childhood. To be able to analyze the relation between the childhood of the character Mariam and her adult personality, the researcher points out some prevalent aspects from the character’s childhood and later explains, using the psychoanalysis theory, in what ways these aspects affect her adult personality. Additionally, Freud’s notion on the three parts of the psychic apparatus, namely the id, ego, and superego is used during the process of analysis and is proven helpful in understanding the idiosyncrasy of the adult personality of the character Mariam, particularly in answering why she behaves in particular ways. In summary, it is found that the childhood of the character Mariam indeed has everything to do with her adult personality, and it is very expected for it to be the main reason behind her reserved and submissive personality as well as the tendency to self-punishment. This finding speaks to the fact that, despite her being the representation of rural Afghan women, her respective early life experiences also contribute to her personality and therefore her individuality as a character