THE ANXIETY AND DEFENSE MECHANISM OF ANNA AS THE MAIN CHARACTER DEPICTED IN A. J. FINN’S NOVEL THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

Abstract

Psychoanalysis is useful to help in understanding literary text, which is about human behavior. This study describes anxiety and defense mechanism of the main character reflected in “The Woman in The Window†novel. Anna has anxieties, they are realistic anxiety and moralistic anxiety. Anna uses defense mechanism to cope her anxieties. This study used a qualitative method. The data were gathered by reading the novel, identifying, classifying, and reducing the data. Prologues, monologues, and dialogues in the novel as the data were used to explain the analysis. The primary data gathered from “The Woman in The Window†novel and secondary data were taken from books, journals, articles, essays, and sites that relate to the study. This study found two categories of anxiety that were experienced by Anna. They are realistic anxiety and moralistic anxiety. Realistic anxiety by Anna came from the terror from Alistar and imposter Jane. Anna’s moralistic anxiety related to her profession as a psychologist, she was also insecure when she was not trusted by society and she felt guilty because she cheated on Ed again. Anna coped her anxieties by using defense mechanisms such as reaction formation, rationalization, denial, undoing, repression and displacement.

 

Keywords: Anxiety, Defense Mechanism and Psychoanalysis