The Protagonist' Search For Meaning: A Psycho existentialism Analysis of Ning

Abstract

Everyone would like to exist, and they will do everything to get what they think is a meaningful life. However, each individual perceives a meaningful life differently, and so did the main character of this research subject, a novel titled Ning. Therefore, this study would like to investigate what meaningful life actually means to the protagonist and what shape(s) her perception of a meaningful life. This study used psycho-existentialism, which describes three fundamental theories: Freedom of will, will to meaning, and meaning of life. This research aimed to find out what a meaningful life may mean and what affect one's understanding of meaning. The analysis reveals that the protagonist's understanding of a meaningful life; i.e. to be well-educated, was shaped by her parents who thought differently from the community they lived in. However, after she had had a meaningful life, she still needed to obtain another perception of meaningful life. i.e. to become a successful woman with a family and children. The findings are expected to make readers respect what people do to reach a meaningful life better and realize that people have different perspectives of meaningful life because of age, environment and experience.