Agoraphobia as Reflected in A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window

Abstract

e-width: 0px; "> This study aims to analyze one of the characters, Anna Fox, in A.J. Finn’s novel entitled
The Woman in the Window. Anna Fox is a child psychologist who is suffering from agoraphobia. Hernormal life changes after a fatal car accident. The worst event in her life made her life change. The incident caused Anna to lose her husband and daughter. The incidentforcesher to spend her day mostly in the house. There are several symptoms and causes of agoraphobia shownby the main character. Based on the background of the problem, therefore, the purposesof this study are (1) to analyze the symptoms and causes agoraphobia of the main character and (2) to analyze the effects of agoraphobia on the main character and other people. This research applies psychology of literature offered by Wellek and Warren. Wellek and Warren state that there are three categories of psychology of literature, which are (1) analyzing the author’s personality which is the way a certain literary work was made, (2) the psychological types which are present in the literary works and characteristics of their behavior, and (3) the effect of literature on its reader. Since the study focus on the characterwho experiences agoraphobia, therefore the writer uses approach by National Health Service (2018). There are three of symptoms of agoraphobia, (1) physical symptoms, (2) cognitive symptoms, and (3) behavior symptoms. Furthermore, there are two causes of agoraphobia, (1) biological factors consist of ‘fight or flight reflect’, neurotransmitters, the fear network, spatial awareness and (2) psychological factors consist of traumatic childhood experience, experiencing a stressful event, a previous of mental illness, alcohol misuse or drug misuse, being in an unhappy relationship. The research is a qualitative research. The method used is descriptive. The object of the research is a novel entitled The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. It is conducted on the close reading technique based on a psychology of literature approach. Close reading is significant exploration where the sign is seen at the first reading in a work. The data collection are: (1) read the novel to find the data based on the formulation of the problem, (2)notes the data found (3) classify the data based on the symptoms, causes, and the effects of agoraphobia, (4) interpret the data which is found, and (4) draw conclusion. In this study, the writer found the symptoms of Anna’s agoraphobia. There are three symptoms experienced by Anna: (a) physical symptoms consist of trembling (3 data) and feeling faint (2 data), (b) cognitive symptoms consist of embarrassed (1 data) and lose control in public (2 data), and (c) behavior symptoms consist of being housebound (2 data) and being far away from home (2 data). The only cause of her agoraphobia is psychological factor, which are (a) experiencing a stressful event (3 data), (b) mental illness (3 data), (c) being in an unhappy relation (2 data).From the symptoms and causes of agoraphobia there are two effects, namely: (a) effects to the main character consist of stalking(3 data) and alcohol misuse (2 data), (b) effect to other people consist of suspicion (3 data) and curios (2 data).The dominant data for symptoms that show Anna experiencing agoraphobia is physical symptoms. Agoraphobia experienced by Anna has great effect on herself and other people. To herself the dominant data is stalking. She stalked all the activities and habits of her neighbors through her camera. Meanwhile the dominant effect of her agoraphobia to other people is her people neighbors become suspicious. Anna’s neighbors were suspicious because she had never left her house. In conclusion the symptoms of Anna’s agoraphobia is mostly shown through physical symptom and the factors causing it is psychological factors. The effects of Anna’s agoraphobia is mostly on herself.
Keyword: Agoraphobia, symptoms, causes, effects