TAKAKO’S LONELINESS IN SATOSHI YAGISAWA’S DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP: A STUDY OF PSYCHOANALYSIS

Abstract

This study explores the loneliness experienced by Takako, the main character in Satoshi Yagisawa’s novel Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, using Perlman and Peplau’s theory of loneliness. Using a qualitative method, the study analyzes the narrator’s words and Takako’s utterances that show the causes of her loneliness and the ways she copes with it. The findings show that Takako’s loneliness begins with the end of her relationship with her boyfriend, which makes her lose emotional closeness and struggle to continue her daily life. Her loneliness becomes stronger as she withdraws from her social environment and has difficulty building relationships with others. To deal with her loneliness, Takako uses several coping strategies, including adaptation and task choice, forming new relationships, making fuller use of existing relationships, surrogate relationships, and minimizing loneliness. These strategies help her accept her past, understand herself, rebuild relationships with people around her, and find new meaning in her life. The study concludes that Takako’s loneliness is not permanent and can gradually be overcome through self-acceptance, social support, and changes in how she responds to her life experiences.