Tn the Major Character of Pattlo Coeliio's Wronika Decides to Die

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SUICIDAL TENIDENCY FACTORS AS SEEN TN THE MAJOR CHARACTER OF PATTLO COELIIO'S WRONIKA DECIDES TO DIE

A SARJANA PEIVDIDIXAN TIIESIS

Presented as Partial f'llfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidilean Degree in English tanguage Education

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By Victoria Amadea Prayuarsi Student Number: 131214032

ENGLISH LAI\IGUAGE EDUCATION STUI}Y PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LAITGUAGE AI\[D ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACIMRS TRAINING AI\[D EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNTVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2017 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

SIIICIDAL TEFIDENCY FACTORS AS SEEN IN TI{E MAJOR CIIARACTER OT PAULO COELHOIS WRONIKA DECIDES TO DIE

A SARJANA PEIVDII'IKAN THESIS

Presented as Partiel Fulfillmcnt of the Requireuents to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidi*an Degree in Enelish tanguage Education

Ev Victoria Amadea Prayuarsi

Student Numbe,r: 1 3 12 14032

ENGTI$H LAIi{GUAGE EI}UCAIION $T,UDY PB@.&{M DEPARTMENT OF LAIYGUAGE AI\[D ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACIIERS TRAII\ING ATID EDUCATION SANATA DHABTI,A T]NIYERSITY YOGYAKARTA 20t7 i PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

SUICIDAL TENDENCY FACTORS AS SEEN IN THE MAJOR CHARACTER OF PAULO COELHO'S WRONIKA DECIDES TO DIE

YICTORIA AMADEA PRAYUARSI Student Number: 13 1214032

Defended before the Board of Exarniners an 12 December 2017 and Declared Acceptable

Board of Examiners

Chairperson : Yohana Veniranda, S.Pd., M.Hum, M. A., Ph. D.

Secretary : Barli Brarr, M.Ed., Ph D Member : FX. Ouda Teda Ena, S. Pd., M. Pd., Ed. D. Member : Veronica Triprihatmini S. Pd., M.Hum., M.A Member : Yohana Venirand4 S.Pd., M.Hum, M, A.,'Ph. D.

Yogyakarta, 12 December 2017 !'aculty of Teacher Training and Education Dharma University

i, Ph.D.

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This Thesis Is Dedicated Specially To:

Jesus Christ and Mother Mary

My beloved Parents: Raymundus Bambang Sujoko & Maria Immaculata Amini Puji

Murwani

My precious twin younger sisters: Gisela Amadea Prayumaswita & Eugenia Amadea Pradnyadewi

My Best Partner Stefanus Nanang Fajar Sulistyo

My Self, Victoria Amadea Prayuarsi

~All of My Friends~

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotation and the references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, 14 November 2017

The Writer

Victoria Amadea Prayuarsi

131214032

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama: Victoria Amadea Prayuarsi NIM: 131214032 Demi mengembangkan ilmu pengetahuan saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma, karya ilmiah saya berjudul:

SUICIDAL TENDENCY FACTORS AS SEEN IN THE MAJOR CHARACTER OF PAULO COELHO’S VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE

Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk lain, mengolahnya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikan di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa harus meminta izin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencamtumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian Pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal: 14 November 2017 Yang menyatakan

Victoria Amadea Prayuarsi

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ABSTRACT

Prayuarsi, Victoria Amadea. (2017). Suicidal Tendency Factors as Seen in The Major Character of Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides To Die. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Departement of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education. Sanata Dharma University.

This study analyzes a novel written by Paulo Coelho entitled Veronika Decides to Die. This novel tells a story about Veronika, a beautiful young woman who commits suicide. However, she finds that her action is failed as someone takes her to a mental asylum. The story ends with Veronika’s behavioral change as the mental asylum environment lets Veronika experiences the stages of personality growth. The researcher formulates three research questions to analyze the suicidal tendency factors in this novel. The questions of this study are 1) How is Veronika trial on committing suicide described in the novel? 2) What are the factors influencing Veronika’s decision on her suicidal attempt? 3) What are the factors influencing Veronika’s behavioral changes on her decision to stop repeating suicidal attempt? The method of this study is based on the library research method, with the psychological and social approach. The psychological approach is used to analyze the internal factor influencing Veronika’s decision to commit suicide and the factors influencing Veronika’s personality growth on her decisions to stop repeating any suicidal attempt. While the social approach used to analyze the external factor that influencing Veronika’s decision to commit suicide is seen from the Slovenia Country Profile and its Suicidal rates. There are three findings; the first finding is that Veronika’s suicidal attempt can be categorized as the combinations of egoistic suicide, altruistic suicide, and anomic suicide. The Second finding is about the factors influencing Veronika’s decision on her suicidal attempt. There are two major factors which are internal factors and external factors. The internal factors, seen through Veronika’s powerlessness and her personality, as an introvert character. The external factors are influenced by Veronika’s past life as she grows from a broken family and the high rates of suicidal attempt in Slovenia. On the third finding, there are three factors influencing Veronika’s behavioral changes. The first factor is the freedom that she perceives from the mental asylum. The second factor is the personality growth that occurs within Veronika, and the third factor is the transformation in Veronika’s personality that happens as she is falling in love with Eduard.

Keywords: Suicidal Tendency, Behavioral Change, Personality Growth

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ABSTRAK

Prayuarsi, Victoria Amadea. (2017). Suicidal Tendency Factors as Seen in The Major Character of Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides To Die. Yogyakarta: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris. Departemen Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni. Fakultas keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan. Universitas Sanata Dharma, Yogyakarta.

Studi ini menganalisa sebuah novel yang ditulis oleh Paulo Coelhoe berjudul Veronika Decides to Die. Novel ini bercerita tentang Veronika, seorang wanita muda cantik yang mencoba bunuh diri. Namun, hal tersebut gagal karena sesaat setelah Veronika mencoba bunuh diri seseorang datang dan menyelamatkan nyawanya dengan membawanya ke rumah sakit jiwa. Pada bagian akhir, terdapat perubahan perilaku pada diri Veronika karena keadaan di rumah sakit jiwa yang membuat Veronika mengalami tahap pertumbuhan kepribadian dalam dirinya. Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti merumuskan tiga pertanyaan untuk menganalisis faktor kecenderungan bunuh diri pada Veronika. Pertanyaan dari penelitian ini adalah 1) Bagaimana percobaan bunuh diri Veronika dideskripsikan dalam novel? 2) Apa faktor yang mempengaruhi keputusan Veronika untuk mencoba bunuh diri? 3) Apa faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi Veronika dalam perubahan perilakunya untuk memutuskan berhenti mengulangi usaha bunuh diri? Metode penelitian ini didasarkan pada metode penelitian perpustakaan, dengan pendekatan psikologis dan sosial. Pendekatan psikologis digunakan untuk menganalisis faktor internal yang mempengaruhi keputusan Veronika untuk bunuh diri dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi pertumbuhan kepribadian Veronika dan keputusannya untuk berhenti mengulangi upaya bunuh diri. Sementara pendekatan sosial digunakan untuk menganalisis faktor eksternal yang mempengaruhi keputusan Veronika untuk melakukan bunuh diri seperti yang dapat dilihat dari Profil Negara Slovenia dan tingkat tindakan bunuh diri yang ada di Negara tersebut. Terdapat tiga temuan dalam penelitian ini; temuan pertama adalah usaha bunuh diri yang dilakukan oleh Veronika dapat dikategorikan sebagai kombinasi dari tindakan bunuh diri tipe egoistik altruistik dan anomis. Temuan kedua adalah tentang faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi keputusan Veronika atas usahanya melakukan bunuh diri. Ada dua faktor utama yaitu faktor internal dan faktor eksternal. Faktor internal, dilihat dari ketidakberdayaan Veronika dan kepribadiannya sebagai karakter yang introvert. Faktor eksternal, dipengaruhi oleh kehidupan masa lalu Veronika yang tumbuh pada keluarga dengan orang tua yang bercerai dan tingginya tingkat usaha bunuh diri di Slovenia. Pada temuan ketiga, ada tiga faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan perilaku Veronika. Faktor pertama adalah kebebasan yang Veronika rasakan di rumah sakit jiwa. Faktor kedua adalah pertumbuhan kepribadian yang terjadi pada Veronika, dan faktor ketiga adalah transformasi kepribadian yang terjadi pada Veronika karena ia jatuh cinta pada Eduard.

Kata kunci: Suicidal Tendency, Behavioral Change, Personality Growth ix

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my greatest praise to The Jesus Christ, for His blessing and also to The Holy Mother Mary who always strengthens my faith and give me the power to finish this thesis.

I present my deepest love and greatest gratitude for my father R.B. Sujoko and my mother M.I. Amini. I thank them for their support, prayer, and love. For my twin younger sisters, Cha-Cha and Whi-Whi, thanks for all the love and sisterhood.

I would like to express my utmost debt to my advisor, Mr. FX. Ouda Teda

Ena, Ed.D. for his patient support, motivation, suggestions, kindness, and advice in guiding me to finish my thesis. I am sure that this undergraduate thesis could not be finished without his help. I would like to express my gratitude for all the

English language Education Study Program lectures and staffs, who have given me valuable lessons and great learning experiences in Sanata Dharma University.

I thank all of my friends for being my best supporters during my study. I thank them for their support, especially those who always stand by me in every up and down. I would like to say thank you to Inggit Rositasari who always be my partner in crime, Chrysthania Yan Prasetya who always be my debate partner,

Chia Clarissa Crisentia the most patience and helpful friend that I have ever had,

Febriyani Suryaningrum my super creative insomnia friend for every midnight chat that always be replied, and Gabriella Maria Pangesti Wening my mommy- able friend who always be my place to tell everything, also my best friend-

Reinhard you always have a place in my heart. My special thanks go to my x

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proofreaders Silvia Tiara, Yunda Anisa, Gracia Vica, and Yohana Gabriela

Nanda. For English Language Education Study Program student batch 2013, I would like to say thank you for the cooperation and togetherness that we have.

I would like to give my credits to all of my community friends in Museum

Misi Muntilan, School of Missionary Animators, and Jejak Langkah Misioner, especially Romo Dionisius Bambang Sutrisno Pr, Romo Markus Nur Widi

Pranoto Pr, Romo Yoseph Nugroho Tri Sumartono Pr, Mas Antonius Tri

Usada Sena, Mas Antonius Turmudi, Mbak Uci, and Mas Yuli, I realize how important they are for me, as they have built my character, they have given me meaningful spiritual lesson and become my second family since I was in Junior

High School. I am also thankful for all of my friends whose name cannot be mentioned here one by one. Thanks for teaching me how to see my life meaningfully.

My final gratitude goes to my power, half of my soul, my passion, and my future, Stefanus Nanang Fajar Sulistyo. I thank him for his existences in my life.

I do not have any word or sentence that can describe how meaningful you are to me. God knows, the whole world knows, and you know it better than anyone else.

Victoria Amadea Prayuarsi

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ...... i

APPROVAL PAGE ...... ii

DEDICATION PAGE ...... v

STATEMENT OF WORK’S OF ORIGINALITY ...... vi

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ...... vii

ABSTRACT ...... viii

ABSTRAK ...... ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... x

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... xii

LIST OF TABLES ...... xv

LIST OF APPENDICES ...... xvi

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...... 1

A. Research Background ...... 1 B. Research Questions ...... 4 C. Significance of the Study ...... 4 D. Definition of Terms ...... 5

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...... 9

A. Review of Related Studies ...... 9 B. Review of Related Theories ...... 11 1. Psychological Approach ...... 11 a. Theory of Character ...... 11 b. Theory of Motivation ...... 12

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Page

c. Theory of Suicide ...... 12 d. Interpersonal-Psychological Theory ...... 15 e. Behavioral Changes Theory ...... 16 f. Theory of Personality Development ...... 16 g. Theory of Love ...... 18 2. Socio-Historical Approach ...... 18 a. Society and Suicide ...... 18 b. Gender-Specific Suicide Methods in Europe ...... 18 C. Historical Background ...... 19 D. Theoretical Framework ...... 22

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ...... 24

A. Object of the Study ...... 24 B. Approach of the Study ...... 27

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS ...... 29

A. The Descriptions of Veronika’s Suicidal Attempt ...... 29 1. Type of Suicide ...... 31 a. Egoistic Suicide ...... 32 b. Altruistic Suicide ...... 33 c. Anomic Suicide ...... 34 2. Methods of Suicide ...... 35 B. Factors Influencing Suicidal Attempt ...... 38 1. Internal Factors ...... 39 a. Introvert ...... 39 b. Powerless ...... 40 c. Interpersonal-Psychological ...... 41 xiii

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Page

2. External Factors ...... 44 a. Slovenia’s Profile and Suicidal Case Data ...... 44 b. Family Background ...... 47 C. The Factors Influencing Veronika’s Behavioral Changes ...... 49 1. Freedom ...... 51 2. Personal Growth ...... 53 3. Finding Love ...... 56

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 58

A. Conclusions ...... 58 B. Implications ...... 62 C. Recommendations ...... 63 REFERENCES ...... 64 APPENDICES ...... 68

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LIST OF TABLES

Tables Page

4.1 Veronika’s Suicidal Attempt Based on the Four Types of Suicide ...... 31 4.2 The Diagnosis of Veronika’s Suicidal Attempt ...... 36 4.3 Veronika’s Interpersonal-Psychological Stage ...... 43

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page

Appendix 1 Cover of Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die ...... 69

Appendix 2 Summary of Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die ...... 70

Appendix 3 The Author’s Biography ...... 73

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This literature study is conducted to analyze a novel, by Paulo Coelho,

Veronika Decides to Die (2005). The researcher analyzes the factors, which are influences the suicidal tendency factors that appear in the novel, as seen from the major character’s positions, with her experiences on her suicidal attempt.

This chapter consists of four parts. The first part is background of the study; it tells the researcher’s reasons in conducting this study. The second part is the research questions, which present three questions to be discussed in the following chapters. The third part is the significance of the study. It is about the contributions, benefits, and the importance of conducting this study. Finally, the fourth part is the definition of terms, which provides the definition of some important terms that are used in this study.

A. Research Background

There is always a reason that underlies a person to do an action. This reason sometimes cannot be easily known and understood. This reason lies inside someone’s mind and sometimes they find it hard to understand the reason of their action. Therefore, to know the reason of someone’s recent action, it is necessary to look on their past life. Their choice in recent life may be the results of some influences from people around them or inside themselves, and both.

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In connections with this study, which analyzes the factors that might give some influences of the suicidal tendency factors towards Veronika, the major character of Paulo Coelho’s novel, Veronika Decides to Die, the writer maintains that there might be some connections between someone’s surrounding and their past life experiences toward the reasons for them in attempting to commit suicide.

Inverse, the writer also maintains if there might be some connections between someone’s surrounding in past life toward the reasons for them in realizing and changing their behavior to overcome the feeling from the tendency of committing suicide.

At one point when someone gets older and experiences unpredictable things in their life, it is common for them to have an experience of being depressed. Matsumoto (2009) notes “depression is a mental condition of a person that is noticed from the occurrence of negative mood, low energy, loss of interest in usual activities, pessimism, unrealistically negative thoughts about self and the future, and the society withdrawal. In some case, it may lead someone to death”

(p.156). The issue about depression can also be portrayed in literary works, as it also concerns on someone’s life experiences.

Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die is one of the literary works that portray the effect of depression towards someone’s life. It begins with an attempt of suicide by the major character, Veronika. She is a perfect, young, and charming woman, whose life runs perfectly. However, she has a lot of fears in facing her life, even small things can make her feel depressed. She comes to be powerless

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3 and decides to isolate herself from any relationship. All of those depressions are accumulated and at one point, Veronika commits suicide by taking four packs of sleeping pills.

Her trial on committing suicide is fails, as someone finds her dying in her room and sends her for a rehabilitation in a mental asylum. Many things happen to her in the mental asylum and she learns many things from people in that circumstance. In this mental asylum, Veronika changes her mind and behavior, then she stops committing any other suicidal attempt. She also overcomes her fear and starts to face her life bravely.

The story of Veronika is unique and inspiring because it talks about common problems in human life, specifically on how someone faces his or her fears. In general view, problems are differentiated as internal problems, which come from someone’s own self and external problems, which are influenced by other aspects. The accumulation of problems is able to make someone has lots of fear, on the climax situation, the accumulation of problems that burdens someone’s mind might cause them to do an unreasonable action.

Ruch (1967), in his psychological theories of motivation, narrates that in order to understand a person’s behavior in a certain situation, both of their external and internal situations, which play an extremely important role in arousing and directing their behavior, should be understood and recognized (p.122).

Paulo Coelho’s Veronica Decides to Die not only narrates how suicidal attempt happens in the novel. Commonly, a story has it’s climax in the middle,

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4 bravely, Coelho puts the climax at the beginning of the story with Veronika’s suicidal attempt, and follows it with the process of how this main character is healed, and changes her behavior by stopping any suicide attempt and being brave enough to face her life. This literature shows the changing dynamic of a weak person in finding the power to deal with themselves. Gaining this development, of course is not easy. Someone needs an intensive treatment from the outside and big motivation from the inside. That is why the researcher chose Paulo Coelho’s

Veronica Decides to Die as the object of this study.

B. Research Questions

Based on the background of the study, the researcher formulates these three research questions as follow:

1) How is Veronika trial on committing suicide described in the novel?

2) What are the factors influencing Veronika’s decision on her suicidal attempt?

3) What are the factors influencing Veronika’s behavioral changes on her

decision to stop repeating the suicidal attempt?

C. Research Significance

This study is important, especially for the readers from English background; The Students of English Language Education, English Letters, and

Psychology Study Program. The reader of this study will find out the analysis of the factors that might give some influences on the suicidal tendency that appears in

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5 the novel, which might come from the main character’s surrounding. In addition, this study discusses the reasons that cause Veronika ever tries to commit suicide, and why this major character realizes and changes her behavior to stop repeating any suicidal attempt.

Therefore, this study also gives some contributions, especially for those who work in the psychological field of study. This study is connected with the suicidal issue and personality development, which belongs to the part of the psychological field.

This conducted study also gives some beneficial information as a reference for those who will conduct literature research in the future, especially English

Language Education and English Letter students in analyzing a novel using the psychological point of view. Particularly, those who want to conduct a research about suicidal tendency and personality development. It is hoped that this study is able to encourage more people to be more interested in reading and conducting meaningful literature study by learning from the value inside of the literature product to give a better vision for the real life.

D. Definition of Terms

To make a better understanding of this study, it would be necessary for us to understand some essential terms of this research as follow:

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1. Suicide

Smith (1983) defines suicide as “the act of intentionally destroying oneself or a violent self-inflicted destructive action resulting in death. The decision to commit suicide is almost always a combination of a wish to live and wish to die.

This is called ambivalence” (p. 129).

According to Emile Durkheim, there are four categories of suicide. The first is egoistic suicide, this typically happens when a person no longer finds a basis for existence in life. The second is altruistic suicide, which happens when suicide is considered heroic. The third is anomic suicide; it happens when there is a great change in the person’s family and social relationships and the person is not ready to live with the change. The forth is fatalistic suicide; it occurs among prisoners, slaves, or others in the situations of excessive regulation (as cited in

Smith, 1983, p. 129).

2. Suicidal Tendency

Takahashi (2001) states “patients who are aware of feelings of despair, hopelessness, and worthlessness also require special attention. Certain researchers attach great importance to patients’ feelings of despair as a predictor of future suicide.” (p. 380). The feeling of hopelessness then can be a predictor for someone’s future action, especially in a suicidal attempt.

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7 shared by a society. These rules then become the standards that shape the range of some appropriate behaviors in that society. “Culture influences the behavior of nationalities, ethnic groups and subgroups within a nation. The interaction can be explored for the aggregate suicide rate of a culture and also for the individual suicide living in a particular society or culture” (p. 51).

3. Character

Abrams (1981) defines character as a person in dramatic or narrative work.

It is endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say as a dialog and what they do as their actions. In this study, the researcher focuses on Veronika’s character in the way she changes her behavior (p. 21).

4. Major Character

A major character is the center of the story. According to Abrams (1981), a major character is “the person who acts as s/he must handle the attention of the readers. As the most important character of the story, the readers usually focus on this character including his or her behavior, attitude actions, and speech from the beginning up to the end of the story” (p. 23).

5. Self-Realization

Firman and Gila (2012) describe self-realization as “the ongoing dynamic relationship between “I” and self throughout all life experiences” (p. 191). It can be stated that in self-realization, a person is willingly able to accept their unconscious part along the way they acquire a new experience in life, whether the new experience is joyful or painful.

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6. Behavioral Change

The importance of influencing behavior in order to achieve positive policy outcomes is increasingly recognized and has led to a number of reviews and reports. Some of these cover the use of behavior change models in general Darnton

(2008) while others focus on behaviors relevant to specific contexts such as climate change Southerton et al. (2011), sustainable consumption Jackson (2005)

(as cited in Prager, 2012, p. 5)

Prager (2012) also states, “behavioral theories and models of behavioral change cannot bring about behavior change, nor predict with certainty what changes in behavior will occur.” However, behavioral theories and models of behavioral change can give advice towards the policy makers and implementers in trying to give some changes upon the issues (p. 5).

7. Personality Growth

Geise (2008) narrates Personal growth as “the subjective experience of someone changes in behaviors, thoughts, and feelings which are in turn experienced as adaptive. Such change might take form as greater mastery of one’s everyday environment or it might arise as greater resilience in the face of obstacles and challenges” (p. 2). The stage of personal growth can be experienced in various life experiences. Traumatic experience or the experience of following a leadership program can be a part to build someone’s personality growth.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is about a review of related literature used to support and help the writer in analyzing a novel by Paulo Coelho (2005) entitled Veronika Decides to Die. This study is going to reveal the factors, which influences the suicidal tendency, appeared in the novel. It will be seen from the major character‟s positions with her experience in attempting to commit suicide.

This chapter consists of four parts. The first part is review of related studies, in which some studies discusses Paulo Coelho‟s Veronika Decides to Die.

The second part is review of related theories, in which fundamental concept of character, suicidal tendency, and behavioral changes are explained briefly. Part three explains the historical and biographical backgrounds of Slovenia. The last part is the theoretical framework, in which the previously mentioned concepts and theories are described to analyze the novel.

A. Review of Related Studies

There are some research on Paulo Coelho‟s Veronika Decides to Die done by some undergraduate students from Sanata Dharma University, which are important to be considered for this literature research.

The first review is from Maharddika‟s (2012) thesis, a student of English

Language Education Study Program he discussed about the significance of living in the mental asylum toward Veronika‟s self-realization by using the theory of

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10 psycho-synthesis. He found that Veronika‟s old personality of being a perfectionist and introvert girl is deconstructed as the mental asylum provides her freedom, friends, empathy, and love intensively. Then, she opens her soul to the past memories which have been repressed.

The second review is from Kuswandari‟s (2005) thesis, a student of

English Letters who discussed about the moral values as reflected in Veronika‟s character development. She found that there are three moral values from

Veronika‟s character development. The first is that happiness does not simply mean as pleasure. It means that if people want to be happy in their life, they cannot rely on themselves in the effort to get pleasure. Secondly, everyone have the freedom to do what they want based on their consciousness. Finally, it is understood that suicide is the worst way of solving problems.

The third review is from Geise‟s (2008) journal, which narrates personality growth as “the subjective experience of someone changes in behaviors, thoughts, and feelings which are in turn experienced as adaptive.” Geise maintains that personality growth might be experienced a result of various life experiences.

Therefore, the experience of a trauma or following a leadership program might be a part of building someone‟s personality growth (p. 2).

There are some researches based on Paulo Coelho‟s Veronika Decides to

Die done. Some of those are deals with the issue of moral value from the novel or the influences of the mental asylum and the other characters of appear on the novel toward Veronika‟s life. However, in this study the researcher maintain about the psychological and socio-historical backgrounds, which affects Veronika‟s

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11 unpredictable decision in attempting to commit suicide and then changes her decision as she decides to continue her life meaningfully.

B. Review of Related Theories

Some theories are needed to answer the questions in problem formulations.

In this research, the writer mainly uses the theory from Emille Durkheim about four categories of suicide, to analyze the type of Veronika‟s suicidal attempt (as cited in Smith, 1983, p. 129). It is combined with the definition of the method of suicide used by Veronika based on the ICD-10 version released by World Health

Organization (2010). The interpersonal-psychological theory by Joiner et al.

(2009) is also used by the writer (p. 1292). The theory of Firman and Gila (2002) about the psycho-synthesis on someone‟s self-realization is used to analyze the factors that might give some influences toward Veronika‟s behavioral changes by stopping any suicide attempt. The researcher uses two approaches, namely psychological approach and socio-historical approach. Those approaches are needed to break down Veronika‟s problems in Veronika Decides to Die

1. Psychological Approach

Rohberger and Woods (1971) state that literary works deal with human life.

It connects with personalities, motivation, and behavior (p. 13). Those elements are needed to analyze the problem happens in Veronika‟s life. a. Theory of Character

Abrams (1981) defines character as the person in dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what

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12 they say (dialog) and what they do (actions) Abrams (p. 21). In this study, the researcher focuses on Veronika‟s character on the way she changes her behaviors.

Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die (2005) narates about how the conditions of someone‟s surrounding might affect someone‟s behaviors and choices. It can be seen on how the story begins with its major character, Veronika, who attempts to commit suicide. A major character is the center of the story.

Abrams (1981) defines a major character as the person who acts as she must handle the attention of the readers. As the most important character of the story, the readers usually focus on this character including his or her behavior, attitude, actions, and speech from the beginning up to the end of the story (p. 23). b. Theory of Motivation

Ruch (1967) in his psychological theories of motivation narrates that in order to understand a person‟s behavior in a certain situation, both of their external and internal situations, which plays an extremely important role in arousing and directing their behavior, should be understood and recognized (p.122). Along the study, the writer also focuses on the internal and external factors that contribute toward Veronika‟s suicidal attempt and factors that contribute toward her decision to stop repeating suicidal attempt. c. Theory of Suicide

In general opinion, it is known that suicide is one way to end up life done by one person independently. According to Smith (1983), suicide is the act of intentionally destroying oneself or a violent self-inflicted destructive action

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13 resulting in death. The decision to commit suicide is almost always a combination of a wish to live and wish to die. This is called ambivalence (p. 129).

Emille Durkheim describes that there are four categories of suicide. The first is egoistic suicide which happens when a person no longer finds a basis for existence in life. Hoolu (1998) describes an example of egoistic suicide that

Durkheim discovers upon unmarried people, particularly males, with less to bind and connect them to stable social norms, committed suicide at higher rates than unmarried people. The second is altruistic suicide, which happens when suicide is considered heroic. The third is anomic suicide which happens when suicide is caused by a great change in the person‟s family and social relationships. The person is not ready to live with the change. The fourth is fatalistic suicide. It occurs among prisoners, slaves, or others in situations of excessive regulation (as cited in Smith, 1983, p. 129).

Dunman (1999) explains that anomic suicide happens when life no longer seems to have a meaning and as a result, it can make someone lose their personal contacts. He also breaks down Durkheim theory on anomic suicide into four specific categories. The first is acute economic anomie, which is a sporadic decrease in the ability of traditional institutions such as religion, guilds, and pre- industrial social systems to regulate and fulfill social needs. The second is chronic economic anomie, which is the long-term decreases of social regulation. The third is acute domestic anomie. It is the sudden changes on the micro-social level; widowhood is the main example of anomie. Then, the last is chronic domestic anomie. It refers to the way marriage as an institution that regulates the sexual and

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14 behavioral balance among men and women. However marriage has traditionally served to overregulate the lives of women. Unmarried women, therefore, do not experience chronic domestic anomie as closely as unmarried men.

Moreover, Takahashi (2001) states “patients who are aware of feelings of despair, hopelessness, and worthlessness also require special attention. Certain researchers attach great importance to patients‟ feelings of despair as a predictor of future suicide” (p. 380). The feeling of hopelessness can be a predictor for someone‟s future action, especially in a suicidal attempt.

Lester (2008) notes that the impact of culture on suicide, both at the aggregate level and the individual level, is important to be discussed. Those points are important because culture provides some sets of rules and standards that are shared by a society. These rules then become the standards that shape the range of some appropriate behaviors in that society. “Culture influences the behavior of nationalities, ethnic groups and subgroups within a nation. The interaction can be explored for the aggregate suicide rate of a culture and also for the individual suicide living in a particular society or culture” (p. 51).

According to Batho (2015) individuals in their life can experience

„existential loneliness‟, a term which refers to the two main features:

„individuation‟ and „isolation‟. Individuals who experiences themselves to be powerless manifest a loss of familiarity with themselves and their environments, an increased sense of insecurity, and existential loneliness. Furthermore, individuals often find that they are unable to be themselves, it leaves them feeling hopeless and depressed. Those who experienced powerlessness do not just feel

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15 they have lost the ability to do such as some daily activities and lost the power to control others as they cannot control themselves. They experience themselves to lose the power to be some ways or other (p. 3).

Those cases are what actually happen in Veronika‟s life, as a young and beautiful woman, who lives alone and tends to keep her own problems. She is experiencing the stage of individuation and isolation. All of those conditions create existential loneliness in her life that later on becomes one of the reasons for her suicidal attempt. d. Interpersonal-Psychological Theory

According to the interpersonal-psychological theory by Joiner et al. (2009) the desire for death by suicide results from the conﬂuence of two interpersonal states, they are the perceived burdensomeness state and the thwarted belongingness state. Perceived burdensomeness refers to the potentially dangerous misperception that the oneself is incompetent and their existence in this world is a burden for their friends, family members, or society. The feeling of being a burden to others may lead to the potentially dangerous belief that one‟s death is worth more than one‟s life. Relatedly, thwarted belongingness is the occurrence of feeling to be alienated from friends, family, or other values in social circles. It is a risk factor for developing someone‟s desire to commit suicide. The way Veronika lives within loneliness is connected with the feeling of thwarted belongingness.

Although both states independently are associated with the elevated risk for developing the desire for suicide, the risk is greatest when both states are experienced concurrently (p.1292).

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Joiner et al. (2009) also narrates that there are several studies have found a signiﬁcant positive correlation between suicidal ideation and feelings of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness

As predicted by the theory, several studies have found a signiﬁcant positive correlation between suicidal ideation and feelings of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness independently. With respect to perceived burdensomeness, the relationship has been found in a variety of samples, including undergraduates, individuals who attempted or died by suicide, methadone cases, and psychotherapy cases (p.1292). e. Behavioral Changes Theory

However, in the last part, it is stated that Veronika experiences changes of behaviors, at this stage she is realizing how precious her life is. According to

Firman and Gila (2002) self-realization is “the ongoing dynamic between “I” and self throughout all life experiences and a person willingly accepts his/her unconscious part which holds the true potential.” A person feels it as they acquire a new experience in their life whether the new experience is joyful or painful (p.

191). f. Theory of Personality Development

Prochaska et al. (1992) concentrate on the intentional change, which becomes a phenomenon. It is a part societal or imposed change (p. 1102).

Veronika‟s intentional change is formed by the personal growth. Veronika‟s personal growth directs her into a new intention to life.

Broadly, Geise (2008) defines personal growth as “the subjective experience of change in behaviors, thoughts, and feelings which are in turn experienced as adaptive.” This change come takes a form of a greater mastery of someone‟s everyday environment or it might arise when someone faces obstacles

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17 and challenges. Personal growth might be experienced as the result of various life experiences. For examples, the experience of a trauma or attending a leadership conference is believed to affect someone‟s growth. “On the other hand, personal growth might be an activity that one is dynamically engaged in.” For example when someone sets aside time to play scales on the piano or run three miles. They may self-consciously work on themselves to attain the higher levels of those abilities, skills, and characteristics they value (p. 2).

Certainly, when faced with a traumatic or stressful experience, individuals often report a sense of having grown from the experience e.g., Tedeschi and

Calhoun (1995); Park, Cohen, and Murch (1996). In some ways or another, these experiences are interpreted as have taught us something about ourselves and about the world. Reports of stress-related growth are, in turn, related to heightening well- being (Park, 1996). The feeling that one has grown from a negative life event is often viewed as a powerful form of reappraisal or benefit-finding, a type of coping that is generally quite adaptive (as cited in Geise, 2008, p. 2).

Veronika experiences positive personal growth. It happens after she faces great life experiences in her life. After she decides to commit suicide and fails as someone takes her to the asylum, the story continues with Veronika‟s behavioral changes. In Villete, Veronika begins to become more interested in the other patients in order to see her past relationships much more clearly and understand why she feels her life has no meaning. Veronika discovers things she has never really allowed herself to feel before; they are the feeling of hatred, fear, curiosity, love, and even sexual awakening. In the mental asylum, she finds herself falling in

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18 love with Eduard, a schizophrenic patient, and if at all possible she wants to use the remaining time that she has to live with someone that she loves. g. Theory of Love

Goode (1959) states “Love often determines the intensity of an attraction toward or away from an intimate relationship with another person. It can become one element in a decision or action” (p. 38). Veronika‟s love to Eduard, a schizophrenic patient, also leads her to take a big decision. They decide to escape from the mental asylum and they do it successfully. Love can make everything possible with all of their conditions. They enjoy a new life outside the Villete like a normal people in general.

2. Socio-Historical Approach

There are two theories used to analyze the sociological influence toward

Veronika and her decision in attempting to commit suicide. The first is seen from the social conditions and it‟s influences toward the suicidal case in a country. The second is seen from the most frequent gender-specific suicide methods in Europe.

a. Society and Suicide

When seeing the factor, Lester (2008) argues that culture influences the behavior of nationalities, ethnic groups, and subgroups within a nation. The interaction can be explored for the aggregate suicide rate of a culture and for the individual suicide living in a particular society or culture (p. 51).

b. Gender-Specific Suicide Methods in Europe

To identify the most frequent gender-specific suicide methods in Europe,

Värnik et al. (2008) find the proportions of seven predominant suicide methods

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19 utilized in 16 countries participating in the European Alliance Against Depression

(EAAD) which are reported in total and cross-nationally. Relative Risk (RR) relating to the suicide methods and gender was calculated. Therefore, hierarchical clustering was applied for the group of countries by the pattern of suicide methods.

This research takes it‟s concern on the methods of 119.122 cases on males and

41.338 cases on females in 2000-4/5 from 16 EAAD countries, covering 52% of

European population. It is found that:

Hanging was the most prevalent suicide method among both males (54.3%) and females (35.6%). For males, hanging was followed by firearms (9.7%) and poisoning by drugs (8.6%); for females, by poisoning by drugs (24.7%) and jumping from a high place (14.5%). Only in Switzerland did hanging rank as second for males after firearms. Hanging ranked first among females in eight countries, poisoning by drugs in five and jumping from a high place in three. In all countries, males had a higher risk than females of using firearms and hanging and a lower risk of poisoning by drugs, drowning and jumping. Grouping showed that countries might be divided into five main groups among males; for females, grouping did not yield clear results (p. 546).

C. Historical Background

According to (Slovenija - Government of The Republic of Slovenia Public

Relations and Media Office, 2001) Slovenia get it‟s the independence by it separation from Yugoslavia in 1991 after Slovenia experiences the ten days of war.

Government of The Republic of Slovenia also narrates the history about ten days of war as follow:

The ten-day war for Slovenia was a consequence of the Slovenian tendencies towards decentralization and democratization. Slovenia's proposal of a different arrangement of existing relations was rejected. Pressures towards a Greater Serbia, first in Kosovo and then, threateningly in other parts of Yugoslavia caused that a large majority of the Slovene electorate voted for a sovereign, independent state in the December 1990 referendum. After multi-party elections in Slovenia in April 1990, the

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Yugoslav People's Army YPA) began preparations for an armed response to democratic changes in Slovenia and Croatia by confiscating the majority of Territorial Defence (TD) forces' weaponry.

Based on Denovsek and Roktavcar (2012) in Slovenia: Difficulties and strengths of psychiatric research in a small country, Slovenia is a small country with a population of nearly 2.000.000 and an area of about 20.000 km2. Slovenia is a heterogeneous European country which extends from the Mediterranean sea to the Alps mountain. The political history of Slovenia began in the 6th century when the first Caranthania was established. However, on the 13th century until 1918,

Slovenians were ruled by Habsburgs. After 1918, Slovenia became the part of

Yugoslavia. However, as the political and economic crisis of Yugoslavia worsened, the 87% of the population voted for independence in December 1990.

Thus, Slovenia declared the independence on 25 June 1991 and united with the

United Nations in May 1992.

According to a journal from Central Europe Review: Slovenia’s Suicidal

Tendencies, Požun (2013) states “Suicide has been a pressing problem for decades in Slovenia, but stigma and shame have precluded virtually any serious public discussion.” In his journal, Požun also maintains the statistics data which are released by World Health Organization, almost 100.000 people committed suicide in 1998, making it the twelfth leading cause of death worldwide. Slovenia's annual suicide rate is about 30 per 100.000 inhabitants per year and the annual cases are about 600. With its small population of around two millions, this represents a huge problem.

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In a journal, Availability of mental health service providers and suicide rates in Slovenia: A nationwide ecological study reported by (Croatian Medical

Journal [CMJ], 2013) the psychiatric disorder is the major contributing factor in

Slovenia and it could be speculated that access to services. This increases the possibility of diagnosis and treatment. There are three factors that influence the suicide rate in Slovenia, they come from the socioeconomic factors, mental health service availability, and the prevalence of mental disorder based on the geographical area.

The yearly suicide rate per 100.000 inhabitants of the total population in the 12 statistical regions of Slovenia. It is obtained from the Institute of Public

Health of the Republic of Slovenia. Meanwhile, some studies revealed that 80% -

95% of suicide victims in Slovenia had a psychiatric illness and the most common psychiatric disorder in suicide was the untreated major depressions (CMJ, 2013).

Veronika grows on a divorced family. Due to this condition Veronika grows to be an introvert girl. It also gives an influence toward Veronika‟s decision in attempting to commit suicide. Lizardi (2009) states that women raised in divorced families are 1.33 times as likely to attempt suicide. This finding holds true even after adjusting for various confounding factors, such as age, race, and income. According to a theory proposed by Amato‟s in (2000) “divorce causes irreparable harm to all involved, and especially to the children.” On another research, Amato and Sobolewski (2001) also find that divorce permanently weakens the family and the relationship between children and parents (as cited in

Fagan and Churchill, 2012, p. 1).

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From the old bad experiences, Veronika grows to be an introvert person who tends to keep everything alone. It is aligned with Fagan and Churchill‟s theory (2012) which states,

Divorce weakens children‟s health and longevity. It also increases behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric risks, including even suicide The effect of divorce on children‟s hearts, minds, and souls ranges from mild to severe, from seemingly small to observably significant, and from short- term to long-term (p. 2).

After being failed in her suicidal attempt, Veronika gets some medical treatments in a mental asylum called Villete. There, she experiences a personality growth as she finds herself falling in love with Eduard, a schizophrenic patient.

Veronika changes, unlike what she did in her past life, she becomes brave enough to state and struggle on the things that she believes. Goode (1959) describes “love often determines the intensity of an attraction toward or away from an intimate relationship with another person; it can become one element in a decision or action” (p. 38). In the end of the story, Veronika and Eduard make a move, by escaping from the mental asylum

D. Theoretical Framework

The four categories of suicide based on Emille Durkheim and The

International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems

10th Revision (ICD-10) which is released by World Health Organization in 2010 is used to answer the first question on the description of Veronika‟s suicidal attempt.

The Interpersonal-Psychological theory and some reasons mentioned in the novel are used to answer the second question about internal factors that

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23 influencing Veronika‟s suicide attempt. Furthermore, the historical and biographical backgrounds of Slovenians‟ which talks about Slovenians‟ psychological conditions, provide a better understanding for the researcher in analyzing Veronika‟s conditions, especially in finding the external factor that undergoes her trial on committing suicide.

The causes of the suicide tendency, as seen in the main character of Paulo

Coelho‟s, Veronika Decides to Die (2005) might be seen by analyzing its background, since the background of this novel takes place in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Then, it is important to maintain Slovenia‟s condition as a small European country with high suicide rate. Psychiatric disorder is the major contributing factor and it could be speculated that access to services. This increases the possibility of diagnosis and treatment. There are three factors that influence the suicide rate in

Slovenia, they are socioeconomic factors, mental health service availability, and the prevalence of mental disorder based on the geographical area.

While the theories of Behavioral Change and Personal Growth based on

Firman and Gila (2002) are used to answer the third question about the factor that makes the main character in Paulo Coelho‟s, Veronika Decides to Die (2005) realizing and changing her behavior to stop repeating a suicidal attempt. Veronika realizes and changes her behavior to stop repeating a suicidal attempt might happen because of some reflections and revolutionary ways of perceiving life that

Veronika gains in the asylum that she is able to gain her self-realization.

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter consists of two parts. The first part is object of the study. This part contains some brief information on the novel by Paulo Coelho’s Veronika

Decides to Die. The second part is approach of the study. This part contains some explanations about the approach used by the researcher to analyze the novel.

A. Object of the Study

The researcher uses Paulo Coelho’s novel entitled Veronika Decides to Die as the object of this study. This novel was firstly published in Portuguese 1998.

This novel was then translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa and was published in 1999 by HarperCollins Publisher Inc. This story is narrate through twenty nine chapters in 210 pages using the third person out of the story point of view. Although some of the chapters only consist of one to five pages, the readers would find that each chapters is meaningful to construct the story.

Paulo Coelho’s (2005) in Veronika Decides to Die narrates a story that contains lots of value about human life. The story begins with Veronika’s suicidal attempt. Veronika is a perfect, beautiful, young, and a charming woman. She is 24 years old. She sees everything in this world seems to be wrong; she wants to make it right but she has no power to achieve it. Therefore, the only way to deal with that feeling is by ending up her life and feeling the eternal oblivion. She has

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25 already made a plan to commit suicide and she waits for the right time to make it real.

In one evening, Veronika comes to be very sure to do all of her ideations to commit suicide. She starts to swallow four packs of sleeping pills. Instead of crushing and mixing them, she prefer to swallow it one by one because she just wants to feel free if she wants to stop that action halfway. However, the more she swallows the sleeping pills, Veronika just become to be very sure with her decision.

After she swallows all of the sleeping pills, she waits for the pills to take effect. In that crucial time, she decides to read an article in a magazine and she is shocked by the narrations on that magazine. She is amazed that a magazine does not know the location of her country. Then, she has an idea to make her death more logically by writing an email to the magazine and making it as her suicidal notes. She thinks about the controversy that would appear as a young woman kills herself for an honor of her country.

The time goes to the point that Veronika starts to feel the effect of the medicines. She losses her consciousness. She thinks that it would be the end of her life. However, Veronika’s suicidal attempt is failed as someone finds her dying and takes her to the mental asylum.

In the mental asylum, Veronika starts to live with the insane people. She starts to question whether she is truly insane or not. However, the answer that she

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26 gets is that everyone is created as an insane and they are free to do whatever they want.

It is different with Veronika’s personality who tends to keep her feeling and choses to be an introvert girl.

In the mental asylum, Veronika experiences the stage of gradual awakening. She realizes her potential to be a pianist. She knows that in her past life, she cannot reach this dream as her mother does not agree with her decisions and Veronika just obey it.

Veronika also experiences falling in love with a schizophrenic patient,

Eduard. The existence of love then changes both Veronika and Eduard. Both of them are healed. Veronika starts to loves her life, while Eduard starts to be able to speak with others and shares his feeling.

The story ends with Veronika’s and Eduard’s escape from the mental asylum. They chose to live like normal people in general. They go to the café and walk around the Ljubljana. They also rent a room to make love and enjoy their life.

Veronika does not know that she is still able to live for a long time. She knows that death might come in the time that she never knows. Veronika starts to value her life better. She just wants to use the remaining little time that she has for someone that she loves, Eduard.

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Veronika is the novel's central character and it flows through the protagonist type. The narrative is delivered and defined by her journey of transformation, movement from despair into hope, from spiritual, emotional, and even physical imprisonment into freedom. The most important value of Veronika's story is on how the transformations she experiences trigger the transformations in others character such as Eduard. In this context, it is interesting to consider the factors that give the contributions for her transformation in realizing and changing her behavior to stop repeating any suicidal attempt.

B. Approach of the Study

There are many kinds of approaches used in research. This study uses the psychological approach connected with the historical approach on Slovenia’s

National Profile and Suicidal Case Data. The psychological approach is mostly supported by Emille Durkheim with his theory about the type of suicide, combined with the theory about interpersonal-psychological by Jessica D. Ribeiro and

Thomas E. Joiner which maintains that the desire for death by suicide results from the conﬂuence of two interpersonal states and has a signiﬁcant positive correlation between suicidal ideation and feelings of thwarted belongingness

The writer also uses the historical approach to analyze the socio-historical background of Slovenia so that it can lead a bright view upon the factors that might give some influences on how Veronika tries to commit suicide and after that transforms herself to accept her life and stop her attempt in committing suicide.

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The writer maintains this approach because the historical background of a country might explain the social conditions, the psychological conditions of that nation, and also the suicidal tendencies which exist in that country. As follow, the socio- historical background of a country may also give some influences toward the citizen behaviors.

It can be stated that Veronika’s growth is affected by the environment.

Then, the influence of the society where she lives, her parents, the mental asylum,

Zedka, Marie, Edward, and dr. Igor’s existence might affect this transformation.

The theory from Emille Durkheim about the type of suicide will be used to analyze the type of Veronika’s suicidal attempt. Then, the International Statistical

Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision or the (ICD-

10) (2010) which is released by World Health Organization is used to analyze the method used by Veronika on her suicidal attempt. By conducting a deep analysis on the story, the theory of interpersonal-psychological is connected with the conditions of Veronikas’s family background, Slovenia’s national profile, and

Slovenia’s suicidal case data to analyze the internal and external factors of the suicide tendency, as seen in Veronika. While the theory about love, behavioral change on the self-realization point, and personal growth is used to analyze factor that influencing Veronika’s behavioral changes that happen in the last part of the story.

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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter covers the analysis which is required in order to answer the questions stated on the research questions in chapter one. This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part starts with the description of Veronika‘s suicidal attempt type, method, and reason, which are based on the psychological study and its correlations with the global health diagnostic standard. The second is the revelations of the factors that might give some influences toward Veronika‘s decisions on her suicidal attempt. The third part is the reveal of the factors that might give some influences toward Veronika‘s decisions on her behavioral changes, as she is able to realize that her life is meaningful and never show any tendency of repeating any suicidal attempt.

A. The Descriptions of Veronika’s Suicidal Attempt

People get older and experience unpredictable things in their life; it is common for them having an experience of being depressed. In a very desperate situation, they might lose their self-control. Moreover it is possible for them to do unreasonable and irresponsible actions. This point is what being narrated by Paulo

Coelho (2005) in his novel, Veronika Decides to Die.

Veronika is considered as the major character of this novel because her story of life and her behavioral changes become the center topic in this novel. It is

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30 aligned with Abrams‘ (1981) theory which states ―major character is the most important character of the story; the readers usually focus on this character including their behavior, attitude actions, and speech from the beginning up to the end of the story‖ (p. 23).

According to Smith (1983) ―Suicide is the act of intentionally destroying oneself or a violent self-inflicted destructive action resulting in death. The decision to commit suicide is almost always a combination of a wish to live and wish to die.

This is called ambivalence‖ (p. 129). This ambivalence also happens within

Veronika, along the way she plans and decides to commit suicide. After she has been planning it for several months, in the end, she tries to commit suicide by taking four packs of sleeping pills in her rent room and swallowing it one by one.

On November 11, 1997, Veronika decided that the moment to kill herself had—at last!—arrived. She carefully cleaned the room that she rented in a convent, turned off the heat, brushed her teeth, and lay down. SHE PICKED up the four packs of sleeping pills from her bedside table. Instead of crushing them and mixing them with water, she decided to take them one by one, because there is always a gap between intention and action, and she wanted to feel free to turn back halfway. With each pill she swallowed, however, she felt more convinced: After five minutes the packs were empty (p.1).

Veronika intentionally violates herself by swallowing four packs of sleeping pills. There is a combination of a wish to live and a wish to die as she decides to take them one by one, instead of crushing them and mixing them with water. The ambivalence happens within Veronika, as she wants to feel free to turn back halfway, even when Veronika wants to end up her life, deep inside her heart, she is not sure with this decision.

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1. Type of Suicide

According to Emille Durkheim‘s theory, there are four categories of suicide.

The first is egoistic suicide, which happens when a person no longer finds a basis for existence in life. The second, altruistic suicide, which occurs when suicide is considered heroic. The third is anomic suicide, which happens when there is a great change in the person‘s family and social relationships. The person is not ready to live with the change. The forth is fatalistic suicide. It occurs among prisoners, slaves, or others, in situations of excessive regulation (as cited in Smith,

1983, p. 129).

Table 4.1 Veronika’s Suicidal Attempt Based on The Four Types of Suicide The Connection With Type Veronika’s Suicidal Trial Type 1: Egoistic suicide This type occurs in Veronika‘s Happens when a person no longer Suicidal Trial finds a basis for existence in life Type 2: Altruistic suicide This type occurs in Veronika‘s Happens when suicide is considered Suicidal Trial heroic Type 3: Anomic suicide This type occurs in Veronika‘s Happens when there is a great Suicidal Trial change in the person‘s family and social relationships. The person is not ready to live with the change

Type 4: Fatalistic suicide This type does not occur in Occurs among prisoners, slaves, or Veronika‘s Suicidal Trial others, in situations of excessive regulation

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The type of Veronika‘s suicidal attempt is the combinations of egoistic suicide, altruistic suicide, and anomic suicide, but not fatalistic suicide. It belongs to egoistic suicide because in Veronika‘s suicidal trial, losing the meaning of life is the main reason for her actions. It is considered as heroic because in the time when she has already swallowed the sleeping pills, she tries to make her death as it is because of the society‘s conditions, and makes it seem like she commits her suicide in honor of her country because a magazine does not know about her country. It can also be considered as anomic suicide because she ever experiences living within a broken family in her teenage and she cannot perceives the meaning of love. She thinks that everything is wrong, and she had no way of putting things right. It makes her feel powerless.

Veronika‘s suicidal attempt does not belongs to fatalistic suicide, as this type occurs among prisoners, slaves, or others in situations of excessive regulation while Veronika is a free young woman, her life is perfect and she can get anything she wants. The only problem that she faces is that she loses the meaning of life.

a. Egoistic Suicide

It happens when a person no longer finds a basis for existence in life, it is as a result of too little social integrations. Hoolu (1998) describes an example that

Durkheim discovers is upon unmarried people, particularly males, with less to bind and connect them to stable social norms and goals, commit suicide at higher rates than unmarried people. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Veronica is a perfect, single, young, and charming woman, whose life runs perfectly. She can get everything she wants. She often has some dates, goes dancing and ends up with sex, but she has not had any serious relationship yet.

At twenty-four, having experienced everything she could experience—and that was no small achievement—Veronika was almost certain that everything ended with death. That is why she had chosen suicide: freedom at last. Eternal oblivion (p. 8).

However, it is difficult for her to find a basis of her existence in life; she has a lot of fears in facing her life, even small things can make her feel depressed. She comes to be powerless and loses the meaning of life, she decides to isolate herself from any relationship. All of those depressions are accumulated and Veronika is no longer able to find a basis and reasons for existence in her life.

She believed herself to be completely normal. Two very simple reasons lay behind her decision to die, and she was sure that, were she to leave a note explaining, many people would agree with her. The first reason: Everything in her life was the same and, once her youth was gone, it would be downhill all the way, with old age beginning to leave irreversible marks, the onset of illness, the departure of friends. She would gain nothing by continuing to live; indeed, the likelihood of suffering would only increase (pp. 6-7).

b. Altruistic Suicide

According to Smith (1983) altruistic suicide happens when suicide is considered heroic. It is when society takes control of an individual so tightly. The individual spirit joins with the societal spirit and can create a sense of duty. The most common occurrence is involved with the military. Though this suicide is still caused by unhappiness, there is more of a sense of duty or honor.

The final act of her life would be to write a letter to the magazine, explaining that Slovenia was one of the five republics into which the former Yugoslavia had been divided. The letter would be her suicide note. She would give no explanation of the real reasons for her death. When they find her body, they will conclude that she had killed herself because a magazine did not know PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

where her country was. She laughed to think of the controversy in the newspapers, with some for and some against her suicide, committed in honor of her country‘s cause (p. 6).

After she swallows four packs of sleeping pills, Veronika reads a magazine and feels surprised that the magazine does not know about her country. Then, she has an idea to make her suicide sound more logical by sending an email to the magazine and make her death seem heroic, as an honor for her country. Here, she wants to make a controversy to build an incorrect perception about her reasons to commit suicide upon the readers. c. Anomic Suicide

Anomic suicide is the type of suicide which happens when there is a great change in someone‘s family and social relationships, and the person is not ready to live with the change. It is caused by a disruptive relationship. Dunman (1999) explains that anomic suicide happens when life is no longer seems to have a meaning and as a result, it can make someone lose their personal contacts. He also breaks down Durkheim‘s theory on anomic suicide into four specific categories.

The first is acute economic anomie; it is a sporadic decrease in the ability of traditional institutions. The second is chronic economic anomie, which is the long- term decreases of social regulation. The third is acute domestic anomie. It is the sudden changes on the micro-social level. Then, the last is chronic domestic anomie. It refers to the way marriage as an institution regulates the sexual and behavioral balance among men and women. However, marriage has traditionally served to overregulate the lives of women. Unmarried women, therefore, do not experience chronic domestic anomie as closely as the unmarried men do. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Veronica‘s lack of self-acceptance is caused by the environment, the society‘s conditions of Slovenia and by her past life experiences that make her fragile. Veronika‘s anomic suicide can be categorized as acute domestic anomie and chronic economic anomie.

The second reason was more philosophical: Veronika read the newspapers, watched TV, and she was aware of what was going on in the world. Everything was wrong, and she had no way of putting things right—that gave her a sense of complete powerlessness (p. 7).

It belongs to acute domestic anomie because there are sudden changes on the micro-social level from how her country experiences rapid changes after the ten days war. It also belongs to chronic economic anomie because there are some ethnic, religious, and economic tensions happening in Slovenia. Slovenia gets their independence in 1991, as a newly formed republic, the political conditions of this country is unstable yet.

2. Method of Suicide

There are various ways used by people who attempt to commit suicide.

Based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health

Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) released by World Health Organization (2010), there are 24 suicidal methods listed, such as crashing of aircraft, electrocution, hanging, strangulation and suffocation, drowning and submersion, handgun discharge, rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge.

In Veronika‘s suicidal trial case, the diagnoses upon the method used by

Veronika to end up her life based on the International Statistical Classification of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) Chapter XX; suicidal trial, are analyzed as follow:

Table 4.2 The Diagnoses of Veronika’s Suicidal Attempt External causes of morbidity and mortality, code (V01-Y98)

Intentional self-harm, code (X60-X84) Including: Purposely self-inflicted poisoning or injury Suicide (attempted) X61 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to antiepileptic, sedative- hypnotic, anti-parkinsonism and psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified Including: Antidepressants Tranquillizers X64 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances Including: Agents primarily acting on smooth and skeletal muscles and the respiratory system anaesthetics (general)(local) Drugs affecting the:  cardiovascular system  gastrointestinal system  hormones and synthetic substitutes  systemic and hematological agents  systemic antibiotics and other anti-infective  therapeutic gases  topical preparations  vaccines  water-balance agents and drugs affecting mineral and uric acid metabolism

The method used by Veronika in the way she tries to end up her life is coded as X-61 because she is purposely poisoning her body by taking an overdose of sleeping pills which can be categorized as tranquillizers. It is coded as X-64 as the effect of the sleeping pills affecting her cardiovascular system, systemic, and hematological agents.

up the four packs of sleeping pills from her bedside table. Instead of crushing them and mixing them with water, she decided to take them one by one, because there is always a gap between intention and action, and she wanted to feel free to turn back halfway. With each pill she swallowed, however, she felt more convinced: After five minutes the packs were empty (p.1).

Värnik et al. (2008) narrates the method of suicide based on the most frequent gender-specific suicide methods in Europe. In his research, the proportions of seven predominant suicide methods utilized in 16 countries participating in the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD) were reported in total and cross-nationally. It takes the concern about the methods for 119.122 male and 41.338 female cases in 2000- 4/5 from 16 EAAD countries, covering

52% of European population were obtained. It was found that hanging was the most prevalent suicide method among both males (54.3%) and females (35.6%).

For males, hanging was followed by firearms (9.7%) and poisoning by drugs

(8.6%); for females, by poisoning by drugs (24.7%) and jumping from a high place

(14.5%).

Base on the data of the most frequent gender-specific suicide methods in

Europe, it can be seen that European female‘s suicidal method through poisoning by drugs was quite high. From the total case, 24.7% of women prefer to poison themselves by drugs. This method also used by Veronika in her suicidal attempt.

Instead of jumping from the bridge, hanging, or slashing her wrist, she prefers to take an overdose of sleeping pills. She also believes that this option is the most suites for women with their feminine nature.

Shooting, jumping off a high building, hanging, none of these options suited her feminine nature. Women, when they kill themselves, choose far more romantic methods—like slashing their wrists or taking an overdose of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

sleeping pills. Abandoned princesses and Hollywood actresses have provided numerous examples of this (pp. 3-4).

B. Factors Influencing Suicidal Attempt

Literary conflict includes the internal conflict that can be called man versus self-conflict and external conflict, which includes man versus man, man versus nature, man versus society, and man versus fate. The type of story being told determines all the way conflicts are used and how the conflicts are resolved.

Ruch (1967) in his psychological theories of motivation narrates that in order to understand a person‘s behavior in a certain situation, both of their external and internal situations, which play an extremely important role in arousing and directing their behavior, should be understood and recognized. (p.122)

In Veronika Decides to Die, the major conflict of the story is Veronika‘s suicidal attempt; it might be caused by some internal factors and external factors.

The internal factors are within Veronika‘s self-conflict. While the external factors of Veronika‘s suicide come from the impact of the society and culture. In

Veronika‘s case, the problems are upon Veronika and her society. She tends to alienates herself from the society and prefers to live alone. The individual‘s feeling of despairs and culture might affect the tendency of suicide. According to Lester

(2008), culture provides a set of rules and standards that are shared by members of a society. These rules and standards shape and determine the range of appropriate behaviors.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

1. Internal Factors Takahashi (2001) narates patients who are aware of the feelings of despair, hopelessness, and worthlessness also require special attention. Certain researchers attach great importance to patients‘ feelings of despair as a predictor of suicide.

Therefore, there are three major internal factors discussed in this section. The first factor is seen through Veronika‘s personality – as an introvert young woman who tends to stands on her own feet. Then, the other factors seen from Veronika‘s feelings upon her life. The analysis is upon the powerlessness that becomes

Veronika‘s main reason for attempting to commit suicide. The last factor analyzes through Veronika‘s Interpersonal-Psychological stage and its relations with her suicidal attempt, especially with her desire and the capability to engage in suicidal attempt. The stage of Interpersonal-Psychological stands within the combinations of two factors; they are perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness.

Those factors happens from the accumulations of the powerlessness and loneliness in people with introvert personality. a. Introvert

Batho (2015) states individuals in their life experience ‗existential loneliness‘, a term which refers to two main features are: ‗individuation‘ and

‗isolation.‘ Veronika is an introvert character. Therefore, this personality later on makes her become completely powerless. She tends to keep her feeling rather than shares it with others. She isolates herself from any relationship; she prefers to stay in her rent room to read or watch the same old programs alone rather than hang out with her friends. She likes to pretend as she is fine and makes other people think that her life runs perfectly. However, the true feeling inside her heart is on the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

40 opposite. She also has problems, whether it comes from her past life or her recent daily life.

I‘ll try to read a book, turn on the TV to see the same old programs, set the alarm clock to wake up at exactly the same time I woke up the day before, and mechanically repeat my tasks at the library. Then I‘ll go back to work; I‘ll listen to the gossip about who‘s going out with whom, who‘s suffering from what, how such and such a person was in tears about her husband, and I‘ll be left with the feeling that I‘m privileged: I‘m pretty, I have a job, I can have any boyfriend I choose. So I‘ll go back to the bars at the end of the day, and the whole thing will start again (pp. 21-22).

She lives within the monotone style, as everything is repeated mechanically and every day the whole thing will start again. Living a monotonous life can make someone feel bored and lose the meaning of life, as there is nothing different on the day by day of his or her life. Moreover, the monotonous life happens within the loneliness. In Veronika‘s case, those repeated activities happen for a long period.

Although she never cares about it, all of those conditions make her lose the meaning of life and make her fall down into an existential loneliness. Then, the way she chooses to be an introvert girl makes a big contribution towards her idea of attempting to commit suicide. b. Powerless

According to Batho (2015) individuals who experience themselves to be powerless manifest a loss of familiarity with themselves and their environments, also an increased sense of insecurity, and existential loneliness. Furthermore, individuals often find that they are unable to be themselves, leaving them hopeless and depressed (p. 3). Veronika also experiences those steps. She feels insecure, as she sees everything in the world seems to be wrong. She wants to make it right but she does not have any power for it, and the only way to deal with it is to end up her PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

41 life. The complete powerlessness that Veronika feels is caused by the lack of perception towards her own self, after she experiences the existential loneliness as she isolates her selves from any relationship.

Those who experience powerlessness do not feel as though they had lost an ability to do some activities or lost the power to control others as they cannot control their own selves. Rather, they experienced themselves to have lost the power to be one way or another.

It goes beyond the feeling of powerlessness, Veronika starts to hate herself for everything that she cannot do, and she also disregards her past life. She wants to kill her old personality and behavior as the effect of the complete powerlessness that makes her depressed. Through this stage, Veronika lose the power to be a person that she wants. She experiences the losses of familiarity within herself and the environments. Therefore, all of those processes leave Veronika in a depression.

It can be seen in the way Veonika hates everything, but mainly she hates the way she has lived her life. (p.69)

We are all brought up only to love, to accept, to look for ways around things, to avoid conflict. Veronika hated everything, but mainly she hated the way she had lived her life, never bothering to discover the hundreds of other Veronikas who lived inside her and who were interesting, crazy, curious, brave, and bold (p. 68). c. Interpersonal-Psychological

According to the interpersonal-psychological theory by Ribeiro & Joiner et al. (2009) there are two factors that might affect people in attempting to commit PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

42 suicide (p.1292). They occur when people perceive burdensomeness from their environment as they start to have a misperception that their existence just becomes the burden of others and the feelings of thwarted belongingness or feels like they are alienated from the society. The attempt does not instantly happen, but through a long process from someone‘s conditions that create an ideation as a wish to die until they have a desire to kill themselves.

Veronika‘s suicidal attempt begins with the loneliness feeling that she perceives through her monotonous life. It drives her into the thwarted belongingness stage. From this stage, Veronika ever has ideations about conducting suicide which is on the stage of passive suicide ideations. For about four weeks, she makes a suicidal plan; she has already prepared four packs of sleeping pills but she is still able to manage herself from her desires to commit suicide. However, Veronika feels powerless, she sees everything in the world seems to be wrong. She wants to make it right, but she does not have any power for it. The only way to deal with it is to end up her life. The desire to kill herself never changes, until it comes to the moment when she is ready to swallow those four packs of sleeping pills.

Briefly, Joiner (2005) describes the most dangerous form of suicidal desire is caused by the simultaneous presence of two interpersonal constructs which are thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. The capability to engage in suicidal behavior is separated from the desire to engage in suicidal behavior.

That is what happens in Veronika‘s case. Even Veronika only perceives the feeling PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

of thwarted belongingness, but her desire of committing suicide is high and she

has the capability for it.

Interpersonal factors are related to the relations between someone and their

society; however the reflection of those feelings actually affects someone‘s

mindset and therefore becomes their internal problems. The internal problems of

the main character of Paulo Coelho‘s (2005), Veronika Decides to Die are

analyzed base from the interpersonal-psychological theory by Ribeiro and Joineret

et al (2009) as follow:

Table 4.3 Veronika’s Interpersonal-Psychological Stage

The Connection With Interpersonal States Typical Veronika’s Character Perceived Refers to the potentially Burdensomeness dangerous misperception that the self is so incompetent that one‘s existence is a burden on friends, This factor does not family members, and/or society. occur The feeling of being a burden on others may lead to the potentially dangerous belief that one‘s death is worth more than one‘s life Thwarted Feeling alienated from friends, Belongingness family, or other values in social This factor is occurs circles, as a risk factor for developing the desire for suicide *) Although both states independently are associated with elevated risk for developing the desire for suicide, risk is greatest when both states are experienced concurrently

In Veronika‘s case, the main factor that influences her idea to commit

suicide is the occurrence of thwarted belongingness. It is the feeling of alienation

from friends, family, or other values in social circles, as a risk factor for

developing the desire for suicide. However, this stage is not caused by Veronika‘s

environment or society, but she is the one who alienates herself from any kind of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

44 relationship. The thwarted belongingness state happens in Veronika‘s life is actually an internal conflict because it occurs within her own selves and becomes her own problem.

2. External Factors

Lester (2008) describes that culture influences the behavior of nationalities, ethnic groups, and subgroups within a nation. Therefore, there are two major external factors discussed in this section. Suicidal tendency factor can also be seen from the national graphic of suicide as the culture of a country can influences the behavior of nationalities, ethnic groups, and subgroups within a nation. Then, the data of Slovenia historical suicide statistic rate are considered to analyze

Veronika‘s external factor of her suicidal tendency. The other external factors of

Veronika‘s suicidal tendency are seen from the conditions of her past life, especially through her family background. a. Slovenia’s Profile and Suicidal Case Data

Lester (2008) describes ―culture influences the behavior of nationalities, ethnic groups, and subgroups within a nation. The interaction can be explored for the aggregate suicide rate of a culture and also for the individual suicide living in a particular society or culture.‖ The impact of culture on suicide, both at the collective level and the individual level is important to be discussed. Those points are important because culture provides some sets of rules and standards that are shared by a society (p. 51). PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Therefore, the setting of place and culture in Paulo Coelho‘s Veronika

Decides to Die (2005) takes place in Slovenia. It is narrated that the main character, Veronika is a Slovenian young woman.

Honestly, she thought, no one ever knows where Slovenia is. But Slovenia existed nonetheless, and it was outside, inside, in the mountains around her and in the square she was looking out at: Slovenia was her country (p. 2).

According to (Slovenija - Government of The Republic of Slovenia Public

Relations and Media Office, 2001) Slovenia got the independence by its separation from Yugoslavia in 1991 after Slovenia experienced the ten days of war.

According to Požun‘s (2013) journal from the Central Europe Review on

Slovenia’s Suicidal Tendencies, ―Suicide has been a pressing problem for decades in Slovenia, but stigma and shame have precluded virtually any serious public discussion.‖

The political and economic conditions of Slovenia as a newly formed

European country are not stable yet. This chaotic national condition caused the suicidal case in Slovenia quite high. Due to its small population, this problem is quite serious. It can be stated that committing suicide is commonly happens in this country. The fact also being narrated in the novel. When a community has a major problem to face - for example, war, hyperinflation, or plague - there is a slight increase in the number of suicides.

Moreover, recent research had shown that while wars did have their psychological victims, they were far fewer than, say, the victims of stress, tedium, congenital illness, loneliness, and rejection. When a community had a major problem to face—for example, war, hyperinflation, or plague—there was a slight increase in the number of suicides but a marked decline in cases of depression, paranoia, and psychosis. These returned to their normal levels as soon as that problem had been overcome, indicating, or so Dr. Igor PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

thought, that people only allow themselves the luxury of being insane when they are in a position to do so (p. 76).

According to World Health Organization statistics that are reported by Požun

(2013) almost 100.000 Slovenian people committed suicide in 1998. Slovenia's annual suicide rate is about 30 per 100.000 inhabitants per year, giving an annual total of about 600. With its small population of around two millions, this represents a huge problem.

The story of Veronika sets on November 11th, 1997. It means that the setting of time of this story takes place when Slovenia was on the early stage in rebuilding the country. Political and economic conditions were still unstable and all of these conditions affected the mental health in this country.

Taking an overview of the World Health Organization statistics, it is reported that almost 100.000 people committed suicide in 1998. In line with these data, it can be stated that committing suicide commonly happened in this country.

Veronika‘s suicidal attempt also happened during this period. Then, it can be concluded that Veronika‘s story is contextual toward the condition happened in that time. Therefore, the huge number of suicidal case and the national mental health conditions can be categorized as the factors that affect Veronika‘s ideations on her suicidal attempt.

From the statistical data reported by Värnik et al. (2008) on the proportions of seven predominant suicide methods, it can be seen that women tends to use the suicidal method of poisoning themselves using pesticide. The women‘s suicidal attempts in Slovenia were also quite high if it is compared with its small population. This data also explain that Veronika‘s suicidal attempt is affected by PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

47 the conditions of her national population. With the high rate of women suicidal cases in her country, and as the majority of those cases tent to use poison as the method of the suicide, then Veronika‘s ideations on her suicidal attempt can be caused by the condition happening around her. b. Family Background

Durkheim (1897) hypothesizes in his book Le Suicide, ―suicide rates vary negatively with the level of social integration (conceptualized as the opposite of anomia, isolation and egoism) of individual groups.‖ He also highlights that the roles of religious integration and varying family circumstances takes place(p. 6).

Amato (2000) states that divorce causes irreparable harm to all involved, but most especially to the children. Divorce also permanently weakens the family and the relationship between children and parents. The effect of divorce on children‘s hearts, minds, and souls ranges from mild to severe, from seemingly small to observably significant, and from short-term to long-term.

Veronica‘s grows within a broken family. Her parents got divorce when she was a teenager. It makes Veronika hate her father. The hatred toward her father grows along the way she turns to be a young woman. Veronika uses to dream of getting married to a man quite different from her father, as she does not want to be ignored as what happened to her mother. Coelho (2005) also narrates Veronika‘s hatred toward her father in the novel ―When she used to dream of getting married, she imagined herself in a little house outside Ljubljana, with a man quite different from her father‖ (p.44). PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

The main reason for Veronika‘s hatred toward his father is that he has always been so charming and so open with everyone except her mother. She hates the condition happening around her, especially on the way her father never cares about Veronika‘s mother. Veronika thinks that none of those conditions is fair for her mother, as she believe that her mother must be the only person who really deserved to get such great treatment from his father.

And her father? She hated her father too, because, unlike her mother, who worked all the time, he knew how to live; he took her to bars and to the theater, they had fun together; and when he was still young, she had loved him secretly, not the way one loves a father, but as a man. She hated him because he had always been so charming and so open with everyone except her mother, the only person who really deserved such treatment (p.69).

From the old bad experiences, Veronika grows to be an introvert person who tends to keep everything alone. It is aligned with Fagan and Churchill‘s (2012) theory which states,

Divorce weakens children‘s health and longevity. It also increases behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric risks, including even suicide The effect of divorce on children‘s hearts, minds, and souls ranges from mild to severe, from seemingly small to observably significant, and from short-term to long-term (p. 2).

An earlier study by Lizardi (2009) found that women raised in divorced families are 1.33 times as likely to attempt suicide; this finding holds true even after adjusting for various confounding factors, such as age, race, and income. This link between parental divorce and the rise in adolescent suicide has been found again and again in the literature. Veronika‘s experience of growing within a broken family contributes to her future actions in attempting to commit suicide.

What happens in Veronika‘s life is an effect of her past life. Growing within PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

49 divorced families makes her lose the meaning of love that she should gain and learn from her family and it makes her fragile.

One day, when she had listened to her mother telling her, in tears, that her marriage was over, Veronika had sought out her father; she had cried, threatened, and finally extracted a promise from him that he would not leave home, never imagining the high price her parents would have to pay for this (p.43-44).

C. The Factors Influencing Veronika’s Behavioral Changes

In the last part, it is stated that Veronika experiences a change of her behavior, at this stage she realizes how precious her life is. The behavioral change happens when she is lives in the mental asylum, it influences her behavior, especially in order to achieve positive policies.

Prochaska et al. (1992) concentrate on the intentional change which becomes a phenomenon. It is a part societal or imposed change (p. 1102). Veronika‘s intentional changes are formed by the personal growth. Veronika‘s personal growth directs her into a new intention to life. The intention itself is an outcome of the combination of attitudes toward her behavior after she gets some help from Dr,

Igor and the psychotherapist in Villete.

The behavioral changes begin with Veronika who survives from the suicidal attempt. She does not die, but she comes to consciousness in the notorious lunatic asylum, Villete, where she is told by Dr. Igor that her attempt to kill herself, initially unsuccessful, will inevitably succeed. She has damaged her heart to the point where it will be unable to sustain her life for much longer than five days. In the mental asylum, Veonika‘s personality is growing. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Those behavioral changes are affected by the process of self-realization,

Firman and Gila (2002) narrates behavioral changes as, “the ongoing dynamic between ―I‖ and self throughout all life experiences and a person willingly accepts his/her unconscious part which holds the true potential.‖ A person feels it as they acquire a new experience in their life whether the new experience is joyful or painful (p. 191).

The self-realization occurs when Veronika meets dr. Igor, who tells her that she has only few days before death takes her soul as the condition of her heart is very poor as the effect of her suicidal attempt. Veronika feels fear. Therefore,

Veronika‘s fear comes from her lower unconscious, as she feels that she has been guilty toward her parents, she feels that she fails to repay the love from her parents and her suicidal attempt just makes her parents sad and disappointed.

On the other side, along with the process of Veronika‘s realization, the mental asylum environment provides freedom for everyone who stays inside of it.

Most of the inhabitants are insane, but not all of the inhabitants are insane because there are some sane people who choose to stay in the asylum as they think that the mental asylum is the only comfortable place for them to stay because it provides freedom for everyone. Looking on the craziness in the mental asylum, Veronika always asks why she should get a treatment in that hospital, as she thinks that she is sane and does not need any mental medications. However, the answer that she gets from the nurse is that everyone is created within craziness.

I don‘t know what it means to be crazy,‖ whispered Veronika. ―But I‘m not. I‘m just a failed suicide.‖ ―Anyone who lives in her own world is crazy. Like schizophrenics, psychopaths, maniacs. I mean people who are different from others (p. 33).

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

The conditions in Villete changes Veronika‘s personality. Veronika starts to be curious about other‘s problems, thinks about other people, she also becomes more aware and cares about the conditions of her surroundings. She becomes a better person with better values and perspectives about her life and other‘s life.

At that moment she hated everything: herself, the world, the chair in front of her, the broken radiator in one of the corridors, people who were perfect, criminals. She was in a mental hospital, and so, she could allow herself to feel things that people usually hide. We are all brought up only to love, to accept, to look for ways around things, to avoid conflict. Veronika hated everything, but mainly she hated the way she had lived her life, never bothering to discover the hundreds of other Veronikas who lived inside her and who were interesting, crazy, curious, brave, and bold (p. 68).

Therefore, there are three factors influencing Veronika‘s behavioral change.

The first is the freedom given in Villete that allows Veronika to experience the new way of life which is different from her past life. From this freedom, Veronika perceives the meaning of her life better than before; she becomes more open, and she is no longer isolates herself from the society. The second aspect is Veronika‘s own personal growth as she starts to realize her old dream as a pianist; she shares her dream with Eduard a schizophrenic patient. Until the end of the story,

Veronika‘s personality growth can be seen from the way she makes a big decision bravely by her escaped from the Villete. The third factor influencing Veronika‘s behavioral change is the love finding, she finds the meaning of love from Eduard.

She is falling in love with him and she decides to make an escape from the mental asylum with Eduard and live outside as normal people.

1. Freedom

Villete gives freedom to the inhabitants living inside of it. The inhabitants are never asked to fulfill the criteria to be a normal and ideal person. In the mental PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

52 asylum, the inhabitants do believe that everyone is created as crazy. Therefore, they are free to become anything that they want.

This condition is quite different with Veronika‘s condition before living in the mental asylum. She has to live and strike forward as the set of rules existing in the society. Living alone with all the activities from days by days happens in a routine schedule; the boundary that limits Veronika‘s life then becomes a pressure on her life. In Villete, everyone is allowed to do anything they want. There are no schedule, and patient is no longer have to take on responsibilities.

In a mental hospital, a person grows used to the freedom that exists in the world of insanity and becomes addicted to it. You no longer have to take on responsibilities, to struggle to earn your daily bread, to be bothered with repetitive, mundane tasks. You could spend hours looking at a picture or making absurd doodles. Everything is tolerated because, after all, the person is mentally ill. As she herself had the occasion to observe, most of the inmates showed a marked improvement once they entered the hospital. They no longer had to hide their symptoms, and the ―family‖ atmosphere helped them to accept their own neuroses and psychoses (p. 53).

This freedom changes Veronika from the very strict person into someone different that she never knows. The first change can be seen in the way she expresses her anger and fights over stupid things when she meets the Fraternity.

While she is passing by, the entire Fraternity members insults her. After Veronika perceives the freedom in Villete, she lets herself express her anger by slapping the oldest man of the Fraternity (p. 45). Veronika also gives freedom toward her sexual desire, as one of the personal wills, she unleashes her desire to Eduard by masturbating in front of him. The result of that choice makes her soul becomes light (pp. 132-133). PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

She perceives freedom and her past behavior changes. She turns to be the new Veronika. She is no longer isolates herself. She becomes much better in expressing her feeling and more open with the conditions surrounds her.

2. Personal Growth

Broadly, personal growth is defined as the subjective experience of change, in behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, which are in turn experienced as adaptive.

Such change might take form as greater mastery of one‘s everyday environment or it might arise as greater resilience in the face of obstacles and challenges. Personal growth might be experienced as coming about as a result of various life experiences; for instance, the experience of a trauma or attending a leadership conference might be believed to result in growth. On the other hand, personal growth might be an activity that one is dynamically engaged in, such as each day one sets aside time to play scales on the piano. Some individuals may self- consciously ―work on themselves‖ to attain higher levels of those abilities, skills, and characteristics they value.

Geise (2008) defines personal growth as ―the subjective experience of change in behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, which are in turn experienced as adaptive.‖ This change takes from as greater mastery of someone‘s everyday environment or it might arise when someone faces obstacles and challenges.

Personal growth might be experienced as the result of various life experiences (p.

2).

Certainly, when faced with a traumatic or stressful experience, individuals often report a sense of having grown from the experience e.g., Tedeschi and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Calhoun (1995); Park, Cohen, & Murch (1996). Park (1996) also narrates ―in some ways or another, experiences are interpreted as having taught us something about ourselves and about the world.‖ Reports of stress-related growth are, in turn, related to heightened well-being (as cited in Geise, 2008, p. 2).

Locked in the mental asylum with other insane people after she fails to commit suicide, Veronika struggles come to terms with both her disappointment and her awaiting success. Over the days that follow, Veronica always questions about whether she is truly insane or not. Veronika also becomes curious about what it means to be crazy.

In the mental asylum, Veronika experiences a gradual awakening of interest in experiences both new and old, finding in herself. She is falling in love with a schizophrenic patient, Eduard, and she is drawn to a piano in the asylum's common room. One night, under the light of the new moon, she realizes the awakening of her old dream, which is related to her talent to play the piano. As Eduard watches, she finds herself playing in the ways she has never had before

Veronika realizes her potential which is playing the piano. Veronika knows it since childhood that her true vocation is to be a pianist. However, In her past life, Veronika cannot reach her dream to be a pianist as her mother never agrees with this choice and she tends to obey her mother. In Villete, Veronika is able to realize this talent and express it because the mental asylum provides freedom for everyone who stays inside of it.

But, whenever she had felt pleased about a competition she had just won and said to her mother that she intended to give up everything and dedicate herself to the piano, her mother would look at her fondly and say: ―No one makes a living playing the piano, my love.‖ ―But you were the one who PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

wanted me to have lessons.‖ ―To develop your artistic gifts, that‘s all. A husband likes that kind of thing in a wife; he can show you off at parties. Forget about being a pianist, and go and study law, that‘s the profession of the future (p. 94).

She shares her dreams with Eduard and begins to be more open, and wants to know other‘s opinions. Reflecting on her past life and learning from the conditions in Villete, Veronika begins to be dare enough to choose and believe in her ability.

Unlike what she did in her past life, she becomes brave enough to express and struggles for the things that she really wants.

In spite of having a series of painful and frightening heart attacks, Veronika has the desire to try even more experiences and live as fully as she can in her remaining time. Unlike what she feels in her past life, Veronika really wants to use her only little time meaningfully. She uses the little remaining time of her life for some unforgettable activities with someone that she loves, Eduard.

For purposes of his own, Dr. Igor has manipulated Veronika into believing that she is about to die when she is, in fact, going to live. Therefore, Veronika‘s awakening and personal growth happens at the bottom part of the story. It happens in the part when Veronica and Eduard decide to make an escape from the Villete, and they do it.

Sooner or later Veronika would realize that she wasn‘t going to die of a heart attack. She would probably go to a specialist who would tell her that her heart was perfectly normal. She would decide that the doctor who had taken care of her in Villete was a complete incompetent; but then, all those who dare to research into forbidden subjects require both a certain amount of courage and a good dose of incomprehension (p. 209).

Veronika and Eduard celebrate their freedom and follows by, Dr. Igor that celebrates the successfulness of his experiment. Veronika‘s experiences a new PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

56 vision upon her life, feelings as a response towards her reflections. It is manifests in her intentional actions. From her bravery, it can be seen that Veronika gains the personality growth after experiencing the stage of self-realization, which creates a new personality in Veronikas‘s life.

But what about the many days that she would have to live with the fear of imminent death? Dr. Igor pondered the arguments long and hard and decided that it didn‘t really matter. She would consider each day a miracle—which indeed it is, when you consider the number of unexpected things that could happen in each second of our fragile existences (p. 209).

3. Finding Love

Goode (1959) states ―love often determines the intensity of an attraction toward or away from an intimate relationship with another person, it can become one element in a decision or action‖ (p. 38). On Veronika‘s cases, the feeling of love that she gains from Eduard changes Veronika to be someone different than before. She comes to be brave, and ready to face her life as what it is. The transformation in Veronika‘s personality happens after she realizes that she is falling in love with Eduard. Veronika is able to realize the meaning of her life, she finds the desire to live, realizes her talents, and knows that her life is important.

And thank you for giving meaning to my life. I came into this world in order to go through: attempted suicide, ruining my heart, meeting you, coming up to this castle, letting you engrave my face on your soul. That is the only reason I came into the world, to make you go back to the path you strayed from. Don‘t make me feel my life has been in vain.‖ ―I don‘t know if it‘s too early or too late, but, just as you did with me, I want to tell you that I love you. You don‘t have to believe it; maybe it‘s just foolishness, a fantasy of mine.‖ Veronika put her arms around him and asked the God she did not believe in to take her at that very moment ( pp. 203-204).

Love also determines the intensity of an attraction toward Veronika and her intimate relationship with Eduard. In the end of the story, they make a big decision PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

57 to escape and live together as normal people in general. It comes to an action, as they are escape from the Villete and celebrate their freedom. They go to the most expensive café in Ljubljana and drunk, they make loves, and they just do the things that they want. While Veronika, finding herself changes, she starts to enjoy her life and just wants to use her remaining time for the things that she loves. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter consists of three parts. The first part is the conclusion, which presents the conclusions from the analysis and the answer to the formulated research questions. The second part is the implication related to education, which presents the implication of the research towards the educational field. The third part is related to the recommendation and suggestion for future research on suicidal attempt case inside literary works, especially on Paulo Coelho’s Veronika

Decides to Die.

A. Conclusions

There are three findings in this study. The first finding is the description of

Veronika’s trial in committing suicide. Using the theory of four suicide categories of Emille Durkheim, Veronika’s suicidal attempt can be categorized as the combinations of egoistic suicide, altruistic suicide, and anomic suicide. Veronika’s suicidal attempt belongs to egoistic suicide because losing the meaning of life becomes the main reasons for her actions. It is considered heroic because in the time when she has already swallowed the sleeping pills, she tries to make her death as it is because of the social conditions, and make it seem like she commits her suicide in honor of her country because a magazine does not know where her country is. It can also can be considered as anomic suicide because she has ever

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59 experienced living within a broken family in her teenage and she cannot perceive the real meaning of love. She thinks that everything is wrong, and she has no way of putting things right. Those make her feel powerless. The method used by

Veronika in the way she tries to end up her life based on the Classification of

Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) Chapter XX; suicidal trial, is coded as X-61; Veronika uses the method for ending up her life by poisoning her body purposely by taking an overdose of sleeping pills, which can be categorized as tranquillizers. It is also coded as X-64 because the effect of the sleeping pills affects her cardiovascular system, systemic and hematological agents.

The second finding is the factors influencing Veronika’s decision on her suicide attempt. There are two major factors which are internal factors and external factors. In regard to the internal factors, there are three major internal factors found. The first factor is seen through Veronika’s personality, as an introvert young woman who tends to stand on her own feet. Batho (2015) narrates individuals in their life can experience ‘existential loneliness’; a term which refers to two main features are individuation and isolation. Veronika is an introvert character. This personality makes her become completely powerless. She tends to keep her feeling rather than share it with others. She isolates herself from any relationship. Another factor can be seen from Veronika’s powerlessness. She feels insecure. She sees everything in the world seems to be wrong, she wants to make it right, but she does not have any power for it, and the only way to deal with it is to

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60 end up her life. The complete powerlessness that Veronika feels is caused by the lack of perception towards her own self. The last factor is analyzed through

Veronika’s Interpersonal-Psychological stage related to her suicide attempt especially on her desire to engage in suicidal behavior and the capability to engage in suicidal behavior. In Veronika’s case, the main factor that influences her idea to commit suicide is the occurrence of thwarted belongingness state. It is the feeling of alienated from friends, family, or other values in social circles, as a risk factor for developing the desire for suicide. However, this state is not caused by

Veronika’s environment or society but she is the one who alienates herself from any kinds of relationship.

On the external factors, there are two major external factors found. The suicidal tendency factor can also be seen from the national graphic of suicide as the culture of a country can influence the behavior of nationalities, ethnic groups, and subgroups within a nation. Then, the data of Slovenia Historical Suicide

Statistic Rate are used to analyze Veronika’s suicidal tendency. Veronika’s suicidal attempt is affected by the conditions of her national population. Due to the high rates of women suicidal case in her country and the majority of those cases tend to use poison as the method of the suicide, Veronika’s ideation on her suicidal attempt can be caused by the conditions happening around her. The other external factor of Veronika’s suicidal tendency is seen from the conditions of her past life, especially through her family’s background. Veronika’s past experience of growing within a broken family contributes to the future actions of Veronika’s

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61 suicidal attempt. The incident happening in Veronika’s life is the effect of her past life after she has lost the meaning of love that she should have gained and learned from her family.

The third findings are the factors influencing Veronika’s behavioral changes. There are three factors influencing Veronika’s behavioral changes. The first factor is the freedom that she perceives from the mental asylum. This freedom changes her from the very strict person into someone different that she never knows. The second factor is the personal growth that occurs within Veronika. She also experiences a gradual awakening of interest in experiences both new and old, finding in herself. She is also attracted to a schizophrenic patient, Eduard, and drawn to a piano in the asylum's common room. She experiences falling in love and realizes the awakening of her old dream which is related to her talent to play the piano. In Villete, Veronika realizes her potential. Veronika has known since her childhood that her true vocation is to be a pianist; she knows that in her past life, she cannot reach her dream to be a pianist as her mother dissagree with this choice and she tends to obey her mother. The third influencing factor of

Veronika’s behavioral changes is caused by her feeling of love that she gains from

Eduard. It changes her to be someone different than before. She comes to be brave, and ready to face her life as what it is. The transformation of Veronika’s personality happens after she realizes that she falling in love with Eduard.

Veronika is able to realize the meaning of her life, find the desire to live, realize her talent, and know that her life is important.

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B. Implications

Paulo Coelhoe’sVeronika Decides to Dieare tells a real story about

Veronika, a 24 years old woman who ever tries to commit suicide. The story contains various aspects of life that can be related to the educational field. The first is the effect of the environment, family and someone’s experience makes big contributions toward someone’s development, future life, and learning improvement.

The second aspect is about the importance of love and motivations toward someone’s life. Being loved can motivate someone to make a good decision or do big actions. Therefore, students also need to gain this motivation from the teacher, if the teacher can motivate the students by giving enough love, care, and attention.

Students will be able to express themselves; they will have the freedom to be themselves. Those will increase students’ confidence. Then, those will create a good outcome as the students feel comfortable with their environment.

The third aspect is related to Veronika’s personal growth. In the theory of personal growth, individuals grow and learn from their past experience, whether it is good or bad. Related to the education field, it is good for the teacher to implement reflective learning, so that the students will be able to analyze their experiences and learn new things from their reflection.

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C. Recommendations

Paulo Coelhoe’sVeronika Decides to Die is an interesting novel to be

discussed as it contains many life aspects of a human being. In this study, the

researcher discusses Veronika’s description on her suicidal attempt, the factors

influencing Veronika’s decision on her suicidal attempt, and factors influencing

Veronika’s behavioral changes.

The researcher suggests two aspects that can be analyzed for the future

research on Paulo Coelhoe’sVeronika Decides to Die. The first aspect is the

influence of Veronika’s existence towards Eduard’s recovery from the

schizophrenia. It is interesting to be analyzed because both of those characters

are fragile, Veronika with her suicidal tendency background and Eduard with

his schizophrenia. However, both of them are healed and experience personality

growth.

The second aspect is analyzing the effect of the inadequacy of one's ideals

and the effect that might occur in the future. It is interesting to be analyzed as

Veronika experiences the stage of disappointment toward her choice. Then it is

stated that this disappointment contributes toward her suicidal attempt. Yet, if

someone has a good self-acceptance, this problem might not happen because in

reality, not all people can reach their dreams exactly as what it is. Therefore, the

researcher suggests the psychological approach to analyze those two aspects.

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APPENDICES

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Appendix 1

Cover of Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die

(1998)

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Appendix 2

Summary of Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die

The story begins with Veronika’s suicidal attempt. Veronika is a perfect, beautiful, young, and a charming woman. She is 24 years old. She sees everything in this world seems to be wrong; she wants to make it right but she has no power to achieve it. Therefore, the only way to deal with that feeling is by ending up her life and feeling the eternal oblivion. She has already made a plan to commit suicide and she waits for the right time to make it real.

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In the mental asylum, Veronika starts to live with the insane people. She starts to question whether she is truly insane or not. However, the answer that she gets is that everyone is created as an insane and they are free to do whatever they want.

Living in the mental asylum lets Veronika experience a gradual awakening, as she obtains freedom from the environment. She starts to be more expressive in the way she expresses her feeling. She also starts to be curious about others’ lives. It is different with Veronika’s personality who tends to keep her feeling and choses to be an introvert girl.

Veronika also experiences falling in love with a schizophrenic patient,

The story ends with Veronika’s and Eduard’s escape from the mental asylum. They chose to live like normal people in general. They go to the café and

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72 walk around the Ljubljana. They also rent a room to make love and enjoy their life.

Summarized from: Paulo Coelho’s (2005) Veronika Decides to Die

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Appendix 3

The Author’s Biography

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 24th of August1947.

He has led a very extreme life. Before he became internationally famous and a worldwide bestseller, he had to overcome many obstacles. As a teenager, he had to face the brutality of electric shock treatment in the psychiatric hospital where his parents, who took his rebelliousness as a sign of madness, imprisoned him three times between 1966 and 1968. As a member of the esoteric underworld, he was put in prison for suspected subversive activities against the Brazilian dictatorship and subjected to physical torment.

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Later, Paulo joined forces with rock star Raul Seixas and, as a hippie, was very much part of the age of "love and peace" and "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll".

Together, they composed 120 songs (between 1973 and 1982) that revolutionized

Brazilian rock music; some of which are hits today

In 1986, at the age of 38, Paulo Coelho walked the Road to Santiago, and it was there that he reconverted to Christianity and found again the faith left to him by the Jesuit fathers of his school years. He would later describe this experience in his first book, The Pilgrimage, published in 1987. The following year, his second book, The Alchemist, established his worldwide reputation. The novel has already achieved the status of a universally admired modern classic. This story, considered to be timeless by many, is set to enchant and inspire whole generations of future readers.

Subsequent books were Brida (1990), O Dom Supremo: The Greatest Gift

(1991), The Valkyries (1992), Maktub (1994), By the River Piedra I Sat Down and

Wept (1994), The Fifth Mountain (1996), Love Letters from a Prophet (1997), The

Manual of the Warrior of Light (1997), Veronika Decides to Die (1998) and The

Devil and Miss Prym (2000). Among his recent novels are Eleven Minutes – best- selling fiction title worldwide in 2003 –, The Zahir (2005), Like the Flowing River

(2006) and The Witch of Portobello (2006).

He has received numerous prestigious international awards. The critics have praised his poetic, realistic and philosophical style, and the symbolic language that does not speak to our minds, but to our hearts. He has been a member of the prestigious Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. Paulo Coelho holds the

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Guinness World Record for the most translations (53) of a single title (The

Alchemist) signed in one sitting (45 minutes). The record was achieved as a result of an international book-signing held at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2003.

Paulo Coelho loves reading, travelling, computers, the Internet, music, football, walking, and practicing Kyudo – a kind of meditative archery. He has always been interested in cinema and is at present working on his first film project called the Experimental Witch. Every morning, he wakes early and, after a two- hour walk, shoots 24 arrows using one of his three bows. He and his wife

Christina Oiticica divide their lives between Rio de Janeiro and Europe.

Paulo Coelho and his wife, Christina Oiticica, founded the Paulo Coelho

Institute, a non-profit organization financed exclusively by the author's royalties.

Its mission is not to be a charity but to provide support and opportunities for underprivileged and ostracized members of the Brazilian society, especially children, the elderly, and the mentally ill.

At present, the Institute provides financial support for Creche Escola

Meninos da Luz, Lar Paulo de Tarso, in the Pavão-Pavãozinho favela of Rio de

Janeiro, which currently looks after 430 children. It started with 80 children in

1996, and its next goal is to grow large enough to support 800 children.

Adapted from:

The Paulo Coelho jubilee catalogue: 4th correction, October 2007, © Sant Jordi Asociados Agencia Literaria S.L. Written by: Montse Ballesteros Photos and Sources: Paulo Coelho and Sant Jordi Asociados Agencia Literaria S.L. Graphic Design: Lene Stangebye Geving / www.fulltank.org