The Leading Character's Depression In Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Character
A character is the (such as aalthough it became widely used after its appearance i or involves "the illusion of being a human person." In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and ponder themes. Since the end of the 18th century, the phrase by an actor. Since the 19th century, the art of creating characters, as practiced by actors or writers, has been calle
Characters are the person in dramatics of narratives work, who are interpreted by reader as being endowed with the moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed what they say in the dialogue and what they do in action. From the statement above, we can conclude that character is the way life a human being and we can feel that in the way life of us are not always well but we are also find many problems such as conflict. (Edgar Robert, 1993 : 20)
The study of a character requires an analysis of its relations with all of the other characters in the work. The individual status of a character is defined through the network of oppositions that it forms with the other characters. The relation between characters and the action of the story has shifts historically, often mimic shifts in society and its ideas about human
A characters is a fictitious person that describe or taken part in literary works according to Ian Milligan in The novel in English (1983 : 26). Hence, characters should be understood as living persons that have certain characteristics in their nature. These characteristics may be good or bad that man has in general through their existence.
2.2 The Meaning of Depression
Depression is a state of lownd physical guilty, irritable, hurt, or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions, and may contemplate or attempt loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may be present.
Depression is usually thought of being a disorder or disturbance in mood. Everyone, at various times in life, feels sad or blue. Sadness or grief is a normal response to death, loss, separation or difficult life events. Depressed people are potentially capable of doing very well on tests of memory abstract thought, but their perceptions about the world and their reactions are askew
Douglas Berstain in psychology (1988 : 561) states that depression plays a central role in many mood disorders and can range from occasional ―down‖ periods to episodes severe enough to require hospitalization.
Cognitive changes characteristic of depression include thought of worthlessness and uselessness, irrational guilt feelings, and ideas that the world is empty and has nothing positive to offer. In severe cases, the person‘s think may become psychotic. He or she may have delusion (fixed irrational ideas) or hallucinations (hear imaginary voices). Depressive delusions and hallucinations tend to be severely self-blaming. The person may be convinced that he or she has commite a horrible crime or can be tortured by voices making terrible accusation and whispering horrible warning of doom.
Depression can also produce a range of physical change : disturbances of appetite
- – either indifference to food or compulsive overate; problem with sleep; - sleeptlessness, lee commonly sleeping excessively; impairments of digestion and elimination
- – nausea, heartburn, constipation, fatigue, inability to concentrate, and slowed thinking and moving are also characteristic physical signs.
2.2 The Categories of Depression
Typically, depression is classified into two categories : major and minor (also called dysthymic disorder or neorotic depression). Depression in real life does not always fit neatly into these categories; many depressed people have features of both a major and a minor depression simultaneously.
2.2.1 Major Depression
Major depression may come on suddenly or gradually. It may consist of a single episode or more commonly, an irregular, sometimes life long pattern of depressive period.
A person diagnosed as having a major depression has more severe symptoms. The problem is less likely to have a clear cut external of situational cause. Specific physical changes are predominant : loss of appetite, early morning awakening (the person can get to sleep but wakes up continuosly a few hours later), constipation, slowed, or speeded up motor activity. Other family members may suffer from illness. Medication may work especially well. Because this type of depression seems more heredity, more tied to physical signs, less related to events, and can sometimes be helped dramatically by medical treatment alone, it seems tied in part to biochemistry
- – the person has genuine physiological predisposition to become depressed.
A person who suffers from a major depressive disorder (sometimes also referred to as clinical depression or simply depression) must either have a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities consistently for at least a 2 week period. This mood must represent a change from the person's normal mood. Social, occupational, educational or other important functioning must also be negatively impaired by the change in mood. For instance, a person who has missed work or school because of their depression, or has stopped attending classes altogether or attending usual social engagements.
A major depressive episode is characterized by the presence of a severely depressed mood that persists for at least two weeks. Episodes may be isolated or recurrent and are categorized as mild (few symptoms in excess of minimum criteria), moderate, or severe (marked impact on social or occupational functioning). An episode with psychotic features
— commonly referred to as — is automatically rated as severe. If the patient has had an episode is made instead. Depression without mania is sometimes referred to as unipolar because the mood remains at one emotional state or pole. (Parker, 1996-173)
A depressed mood caused by substances (such as drugs, alcohol, medications) is not considered a major depressive disorder, nor is one which is caused by a general medical condition. Major depressive disorder generally cannot be diagnosed if a person has a history of manic, hypomanic, or mixed episodes (bipolar disorder) or if the depressed mood is better accounted for by schizoaffective disorder and is not superimposed on schizophrenia, a delusion or psychotic disorder. Typically the diagnosis of major depression is also not made if the person is grieving over a significant loss in their lives (see note on bereavement below).
2.2.2 Minor Depression
Minor depression disorder is a type of depressive. minor depression disorder is a subtype of mood disorders. The chief characteristics of minor depressive disorders are depression related symptoms that do fully substantiate a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. These symptoms have to persist for at least two weeks, otherwise the symptoms would be considered to be situational or circumstantial. The key to identify whether or not a person is suffering from minor depression is to observe at least two, but less than five, of the symptoms associated with major depressive disorders. Some of the primary complaints of people exhibiting signs of minor depression disorder are; insomnia, hypersomnia, excessive and inappropriate guilt, inability to concentrate, rapid weight fluctuations without cause and thoughts of death without a concurrent plan to commit suicide. Usually, symptoms of minor depression will not include deterioration in the activities of daily living or a significant increase in impaired functioning. These characteristics are purely episodic, meaning they do not persist indefinitely. Many people with minor depression disorder are able to continue to function fairly effectively in life. This often results in situations where individuals with the disorder do not seek treatment until a co-occurring issue such asnegatively impacts their lifestyle.
Others experience problems with relationships, as depressive feelings often cause patients to isolate themselves. Long-lasting minor depression can be fatal, as even mild depressive symptoms have been associated with a significant increase in an individual's lifetime suicide risk. Also, minor depression appears to be more of a long-term illness than a transient frame of mind, with many patients experiencing mood symptoms for months. Minor depression significantly increases a sufferers risk of developing major depression, as well. A history of childhood emotional abandonment increases this risk.
Since minor depression causes life difficulties and increases the risk of further mental health problems, warrants treatment. Little is known on how to treat minor depression, however, as most depression research has focused on the most severe forms of depression. The few studies that have been done, most have found that antidepressant medications are no more effective than a placebo in mild to moderate depression.
In contrast, for minor depression, unhappy life events
- – loss, rejection, failure
- – often play a clear cut role. Physical symptoms are not major features; genetic correlates are not there. The major focus of treatment involves changing the depression causing situation or modifying the person depres
- – generating thought. While medications can also be effective, psychotherapy is the approach of choice.
The fact that major and minor depression seems so different has given rise to two type of investigations: theories and research exploring the psychology mechanisms that produce depression and studies elucidating depression‘s biochemistry.
2.2 Review of Related Studies
Earlier studies there are some thesis which is related studies with the depression in Eat, Pray, Love, some review of related studies by Elizabeth Gilbert:
1. Dyta in the thesis “An Analysis of Searching True Identity in Eat,
Pray, Love” (2009) analyzes about search her identity was lose causes she have a problem with her life. This thesis help the writer to know the characters has a lose identity. The writer analyzed about leading characters.
2. Teqtainkar Alhdappasha in the thesis “Representasi keseimbangan
hidup dalam novel Eat, Pray, L ove” (2006) menganalisis tentang
untuk mengetahui bagaimana Elizabeth membangun keseimbangan antara kegembiraan duniawi dan surgawi. This thesis help the writers Elizabeth knows how to build a balance between earthly and
heavenly joys. The writer analyze about how to solve her problem
from depression.3. Viany in the thesis “Radical Feminism Portrayed in Eat, Pray,
Love” (2010) analyze about This thesis about authors analyzed the
elements of fiction and marital problems in the study of radical feminism. This thesis helps the writer understand explanation about feminism and how do women have the right to choose her own life. In this thesis the writer analyzes about effect depression for her.
4. Mahirana in the article ―Self-Actualization of The Main Character
in Elizabeth Gilbert’s in Eat, Pray, Love (2012) discusses about
intrinsic and extrinsic element of the novel. From this thesis, the writer understand about intrinsic and extrinsic element. The writer analyzed about intrinsic element that is characterization.
5. Mega in the thesis “The Main Characters Depression in Samantha
C. Weaver (2007) analyzed about depression in Samantha as the
theme, by the end of this unit. From this thesis the writer knows about depression in characters. The writer analyzed about depression in leading character experience the depressed.
6. Kim in the thesis “Personality and Depression” (2011) analyzed about that personality features play a role as a vulnerability factor, and influence the onset and course of depression. Taking these factors into account more than is currently done may increase the possibilities to enhance the treatment results in depression. From this thesis the writer knows how to treat depression. The writer analyzed 2 categories of depression.