Theme of Loneliness in Tim Winton’s Shallows: A Psychological Study

Abstract

Loneliness is a state in which a person feels disconnected from others. In this situation, whether alone or with others, a person feels emptiness. If this condition develops for an extended period, the results can be severe, both psychologically and physically. Loneliness is a severe problem in the twenty-first century, causing hardship for many people today. Many psychologists and researchers have debated the reasons and methods for breaking free. Tim Winton’s Shallows addresses both social and psychological concerns of loneliness. The current research is an attempt to investigate not just its implications in the novel, but also its origins and solutions in real life. This study can help loners, in particular, comprehend their loneliness and discover how to overcome it. This thesis offers a critical reading of Tim Winton’s first novel Shallows in light of Fromm’s Psychoanalysis (1959). Drawing on a range of theoretical disciplines, this article probes three types of loneliness by means of a detailed study of one of Winton’s core critical and abiding concerns: the ordinary experience of loneliness and its impact on characters’ daily life. In addition, The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to discover to what extent the theme of loneliness is present in Tim Winton’s Shallows, and second, to categorize this loneliness into three distinct types. The first is spiritual loneliness, a loneliness caused by having fallen out of the grace of God. The second is social loneliness, a loneliness brought about by the lack of human companionship. The third is loneliness provoked by a sense of personal failure. This article will reveal the three types and several protagonists’ solutions to loneliness through Fromm’s Psychoanalysis (1959), helping readers understand some of the characters’ eccentric behaviors in the text while pointing out the real love and intimacy with nature, as well as building a faith that can validly solve the problem of loneliness.