Psychological conflict of main character in Fredrick Backman's A Man Called Ove

Agustian, Sigit (2025) Psychological conflict of main character in Fredrick Backman's A Man Called Ove. Jurnal Basataka (JBT), 8 (1). pp. 488-502. ISSN 2621-5977

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Abstract

This study aims to identify and describe the psychological conflicts experienced by the main character in the novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, using Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic approach. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method. The primary data source is the novel itself, supported by secondary data including journals, theses, theoretical books, and encyclopedias. The data collection technique used is literature review, involving reading, note-taking, and classification. The dataanalysis applies Lacan’s psychoanalytic framework, focusing on the three stages of conscious conflict: the Real, the Symbolic, and the Imaginary. Narrative analysis of the main character in A Man Called Ove reveals 13 forms of psychological conflict: 5 inthe Real stage, 4 in the Imaginary stage, and 4 in the Symbolic stage. These conflicts significantly influence the main character’s development and drive the plot of the novel. To maintain analytical focus and depth, this research specifically examines the conflicts experienced by the main character, Ove, as they are deemed most significant in shaping the narrative arc culminating in themes of loss, emptiness, and ultimately, the emergence of sincerity and goodness at the end of the story. The findings affirm that Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory is effective and applicable in uncovering the psychological dynamics and underlying conflicts within a literary work

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