Proceeding of Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Linguistic, and Cultural Studies
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): UNCOLLCS: PROCEEDING RESEARCH ON LITERARY, LINGUISTIC, AND

Gaspery-Jacques Roberts’ Anxiety in Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility

Salsabilla Damayanti Samal (Unknown)
Danu Wahyono (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study is entitled “Gaspery-Jacques Roberts’ Anxiety in Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility”. The objective of this research is to examine the anxiety experienced by Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, the main character of the novel. It uses a qualitative descriptive method and a psychological approach to literature, applying Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory as the framework. This study aims to identify the causes of Gaspery’s anxiety, examine its effects on his character development, and portray how he copes with it throughout the story. The results show that Gaspery’s anxiety is caused by helplessness over the loss of his mother and his failed marriage, the danger-situation of investigating a reality-threatening anomaly, the loss of important people such as Talia, and the ego’s fear of the super-ego produced by breaking the protocol of the Time Institute. These causes affect his feeling, thinking, and acting, moving him from emotional numbness toward calmness and longing for connection, from panic toward moral clarity and philosophical acceptance, and from passive withdrawal toward decisive action. There are several ways Gaspery copes with his anxiety, namely avoidance, reasoning, action, and acceptance. From the results of this study, the findings indicate that Gaspery successfully transforms the anxiety that has shaped his life into a force that leads him toward moral growth, culminating in his quiet acceptance of both his choices and the uncertain nature of his reality.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

uncollcs

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Proceeding of Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Linguistic, and Cultural Studies is a peer-reviewed proceeding, open access, and annual academic proceeding dedicated to the publications of research in the areas of linguistics, literature, and culture studies that had been disseminated in the ...