Exploring Psychoanalytic and Feminist Elements in Murata's Convenience Store Woman

Abstract

This study explores the psychoanalytic and feminist elements in Murata's Convenience Store Woman. The id, ego, and superego personality structures are used to organize the data that has been found. The main character's (Keiko) id urges her to act on a primal impulse, chase pleasure, delight, and fulfillment that she must possess, and act on her own accord under the influence of her subconscious. The main character's ego makes her more perceptive to practical ideas that help in decision-making and problem-solving. Her superego controls Keiko's moral principles and idealistic outlook. The stereotype of women as affected by patriarchal culture is also a topic of discussion. The purpose of this study is to explain various forms of misconceptions about women while also demonstrating how female characters may challenge them. The existentialist feminist ideas of Simone De Beauvoir and Sigmund Freud's theory are applied in the study. In this study, the qualitative descriptive method is applied. Techniques for taking notes and reading are used to collect data. The analysis's findings demonstrate that there are three types of stereotypes about women: those as mothers, those as incapable individuals, and those as sex objects. The findings show that Keiko's id, ego, and superego make up her personality as the main character.