Conflict between Imagination and Reality in Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train

Abstract

This research has explained how the conflict between reality and imagination has occurred in Paula Hawkins's novel The Girl on the Train. Rachel, the main character of the novel is the victim of the conflict. Rachel reflects herself into Megan, another character of the novel and imagines herself as a perfect girl. Megan is the mirror form of Rachel, in psychoanalytical term. When Rachel knows the reality of Megan then faces the trauma of the Real. This research explores the reality from every twist and turn of The Girl on the Train by drawing concepts and ideas from psychoanalytical theorists such as Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and others for the analysis.

This thesis has been divided into five headings. The first is introduction which introduces the hypothesis, text author, purpose of the study and key concept. The second is review on The Girl on the Train which brings reviews of various critics on Hawkins's work. Likewise, the third deals with psychoanalytical theory and its terms such as pleasure principle, imaginary order, mirror stage, symbolic order and the real. The fourth is about The Girl on the Train through the lens of psychoanalytical theory. At last, the fifth heading is conclusion of whole research work.