Depression or the search for meaning in Aritha van Herk's Restlessness

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2001 im Fachbereich Amerikanistik - Literatur, Note: 2, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Dorcas seemingly leads a desirable life. Working as a courier is an interesting and wellpaid job which makes her travel all around the world. To her disadvantage she has to move from one hotel-room to the other so she rarely stays at home. But there are people who care for her. She is in love with a physician who waits for her when she is on her journeys. Besides him there is also her caring aunt, her only relative in Canada. Despite this, she hires an assassin to kill her. Asked for her reasons she explains how she values her life. From her point of view she has lived a 'substanceless life' (van Herk, p.9) burdened with lone liness and homesickness. Traveling around the world she tried to find a place to call her home. Dorcas claims that she failed to find her identity and the meaning of life. Death is the final destination which she expects to be her salvation. According to her stories it is near at hand that Dorcas suffers from a severe depression. Several aspects will be given to support this presumption, and the killer's influence on Dorcas will be analysed. Moreover it will be suggested that Dorcas' attitude towards life is not an exception in today's society. This individual case might reflect problems of individuals in present time. That does not imply that every member of our society suffers from depression. But life today challenges us more than life a hundred years ago, so that many people are emotionally stressed out. In this era of communication and globalisation individuals can't hardly afford to take a break. Being always on the run causes restlessness. But restlessness is only a symptom. The real problem is that many people become aware of the lack of meaning in their lives. A psychological approach will be introduced which examines (deals with, evaluates) 'man's search for meaning' (Victor Frankl).