Julie’s transformational struggle
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Date
2024
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Publisher
UMT, Lahore
Abstract
The research has focused on the character of Julie in Thao’s You’ve Reached Sam who underwent a powerful psychological transformative journey, from being grief-stricken and disoriented to finding a fulfilling purpose in life after the death of her boyfriend, Sam, analyzed through the lens of Maslow’s theory of “Hierarchy of Needs” (1943). The sense of loss experienced by Julie’s character is examined as her humanly needs were threatened by Sam’s sudden accidental demise, leaving her to cope up with the unfulfillment of the basic, physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization needs, as Maslow placed them. While living among her loved ones, the protagonist clinged to the non-existent past through the phone calls with Sam as her needs are satisfied there. Under this theoretical framework, Julie’s actions were placed under a lens to be examined as they were molded according to the needs they lacked. Finally, towards the end she reached her highest form by achieving the state of self-actualization as all her needs were met in the proposed hierarchy of needs along with the gradual development of Julie’s character.