Role vs Status: A Psychological Discourse in Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me Series

Ms. Sharon Rejoice Samson¹, Dr. S. Sophia Christina²

¹Reg No: 2511127022009, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of English, St. John’s College, Palayamkottai, Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627012. sharonrejoice18@gmail.com

²Assistant Professor, Department of English, St. John’s College, Palayamkottai, Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627012.

Abstract

The term ‘psyche’ typically refers to the human mind and its functioning. Narrative Psychology focuses on the construction and interpretation of a character’s story, thereby presenting their identity to the readers. Ralph Linton, an American anthropologist, well known for his concept of role theory, makes a clear distinction between role and status. Role describes the behaviour linked to status, whereas status is a person’s place within a community or a system. In the dystopian world of the Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi, characters of various statuses, including leaders, soldiers, rebels, and commoners, who are otherwise meant to be slaves for the dystopian regime, ‘The Reestablishment’ are present. Each of their roles varies according to their status. For instance, the role of the protagonist, Juliette Ferrars, changes from an unfairly imprisoned teenager to that of a resilient leader based on her status. This paper discusses how the role of each character varies based on their societal status with reference to Linton’s Role Theory.

Keywords: Psyche, Dystopian, Role, Status, Identity.