IDENTITY TRANSFORMATION IN AUDREY NIFFENEGGER'S THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE

Abstract

This study explores the importance of identity as a characteristic continuously evolves through social interaction and life experiences. Identity transformation involves significant changes in values, beliefs, social roles, and life goals. These changes are often influenced by internal and external conflicts, trauma, or experiences that comped individuals to adjust their worldviews. In Audrey Niffenegger’s novel The Time Traveler’s Wife, identity transformation becomes a central theme, particularly in the characters of Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble. The study employs Hernan Turner’s relational identity theory, Erik Erikson’s personality psychology theory, and Henri Tajfel’s social identity theory. to analyze the dynamics of the main characters’ identity transformations. Identity is understood as a dynamic process shaped through interpersonal relationships, social membership, and psychological and environmental factors. A qualitative descriptive approach strengthened by psychological literary analysis is used to explore the narrative elements of the novel. The study finds that emotional relationships and psychological challenges arising from the uncertainty of time significantly influence the characters’ values, beliefs, and social roles, while also demonstrating how they cope with internal and external conflicts. The study concludes that the emotional relationships and psychological challenges faced by Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble in dealing with the uncertainty of time have a significant impact on changes in their values, beliefs, relationships, and social roles. These changes not only affect their understanding of themselves but also illustrate how they overcome internal and external conflicts to achieve a sense of identity wholeness. By exploring these dynamics, the study offers a different perspective on identity formation within complex and ever-evolving relationships.