SURVIVAL AMIDST PANDEMIC: A READING OF ELLEN MARIE WISEMAN’S THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR: A HEROIC NOVEL OF SURVIVAL DURING THE 1918 INFLUENZA PANDEMIC

Abstract

Pandemic Literature is a broad area of study that focuses on the past epidemics associated with the contemporary world's existential realities. The novel, The Orphan Collector: A Heroic Novel of Survival During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, deals with human nature and behavioral changes that an individual undergoes during a time of crisis initiated due to an unpredicted viral spread. The author, Ellen Marie Wiseman, depicts the story of survival during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. The present paper aims to examine the select novel from a psychological perspective, emphasizing the interrelatedness of humanity, stress, coping, and hope in the context of survival during the pandemic. The psychology of survival is focused on who survives in the face of adversities by identifying the ef ective factors for existence. The study focuses on psychological stress management that depicts the behavioral and emotional changes in characters due to the distressing situations faced during a pandemic and explains the significance of stress management in extreme situations. The objective of the study is to analyze the characters’ psyche in the chosen novel and their life’s journey in a virus-infected society. It also depicts the changes in human behavior owing to the pandemic. A Qualitative methodology will be indispensable for the proposed analysis that follows a theoretical framework of Protection Motivation Theory, a fear appeal model. The present research paper will aid the readers to comprehend stress and coping in times of contagion.