Holly Kennedy’s defense mechanism in PS. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

This thesis analyzes a novel written by Cecelia Ahern entitled PS. I Love You. This novel tells about Holly Kennedy’s struggle against her sadness after her husband’s death. This research focuses on the main character, Holly Kennedy, and her defense mechanism. The method of the research is descriptive qualitative because this research tries to explain defense mechanism of the main character Holly Kennedy. The data is taken from the novel itself. The writer uses the theory of Sigmund Freud about defense mechanism as primary theory and uses new criticism as secondary theory to conduct this study. There are nine types of defense mechanism; there are denial, displacement, repression, projection, regression, intellectualization, reaction formation, rationallization and sublimation. The data itself is analyzed by reading, understanding and identifying the novel. As the research finishes, the writer finds that Holly Kennedy uses denial, displacement, repression, projection, regression and sublimation. Holly Kennedy performs her defense mechanism to release her anxienty and her frustration.