Nasir’s Inner Conflict and Moral Struggle for Identity in Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame

Abstract

This research explores the internal conflict of Nasir, the main character in the novel We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. This study analyzes how the character’s internal conflict occurs using Sigmund Freud’s theory of Psychoanalysis, aiming to explore how the id, ego, and superego manifest as a consequence of past trauma. Using a qualitative descriptive method, the narrative texts and dialogues within the novel served as the primary data. Through careful and thorough reading, several narratives and dialogues from Nasir that were deemed to contain these three aspects were collected. This data was then analyzed based on Sigmund Freud’s theoretical framework. The findings reveal an internal conflict within  Nasir caused by the impact of his past trauma, specifically his search for paternal recognition. His ego emerges to rationalize his harmful actions to satisfy his id, while the appearance of his superego punishes him with overwhelming guilt. By applying Freud’s framework, this research fills a gap in the literary analysis of the novel and proves that  psychoanalytic theory is a valuable tool for explaining character complexity in fantasy literature.