The Quest for Love and Belonging in Slum Child: An NVIVO 12 Analysis of Emotional Fulfillment in Adversity

Abstract

This study, a component of the doctoral thesis entitled A Journey to Self-Actualization, delves into the intricate themes of love and belonging as portrayed in the novel Slum Child, employing NVIVO 12 to execute a nuanced empirical analysis. Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the paper concerns Laila as a protagonist passing through a territory of challenges, which are lack of family affection and social belongingness. By careful tracking and precise execution of the qualitative data, what emerges from the analysis is how Laila’s need for belongingness, need for care, and need for self-actualization is negotiated through the relationships she has, and in some sense the ones she was born into. Comparing their characters’ experiences to the other literary texts, the research positions the need for acceptance and love as innate aspects of humanity. Pride of beauty gives way to frailty and despair, and of course, unmet needs affect each character of this movie in deep and alarming ways. However, with acts of bravery and with the help of substitute familial relationships she emerges back to pieces of Alyssa. Further, the study sheds light on the importance of welfare institutions for the restoration of the social essence and acceptance of the excluded people, and is an apophatic analysis of the concepts of welfare and social inclusion. In addressing the novel, this paper has expanded the scholarship on psychological concerns in literature through a focus on conversion and the redemptive potential of chosen families.