EMOTIVNI SPEKTAR ROMANA „O DUGMETU I SREĆI“ JASMINKE PETROVIĆ

Abstract

The paper presents aspects of the interpretation of the novel On Button and Happiness through the marking of dominant emotions and states (love, friendship, jealousy, struggle with illness and misunderstanding of the environment, loneliness, anger) of Jovan, a boy suffering from cerebral palsy. The educational aspects of the work direct young readers to the acceptance of the Other/Different, and to the integration of children with health problems into the peer environment and a more complete understanding of their spiritual and emotional world. Understanding the development of Jovan’s emotional spectrum, from suffering and loneliness to self-acceptance, is especially important for the reception of this novel. The work follows the cognitive development and maturation of the protagonist from boyhood to early adolescence and the path to the formation of more complex thoughts of love and happiness.