HUMAN AND GHOST ATTACHMENT IN HANNA ALKAF’S THE GIRL AND THE GHOST

Abstract

For centuries, authors of literary works have sought to bewitch and enchant readers with accounts of supernatural elements such as monsters, spirits and ghosts. Ghosts especially are often depicted as representations of evil and the polar opposite of mankind. In Hanna Alkaf’s The Girl and The Ghost (2020) the adolescent protagonist, Suraya, develops an unusual bond with a ghost, Pink. This is indeed refreshing, considering the human-ghost relationship in the local literary scene is often represented as antagonistic, opposing forces, resulting in ghosts being portrayed as evil, vengeful creatures set to taunt, haunt and wreck humans’ lives. Critical examination of the human-ghost bond in the local literary-critical practice is lacking. This research aims to fill this gap by examining the human-ghost bond in The Girl and The Ghost and how this bond contributes to the (human) protagonist’s personal development. In this paper, The Girl and The Ghost is read using John Bowlby’s theory of attachment due to its robust approach to understanding human beings' emotional bond, or attachment, with their attachment figures. We argue the human-ghost bond in The Girl and The Ghost sets the novel apart from other local ghost stories filled with wicked, destructive ghosts. The findings suggest other possibilities of attachment figures when the relationship between a mother and child grows apart. The unusual but enduring relationship between Suraya and Pink demonstrates that a child’s secure attachment need not be limited to motherly figures.
 Keywords: Malaysian literature in english, the girl and the ghost, hanna alkaf, ghost tales, attachment theory