Childhood Trauma Aftermath on the Adult BoJack Horseman

Sophie Ariella Tanujaya; Liem Satya Limanta

doi:10.9744/katakita.10.2.380-387

Childhood Trauma Aftermath on the Adult BoJack Horseman

Sophie Ariella Tanujaya^(1*), Liem Satya Limanta⁽²⁾,

(1) English Department, Faculty of Humanities and Creative Industries, Petra Christian University, Siwalankerto 121-131, Surabaya 60236
(2) English Department, Faculty of Humanities and Creative Industries, Petra Christian University, Siwalankerto 121-131, Surabaya 60236
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract

In recent decades, adult animation has garnered its own audience due to its mix of dark humor and slash of reality. One popular series is BoJack Horseman. The show intrigues me because throughout its six seasons, it manages to show how childhood trauma deeply affects BoJack, the main character, as an adult. In this study, we want to analyze the root causes of BoJack’s childhood trauma and the coping mechanisms he did. The findings of this research suggest that there are two main reasons: maltreatment from caretakers and loss of a loved one. Furthermore, there are four forms of maltreatment from his parents: hurtful words, broken marriage, domestic abuse, and gaslighting/guilt tripping. To cope with his trauma, BoJack used four strategies: escapism, dark humor, suicide attempt, and professional help. Through a combination of these four strategies, BoJack was forced to deal with his childhood trauma to become a better person.

Keywords

childhood trauma, latent vulnerability, root causes, coping mechanisms

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References

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.9744/katakita.10.2.380-387