Chronic Loneliness and Media Representation - Bringing Understanding to the Concept of Loneliness Through the Lens of Tokyo Ghoul and Graphic Novels

Abstract

Loneliness is one of the most publicly overlooked feelings within the human realm of experience. It is seldom talked about in our culture and even less focused on in research studies. Despite this, chronic loneliness can have a severe impact on an individual's mental and physical health and over time can lead to a decreased quality of life. It is important, therefore, to encourage discussion of this topic and de-stigmatize the conversation surrounding it. One means of getting the culture more invested in the subject is through entertainment media. Books, movies, television and such reach a large amount of people very quickly and are the primary means of entertainment for most people. As such, if the topic of loneliness were brought into the cultural conversation, then it can be asserted that the subject would become part of a more understanding and open conversation given enough time and empathetic narrative depictions. The following paper describes a graphic novel series Tokyo Ghoul, whose main character suffers from both chronic loneliness and depression. The first part will break down scholarly research which covers the mental, physical and behavioral effects that chronic loneliness can have over time. The second part will break down the narrative of Tokyo Ghoul, connecting the main character's growth and changes throughout the story to the research done in part one and how the imagery and narrative of the story lead to a tragic, yet empathetic depiction of loneliness which could serve as a guide for further depictions that could serve to help gain cultural sympathy for the topic.