Projection of Denial as a Defense Mechanism in Fatima Bhutto's Novel “The Runaways”

Three main characters Anita, Sunny, and Monty in Fatima Bhutto's novel The Runaways are examined in this study by using the theory of defense mechanisms. Data is collected from Fatima Bhutto’s novel The Runaways as it cherishes Cramer's theory of defense mechanisms that she presents in her book Protecting the self: Defense Mechanisms in Action. Phebe Cramer while defining defense mechanisms asserts that denial is the most important aspect of defense mechanism. The analysis is derived from events in the lives of the protagonists, who due to their realistic and moral anxieties see change in their personalities and face miserable situations such as poverty, migration, disaffection, violence, alienation, exploitation, and dislocation. The text of novel serves as the primary source of information, and secondary sources for this study include books, articles, reviews, essays, research papers, and journals. The study will attempt to look into how the novel's main characters change themselves in various circumstances that is actually the result of how denial as a defense mechanism affects people's lives.