ETHICAL SELFHOOD AT THE END OF THE WORLD: "BEFORE THE CALENDAR CHANGED"

Oleh :
Rashif Narendrasakti - B0322065 - Fak. Ilmu Budaya

This thesis aims to highlight the importance of altruism through survivor guilt and slow narration from the viewpoint of an isolated protagonist in the novella Before the Calendar Changed. The main point of this work is to expose how external expectations clash with inner desires, wrapped in unspoken debt, deteriorating self-worth, the end of the world, and the results of upbringing. This thesis used data from foundational elements touching altruism, liminality, slow narration, and survivor guilt. Figures such as Jess M. Kingsford, Arnold van Gennep, Gérard Genette, and others helped me dissect the theme of altruism and liminality in literature with a bildungsroman aura. The story tells of the Laddy, a university student, who confronts the past and changes herself in the process. The Laddy discovers altruism and actions to redeem herself through encounters with Soruse, the extraterrestrial being, and the approach of the end of the world in 2012. The Laddy’s journey concludes with a combination of realization, merit, and gratitude on New Year’s Eve. A structured, creative research method that combines creative writing, real-world adaptation, and influence analysis makes this novella capable of answering questions about an individual’s altruistic behavior through ethical selfhood and the use of time. The findings indicate that familial upbringing, economy, self-awareness, and external motivation significantly affect behavior and the moral compass that extend beyond early adulthood.