THE DECISION TO DIE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL-EXISTENTIAL REFLECTION OF THE NOVEL "VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE"

Abstract

Published in 1998 by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, "Veronika Decides to Die" tells the story of Veronika, a 24-year-old young woman who, despite having an apparently ordinary and stable life, decides to end her own life due to a feeling of deep emptiness and dissatisfaction. After a failed suicide attempt, Veronika wakes up in a mental health facility called Villette, where she is told by Dr. Igor that she has only one week to live due to irreversible damage to her heart. This study seeks to analyze how the narrative of the book portrays the meaning of life, using a phenomenological-existential approach to understand the subjective experiences of the protagonist. The approach focuses on individual perceptions of experiences, exploring fundamental questions about the freedom to decide about one's own life and the search for meaning in the face of imminent death. During her stay in Villette, Veronika experiences new pleasures and realizes that every second of existence is a choice between living and giving up, discovering that there is always another meaning to life, even when time is short. This article proposes a reflection on how life and death decisions are influenced by subjective and existential factors, offering a new perspective on finitude and individual freedom.