Volume VI Special Issue II February 2026

Name of Author : Kiran K

Title of the paper : Silent Suffering and Ethical Masculinity: A Reader Response Study of Vinland Saga

Abstract: Modern men, though, portray performative happiness. In social media and in their daily life, but their victimhood of loneliness is not to be ignored, especially in academic discourse. They have sought escapism through various digital stimuli such as gaming and anime. Anime serves as a modern medium of escapism with unrecognized philosophical values and teachings. This paper tries to examine Vinland Saga as a literary narrative and how it resonates with a modern male audience through suffering, silence, and ethical transformation. Focusing on the protagonist, Thorfinn Kalsefni, this study interprets his arc as that of a classical tragic hero, with rise, fall, and moral awakening. Using reader response theory and narrative empathy and also by using other concepts as reference, this paper analyzes how male audiences resonate with Thorfinns suppressed grief and performative masculinity, reflecting the pressure imposed by patriarchal expectations, drawing that men too are victims of patriarchy. This paper argues that the anime Vinland Saga functions as an affective narrative space where male loneliness is acknowledged and endured, offering emotional recognition rather than resolution.

Keywords : Escapism ,Male Loneliness, Narrative Empathy, Reader Response Theory, Vinland Saga

DOI :

Page Number : 226-231