Analysis of Hedonistic Way of Life through the Characters in the Movie Saltburn

Abstract

This research discusses the representation of the hedonistic way of life through all the characters in the movie Saltburn (2023). This research uses Daniel Weijers’ (2012) theory of hedonism, which classifies six types of hedonism, namely: folk hedonism, value and prudential hedonism, motivational hedonism, normative hedonism, hedonistic egoism, and hedonistic utilitarianism. This research used a descriptive qualitative method by analyzing the dialogues, scenes, and expressions of the characters in the movie as well as the movie script as the main data source. The results showed that five types of hedonism from Daniel Weijers’ theory appear in the movie Saltburn (2023) through various actions and motivations of the characters. Of the total data analyzed, hedonistic egoism is the most dominant type with 7 occurrences (28%), represented by characters such as Oliver Quick, Venetia Catton, Farleigh Start, and Elspeth Catton. The second most frequent type is motivational hedonism with 6 occurrences (24%), represented by Oliver Quick, Venetia Catton, Felix Catton, Farleigh Start, Sir James Catton, and Elspeth Catton. Both folk hedonism and hedonistic utilitarianism occur 5 times (20%) each, while value hedonism is the least dominant, appearing 2 times (8%). These findings indicate that Saltburn (2023) primarily portrays hedonism as an individual-centered pursuit of pleasure. The dominance of hedonistic egoism and motivational hedonism reflects how the characters’ actions are driven by selfinterest, ambition, and emotional desire rather than collective happiness or moral values.