CHAPTER 3 METHODOPOGY
This chapter consists of three parts, namely the subject matter, the approaches, and the procedure. The subject matter concerns the object of this study. The approaches
contain of the approaches that the writer uses in the analysis. The procedure explains the steps of analyzing the novel.
3.1 Subject Matter
The subject matter of this study is At Risk, a novel written by Alice Hoffman in 1988. The novel takes place in Morrow, Cape Ann, Massachusetts. The novel contains
219 pages and consists of 13 chapters. Hoffman’s seventh novel grew from her own fears bout AIDS, and mirrors the world of family and children. The novel was printed in
1989 by Berkley Books. The novel is about the illness of Amanda, Farrell’s daughter. It tells the
conditions of the Farrell family in facing the illness. The family consists of Ivan Farrell, an astronomer, Polly, a photographer, 8-year-old Charlie, a smart boy interested in
science, and 11-year-old Amanda, a champion gymnast. The main theme of this novel is the reaction of the family on Amanda’s illness.
Slowly, the illness changes the atmosphere of the family, the personality of the family members. The writer will focus on Polly’s personality changes.
3.2 Approach
In analyzing the novel, the writer decides to apply the psychological approach. The writer uses this approach because the aims of this study are to portray Polly’s
personality and her personality changes. Personality is one of the subjects of psychology. It covers patterns of behavior, thought, and feeling. By using this approach,
the Polly’s personality changes can be analyzed deeply.
3.3 Procedure
The writer took several steps to analyze this study. The first step was reading the novel over and over again. The writer tried to find the theme of the novel, what is the
novel about. The focus in this study is Polly Farrel. The writer made some notes about her personal description, her thought, her mannerism, her behavior, her reactions, and
her past life. The first step of the procedure ended with some formulated questions due the character’s personality.
The second step was gathering some books about the theories of literature and psychology. The writer used the theory of character and characterization, the theory of
critical approach, the theory of personality changes, and the theory of AIDS. The third step was searching the criticism of Alice Hoffman and At Risk through
the internet. The fourth step was observing Polly Farrell’s character. The writer used the
theory of character by Abrams, Stanton, and Holman-Harmon, and the theory of characterization by Murphy.
The fifth step, the writer observed the changes of Polly’s personality caused by her daughter’s illness.
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