Object of the Study

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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS

In this part, the whole discussion in this research will be presented; the analysis is to discuss the theory and the evidence in the novel The Last Song to answer two questions in the problem formulation. In the first part of the analysis, the writer will explain characteristics of Ronnie and Steve as the answer of the first problem formulation. Therefore, the writer need the theory of character and chara cterization to explain about how Ronnie‟s characteristic when there is her father‟s figure and when her father‟s figure loses. The writer also needs that theory to explain Steve‟s characteristics. In the second part of the analysis, the writer will answer the second problem formulation. The writer will reveal the influence of the absence of father figure on Ronnie‟s negative behavior. To answer this question in the problem formulation, the writer will use psychoanalytic approach and many other theories that have been provided in the previous chapter.

A. Analysis of the characteristics of Ronnie and Steve

In this part, the writer will explain characteristics of Ronnie and Steve.

1. The Characteristics of Ronnie

Ronnie is a seventeen years old girl. First, she lived happily with her family before the divorce happened. After the divorce, Ronnie loses her father figure because she lives with her mother and her little brother. The lost of father‟s figure makes Ronnie‟s characteristic changed. The explanations of Ronnie‟s characteristics when there is her father‟s figure and when her father‟s figure lost will be stated as follows:

a. Ronnie’s characteristics when there is a father’s figure

Ronnie had intact families three years ago, before the parental divorce. She lived with her father, mother and little brother, Jonah. Kim and Steve was kind parent for their children. The divorce happens and breaks Ronnie‟s family. Her father, Steve leaves their house and moves to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. While Ronnie lives with her mother and Jonah in New York. During three years after the divorce, Ronnie has lost her father figure in her life. She only has her mother figure. When Ronnie‟s age is seventeen years old, her mother tells her and her brother to spend the holiday with Steve in North Carolina. After the divorce, Ronnie hates her father. She thinks that her father has an affair with someone else, therefore he chooses to divorce Kim and leaves his family. She has been angry with him since her parental divorce. She loses her father figure in that certain time. There are three Ronnie‟s characteristics when there is a father figure:

i. Caring

During the holiday, she and her brother live with their father again. Ronnie who has not met her father for three years meets him again. She spends her time with her father, after three years she never wants to meet her father. She gets her father figure again during the holiday. After she spent time with her father everyday and got her father figure again, she changes into a kind person anymore. She changes into a girl like three years ago before the divorce happened. One day, Ronnie visits a funfair which is being held in Wrightsville Beach. She meets Wi ll, a volley ball player who already spilled his drink into Ronnie‟s clothes before. She sees Will and his friend, Scott involves in a fight with Marcus and his friends. It makes a fray in the funfair. The situation in the funfair becomes chaotic. Ronnie a lso sees Blaze, her new friend. Blaze is Marcus‟s girlfriend. In the middle of the fight, Ronnie realizes there is a toddler. The toddler is crying. Ronnie shouts and tells them to finish their fight. She pushes away Marcus and Scott, then she walks into that toddler. “The fight‟s over There is no fight Can you see this kid is hurt?” Challenging them to contradict her, she pushed her way between Scott and Marcus and stopped to the cry toddler, who had been knocked over in the commotion. He was three or four, and his shirt was pumpkin orange. When the girl spoke to him, her voice was soft, her smile reassuring. “Are you okay, sweetie? Where‟s your mom? Let‟s go find her, okay?” Sparks, 2009:60-61 Ronnie takes care of the toddler and until the toddler‟s mother comes and takes him away from Ronnie. Ronnie does not let that toddler cries and helps him to find his mother. According to Murphy , the author tells about Ronnie‟s characteristic through mannerism 1972:173. The reader of the novel can know Ronnie‟s characteristics through her manners.