Rindra Nuriza, 2014 A CHILD CHARACTER’S DEVELOPMENT IN R.J. PALACIO’S CHILDREN’S REALISTIC FICTION NOVEL
WONDER Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
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| perpustakaan.upi.edu
attempted to illustrate cause and effects of selective narrative events through characters’ focalization on the main character’s development. Furthermore, the
description of data also denoted information regarding the kind of relationship between the main character and the others whereby affecting the main character to
develop. As a result, qualitative research design with descriptive analysis method was
applied as the guiding to examine the data needed to answer the research questions. In the attempt to answer the research questions, intensive reading
regarding related framework was conducted following these sequences adapted from Cresswell 2009:
a. Reading the whole novel carefully, in order to understand the overall story-
line, major issues and general sense of the story. b.
Preparing for collecting the data analysis by re-reading the novel in detail, to gain more comprehensive understanding concerning the main character
within the story and then taking memos about it. c.
Highlighting the key narrative events in the story in which they become the catalyst for changes in the main character’s personalities and attitudes, and
specifically selecting multiple characters’ focalization that contribute to the main character’s development.
d. Identifying the data collection by engaging it with the frameworks and
previous research that have been elaborated in Chapter II. e.
Generating the data analysis into narrative passage, by making elaboration and interpretation to draw the findings in connection with the theories
applied. f.
Discussing the findings to draw the conclusion and giving some suggestions eventually.
3.3 Context of the research
The analysis of character’s development in the research was limited to the main character, August. Due to the analysis, the
characters’ focalization in the form of words, such as dialogues, expression, thoughts and so forth were highlighted in
Rindra Nuriza, 2014 A CHILD CHARACTER’S DEVELOPMENT IN R.J. PALACIO’S CHILDREN’S REALISTIC FICTION NOVEL
WONDER Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
| repository.upi.edu
| perpustakaan.upi.edu
relation to some narrative events in the story. Apparently, there are six characters whose focalization involved in the story: 1 August: the main character, 2 Via:
August’s elder sister, 3 Summer: August’s friend at school, 4 Jack: August’s best friend at school, 5
Justin: Via’s boy friend, and 6 Miranda: Via’s old friend. In this regard, multiple focalization is specifically identified to give a clear
picture of August’s changes in personalities and attitudes.
3.4 Data presentation
The following sample is the data analysis in the form of table concerning the gradual
changes in August’s traits that can be noticed from the sequence of events. In this context, the cause and effect of what the characters focalize
culminate in the development for August’s character.
3.1 Sample table of August’s character development
No. Narrative
Events Characters
Focalization Cause
Effect on August’s
traits
1. Pre-going to
school August 10
years old, male, having
an anomaly My name is August., by
the way.
I won’t describe what
I look
like. Whatever
you’re thinking, it’s probably
worse. p. 3 Self-
declaring Suffering
from low self-esteem
2. The beginning
of being a public school
student Summer
August’s friend at
school Anyone who accidentally
touches August has only thirty seconds to wash
their hands or find hand sanitizer before they catch
the Plague
. I’m not sure what happens to you if
you actually catch the Plague because
nobody’s touched August yet
—not directly. p. 120
Being treated as a
contagious person
Unpopular
The complete data presentations are available in the appendices.
Rindra Nuriza, 2014 A CHILD CHARACTER’S DEVELOPMENT IN R.J. PALACIO’S CHILDREN’S REALISTIC FICTION NOVEL
WONDER Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
| repository.upi.edu
| perpustakaan.upi.edu
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
After discussing the findings and discussion, this chapter presents the conclusions of the research which aimed at investigating the ways the main character’s
developed and identifying the contributions of focalization to the main character’s development in R.J. Palacio’s Wonder. It also provides suggestions for readers
who might be interested in the same issues discussed in the research.
5.1 Conclusions
Due to examining research based on a novel, the writer collected data in the form of textual evidences, in particular, dialogues, conversations, actions, feelings and
thoughts to analyze a child character’s development in contemporary realistic
fiction. In line with the first purpose of the research which is to unearth the ways the
main character is developed, it can be concluded that the main character developed through two ways: four narrative events and the characters’
focalization. Since narrative events refer to the transition from one condition to another that are experienced by characters, it leads to the process of the main
character’s development. In the beginning, August suffers from low self-esteem. As the narrative events go on, he changes to be more confident and even
honourable in other people’s eyes. In this way, August’s character undergoes the betterment. The betterment is equally
apparent from the characters’ focalization. Since focalization refers to the character’s personal views, it helps explicating the
main character’s characterisation and ascribes information about key events that
stimulate August to develop. In regard with the second purpose of the research which is to find out the
contributions of focalization to the main character ’s development, based on the
findings, the six characters’ focalization gives a clear picture about August’s life
through different personal perceptions. Cognitive, perceptual and emotional aspects in focalization
provide generous views towards August’s dynamic
