4 motivations to marry Tim. The writer also tries to explore motivation to marry
Tim.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the introduction above, there are three problems that the writer wants to discuss in this study. They are:
1. How is Savannah described in Dear John?
2. What conditions does Savannah face?
3. How do the Savannah’s characteristics and the conditions she faces
influence her motivations to marry Tim in Dear John?
C. Objective of the Study
The aim of this study is to find out the answer of the problem formulation in the previous part. There are three objectives of the study. First, the writer tries
to find out how Savannah is described in the story. Second, after analyzing the characteristics of Savannah, the writer tries to find out the conditions which are
faced by Savannah in the novel. Third, having known the description of Savannah’s characteristics and her conditions, the writer tries to answer and see
how Savannah’s characteristics and the conditions influence Savannah’s
motivations to marry Tim.
5
D. Definition of Terms
According to the Hornby’s Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English
the noun motivation derives from the verb motivate meaning to be the reason for somebody’s action or to cause somebody to want to do
something Hornby, 1995: 758.
6
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
The existence of a literary work always invites comments or criticisms from some critics. The criticism can be an agreement toward the story. The
criticisms are needed to support the analysis of this study. Not many researches on this novel are displayed in the library. However, the writer can obtain some
comments on this novel in the internet.
Nanang’s study 2009, a graduate student from English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University uses the psychological approach. He
tries to analyze the influ ence of motivation towards behavior resulted in Griffin’s
self- destruction in H. G. Well’s The Invisible Man. He finds Jack Griffin’s five
characteristics and his two motivations. His motivations are to achieve glory and fame and to restore his visibility. Then he finds the connection between the
motivations of Jack Griffin toward his behavior. His high level of motivation leads him to act aggressive behavior. Finally his behavior leads him to his own
death later. It is most appropriate to use the Psychological approach. The writer tries to
answer by analyzing the characteristics of Jack Griffin using theory of character and characterization. Then, the writer tries to reveal the factor
that becomes the background of Griffin’s motivation using the theory of human motivation. Last, the writer tries to find the influence of motivation
towards behavior. It proves mostly through the dialog analysis. 2009: vii.
7 Another study that uses the psychological approach is done by
Marchelynow Alfa Christian 2009, a graduate student from English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University too.
To see Elie’s motivation of survival that revealed in the main character’s conflicts in the novel, three questions are formulated to guide the analysis.
They are 1 How are the characters described in the Elie Wiesel’s Night?
2 What are Elie Wiesel’s internal and external conflicts that revealed in the story? 3 In what way the internal and external conflicts reveal Elie’s
motivation of survival? The method applied in this study is library research. The approach used in this study is psychological approach.
2009: xi.
In his thesis, he uses psychological approach to analyze the motivation revealed in the main character’s conflicts in Elie Wiesel’s Night. He uses theory
of con flict to analyze what Elie Wiesel’s internal and external conflicts revealed
in the story. Then, he analyzes how the internal and external conflicts reveal Elie’s motivation of survival in achieving freedom.
From the internet sources, there are several criticisms which provide the research about Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John. One of them is from Ababaigalith
www.bookcrossing.com, July 26, 2011. He states that: This is the story of how an ideal love can falter, despite its purity and
strength. Not every romance results in a happy ending, but with a great deal of luck, those who dont survive will find meaning from the
experience. Love, loyalty, friendship--all those sentiments are great.
He explains that not every romance or every story has a happy ending. It can be in a sad ending, like in the Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John novel. He focuses
on love, how true love can lose. The survival and struggle make someone get the meaning of love.
8 Those studies give deeper information for the writer in analyzing the story
of the novel. In the first studies, Nanang explains about the influence of motivation towards behavior resulted in Griffin’s self-destruction in H. G. Well’s
The Invisible Man . He uses psychological approach to analyze it. The second
study presenting the analysis also uses psychological approach to analyze the motivation revealed in the main character’s conflicts in Elie Wiesel’s Night. Two
of them share the same view about motivation and the use of psychological approach. Different from all the previous studies above, the last focuses on love,
how true love can lose. Not every love story ends with happy ending. From the previous studies above this study discusses about the influence of S
avannah’s characteristics and conditions in her motivations to marry Tim.
This study focuses on Savannah’s characteristics, her conditions and her motivations to marry Tim. The writer uses a psychological approach. In this study,
the writer emphasizes more on Savannah’s characteristics and conditions in her
motivations to marry Tim as seen in the Dear John. The writer tries to discover something new about characteristics, conditions, and motivations. The writer
hopes that this study can give new understanding about the story of the novel.
B. Review of Related Theories
