23 Baer as a heavyweight championship. Those six minor characters are considered
important because they influence James J. Braddock’s character. In this novel James J. Braddock is described as a husband and a father; and
as a boxer. Here, by using Robert W. Boynton and Maynard Mack’s theory, the writer found that the author of Cinderella Man uses some ways to help writer
reveal the characters description based on the action, the word, the thinking, the comment of others to the characters, the reaction of characters to their
surroundings, and the direct description. However, some of those ways will be implemented to understand James J. Braddock’s character. Here are the
descriptions of James J. Braddock as a husband and a father; and also as a boxer. James J. Braddock has some characteristics; responsible, loyal, honest,
steady, confident, proud, and courageous. Those characteristics are found after writer analyzed how he acts, his words to other characters, his thinking and his
reaction to his surroundings, the comment of others to him, and the direct description to him.
1. Responsible
James Jimmy Braddock was born on June 7, 1906 in New Jersey. He is a husband of Mae Theresa Fox and a father of Jay, Howard, and Rose Marie. At
first, he is poor but he still can feed his family normally. Then he works as a boxer, and get lots money. He and his family live in prosperous. But it does not
take too long because American economy is crashed, it makes many people in America lose their job including James J. Braddock, he loses everything he has. In
24 that hard situation, many heads of family are hopeless and choose to leave their
family or suicide. But it is different with James Jimmy Braddock; he chooses not to give up like others. He loves his family that’s why he struggle to get work to
feed his family. It is not easy to be James Jimmy Braddock, because he has to be a husband
and father at the same time with no regular work. When the Great Depression is attacked, Jimmy loses his job as a boxer and he has to work as a freelancer in the
port. Working as a freelancer is not the effective one to earn money, but he has no other choice besides borrowing money from the bank. But he knows his
responsibility as a husband and father that is whatever will be he is willing to earn money in order to feed his wife and his three children. Because of the situation is
getting harder, he find some problems in his family such as there is no more electricity for heater in the winter, no more milk for kids, and the worst is no more
food to eat. But he has a principal that whatever happen, his family must be unite, that is why he is a very good husband and father for his wife and children.
“Mae, I promised him, see? I got on my knees, looked him in his eyes and I promised him I would never send him away.” Without another word, Jim
turned and stored across the freezing room. Cerasini, 2005: 95
He is stated it when his wife, Mae, sends children away to her family in another town. Jimmy is mad because he finds his wife give up facing the hard
condition. As a father, he cannot accept when his wife decide a matter without his consideration, moreover the matter is about their children.
Jim’s emotions were almost too overpowering to express—fear, disappointment, rage. He stabbed his finger. “You don’t decide what
happens to our children without me.” Cerasini, 2005: 94
