21 This condition is quite in line with the story of the novel which tells the
life of song writer in New York. This condition motivates William Goldman in writing a novel entitled Father’s Day. The story of the novel describes the daily
life experience of a song writer behind his popularity and prosperity. Therefore,
the novel draws a song writer attitude toward the problems of his life.
2.5 Theoretical Framework
There are four theories employed in this study. They are theory of character, theory of characterization, theory of psychoanalysis, and theory of
motivation. To find the approach which is appropriate to this study, the theory of critical approaches by Rohrberger and Woods 1971: 13 is applied.
To answer the first problem, the theory of character by Henkle 1977: 88 is employed along with the theory of characterization by Murphy 1972: 161
173. These theories are employed to give a clear description of the major character in the novel, Amos McCracken. Besides, these theories also explain
about the personalities and physical attitude that distinguish him from other characters.
The psychological approach is applied to answer the second problem, that is the understanding how the author describes Amos McCracken’s reactions
toward his bitter reality; being divorced and has no custody of his daughter. Moreover, the theory of psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud 1975: 404408 and
the theory of motivation 1981: 302308 by Abraham Maslow are employed to analyze Amos McCracken’s reactions toward the reality of his life.
22 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter contains of four parts, which are used in analyzing Father’s Day. The first part is the object of the study; the next part describes the approach
of the study; the third part is the method of the study and the last part is the
organization of the study.
3.1 Object of the Study
The novel chosen for this study is entitled Father’s Day. The author of this novel is William Goldman. This novel was published in 1971 by CORGI. The
novel consists of 183 pages and 6 chapters. This study focuses on Amos McCracken’s reactions toward the realities of
his life. He has divorced and has no custody of his only daughter. Therefore, this study analyses potential determinants of Amos McCracken’s reactions toward
those realities. The story begins when Amos McCracken realizes that he has forgotten to
join his only daughter, Jessica, at school for the Abraham Lincoln Day Party. His exwife, Lila, phones to remind him about his appointment with Jessica. After Lila
phones him, his mistress, Betsy, leaves him alone in his hotel room. Afterward, he hurries to Lila’s apartment to picks up Jessica and he finds
that Lila has already with Frederick A. Hunter as her new boyfriend. Then, Amos McCracken joins Jessica at school for the party and spends his afternoon with
Jessica. Unexpectedly, the accident happens to Jessica when they are playing in
23 the park. Amos McCracken calls Lila to tell her what has just happened and get
surprised when Lila threatens that she will not let him to see Jessica again. Desperately, Amos McCracken runs away with his wounded daughter as
he cannot accept Lila’s decision. He plans to go to Miami with Jessica. However,
Amos McCracken fails to execute his plan because Jessica refuses to go with him.
3.2 Approach of the Study
