24 he deserves to get from Great Benefit
– the insurance company which Rudy convicts pp. 392-397. Those problems contribute to crisis where there are
moments of eminent tension to resolve. Regarding the matter of Blacks’ case, it reaches its climax when it comes to
the courtroom especially when Rudy and Drummond present their witness to the trial pp. 467-533. Since the pretrial conference pp. 437-441, the tension of the
story increases. It also reaches the highest tension concerning on how Rudy wins the Blacks’ case for fifty million dollars pp. 553-554. There is one more story to
be regarded which reaches the lead taut. Love story between Rudy and Kelly – a
previously battered wife abused by her husband – also contributes to the climax of
the story. The love story reaches the highest tension because Rudy kills the husband inadvertently pp. 569-570. The two crisis reaches stages in which the suspense is
high, for the outcome to conclude. The resolution concerns on how Rudy never gets the money of him winning
the Blacks’ case. Instead, he ends up being in fame. Great Benefit is reported to be broke that it no longer could pay the huge punitive damages pp. 585-587. The
murder story unravells as the self-defense of a powerless wife confronting drunk husband p. 582. Rudy who has to meet many persons finally has made Kelly out
of jail pp. 581-585. The story resolves as Rudy decides to quit law – to never go
back – and to go wherever with Kelly at the time pp. 597-598.
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B. Analysis of the Irony
Irony is a literal evaluation which involves discrepancy to set forth the truth Gibbs, 2008, p. 458. As Booth suggests, it provides a new perspective as a
reflection as in Rockliffe, 2006, p. 38. In other words, by setting forth the truth through the discrepancies between two different sides, the use of irony indirectly
provides reflection, as it is usually hidden, as evaluation. In analysing The Rainmaker
, the researcher found the use of verbal and situational irony as follows.
1. Verbal Irony
Verbal irony is discrepancy of what the character says in the story which carries out different meaning intended by the speakers Colebrook, 2003. As what
Booth 1974 states that verbal irony has the characteristics as it makes the receptor rejects literal meaning, the discussion is carried out. It is used to perceive literal
evaluation that is implicitly either the opposite of or incongruous with the meaning of statement Pettineo, 2012. As the different meanings intended by the character
in the novel depends on interpretation, it could be differently perceived from different points of view.
On the following discussion, the subchapter would provide the intended meaning behind the following statement. The intended meaning is interpretation
formulated by the researcher, considering the character’s point of view and facts supporting the interpretation. There are three verbal ironies found in the novel:
absurdity in “This letter is incredible.”; understanding in “I don’t understand.”; and vulnerability in “It’s impressive.”
26
a Absurdity in This letter is incredible.
The statement is said by Rudy in the exposition part of the story. Included in the introduction of Blacks’ case, the letter mentioned is the letter from the
insurance company to deny the claim covered in the insurance which is supposed to cover all Blacks. The letter contains denial of claim for the eighth time, added by
a Claims Supervisor of Great Benefit addressing Blacks as “stupid, stupid, stupid”
p. 23. Later, this letter is labeled as Stupid Letter. The letter is not incredible literally, because incredible in literal meaning is used to address something that is
highly awesome. The statement here suggests meaning that is contradictory by overstating. Thus, the statement is verbal irony. As Booth 1974 says, verbal irony
makes the receptor rejects literal meaning to perceive the hidden meaning. The intended meaning that the letter is absurd because it is inappropriate to be called an
official letter from an honorable institution as big as Great Benefit. Further, the story elaborates on how the letter is a good document to be tried
in the bad-faith case of insurance company. The bad-faith case is a case of not fulfilling legal obligations that two parties has agreed on. In the story, it is not
covering Donny Ray’s treatment as what an insurance claim should. As it is written in the story p. 33,
“It is shocking and mean, and obviously written by someone convinced that Dot and Buddy would never show it to a lawyer”, it proves that if it
is shown to the lawyer, the letter can become a serious problem against the writer. Denying the claim is one thing, but the word stupid is terribly awful to be inside an
official letter. The word stupid is absurd to be used to address anyone formally. Thus, a denial claim is classified as an official letter. Any written documents have
