The Bluema n is a nervous child and the environment of where he works makes him more nervous than before.
“I was a nervous child by nature, and the noise in the shop only made things worse. I was too young to be there, amongst all men, swearing and
complaining.” “Whenever the foreman came near, my father told me,’look down. Don’t
make him notice you.” 39
It is not a friendly place for a child to work. People does not treat him differently just because of he is a child. He is an ordinary child who has to work in
order to increase his family economy condition. The Blueman grows up as a nervous man. He has to take medicine in order to
overcome his nervousness. This medicine yet turns his skin into the color of ash. This condition makes him ashamed and agitated. So he swallows the medic ine even more,
and his skin goes from gray to blue. The Blueman’s life changes when he meets and joins a carnival. In the carnival,
he starts to gain his self confidence. He can enjoy his life without scaring people. “This become my home. I lived in a room above a sausage sop. I played cards
at night with the other sideshow workers, with the tinsmiths, sometimes even with your father. In the early mornings, if I wore a long shirts and dropped
my head in a towel, I could walk along this beach without scaring people. It may not sound like much, but for me, it was a freedom I had rarely known.”
42
The Blueman finally can feel the freedom as others have when he joins the carnival. He can interact with others without scares them. He is no more a nervous
person but only a common person with distinctive feature and normal life.
4.1.3 The Portrayal of the Captain
The second person Eddie meets in heaven is his former war captain. The Captain that Eddie meets is described as the oldest man in Eddie’s troop, a lifetime
military man with a lanky swagger and a prominent chin that gives him a resemblance of a movie actor of the day. Although he is high tempered and has a habit of yelling
inches from people’s face, but most of the soldier like him well enough. This Captain is a person that comes from three generations of military. His
family has already served in military, so at the age of six, he kno ws how to fire a pistol.
‘yep, I knew how to fire a pistol when I was six. In the mornings, my father would inspect my bed, actually bounce a quarter on the sheets. At dinner
dinner table it was always,’Yes, Sir,’ and ‘No, Sir.” 85
This situation leads the Captain to get used to the military life. He says that before he enters the service, all he does is taking orders, and the next thing is giving them.
Because of his past life, it is not impossible for him to be a leader, and as a leader, he is a responsible leader that always encourages his men by telling them that
‘No one gets left behind.’ 86. So, his men trusts him and likes him well enough. Even though the idea of ‘No one gets left behind,’ causes him to lose his life so that no one
is left behind.
4.1.4 The Portrayal of Ruby
Ruby is the third person Eddie meets in heaven. She is called Ruby Pier, the place where Eddie wo rks as the maintenance man. Ruby is portrayed as an old woman
with a gaunt face and sagging cheeks, rose coloured lipstick, and tightly pulled-back white hair, thin enough in parts to reveal the pink scalp beneath it. She wore wire-
rimmed spectacles over narrow blue eyes. 110. This beautiful old woman wears a beautiful dress but seems out of date. However, the beautiful dress and the posture of
the woman lead Eddie to think that this woman might be rich. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Her clothes were before his time, a dress made of silk and chiffon, with a bib- like bodice stitched with white beads and topped with a velvet bow just below
her neck her skirt had a rhinestone buckle and there were snaps and hooks up the side. She stood with elegant posture, holding a parasol with both hands.
Eddie guessed that she’d been rich. 110
When this old woman is young, she used to be a working girl. Her job is serving food in a place called Seashore Grille. This place is near the ocean when Eddie grows up.
In her time, she is an attractive gril, and she is good looking so that she can reject many proposals. 114
This attractive working girl finally meets her prince charming and marry him. Together, they own an amusement park of which name comes from the girl’s name,
Ruby. Ruby is a caring person. Her heart can be touched easily, and it is hard for her
to hate others But after your fathers death, I inquired about your family. When I learned
when he had worked, I felt a stinging pain, as if I had lost a loved one myself. The pier that bore my name. I felt its cursed shadow, and I wished again that
it had never been built. “That wish followed me to heaven, even as I waited for you.” 141
4.1.5 The Portrayal of Marguerite
