hands get hurt because of the fire, she does not care. It shows her strong character to help her friend immediately and independently.
b. By Speech
Speeches come in the forms of dialogues and monologues. The independence of child characters is able to be reflected through speeches because
they might state actions that were, are, and will be conducted. Bob in The Six Bad Boys is able to perform independence through speeches. One of which is when he is
courageous to introduce himself to his new neighbors and ask their names as well Blyton, 2012:17. It is his way to get to know his new environment as soon as he
arrives in the new house. Bob lives with his mother only and he loves her very much. He decides to
give her flowers when he gets back home. However, his mother rejects the flowers because she thinks that Bob is rude to her friend. Bob apologizes and states to his
mother that he really wants to give her flowers Blyton, 2012:55. It shows Bob’s independence in making his mother’s happy by giving flowers. It is his own way to
show his love to her. Next, in The Naughtiest Girl Again, Elizabeth is portrayed as a student with
bad temper. She dislikes any kinds of unfair treatments, such as bullying. As the result, she accuses her friend, Robert, for a bullying case that actually he has never
done and she feels ashamed of her accusation Blyton, 1993:108. She then admits her mistake through monologue with herself. She tries to defeat her ego from
accusing her friend and admitting her own fault. After she has defeated her own ego, she decides to do something to fix her mistake as found below.
“Eileen, would it be all right if Robert played in the match on Saturday
instead of me?’ asked Elizabeth. “You see, I’ve discovered that he didn’t do the things I accused him of at the last Meeting
—so I think it would be only fair if I let him have the chance of playing this time.
” Blyton, 1993:126
Elizabeth and Robert compete to get the position as a player in a lacrosse club. At the beginning, Robert is chosen but then he is expelled because he bullies his
friend. His position is given t o Elizabeth. As the fact is revealed, it is Elizabeth’s
mistake who accuses Robert for a misjudgment. Although she wants the position badly, she decides to give her position back to Robert to fix her mistake to him. She
thinks that she needs to uphold fair ness so she can forgive herself. Elizabeth’s
decision shows her independence in solving her problem when she misjudges her friend.
Next, Amelia Jane in Naughty Amelia Jane seems to have endless ideas to trick her toy friends. When the Nurse brings the toys to a beach, Amelia Jane has
planned some tricks for her friends. She plans to dig the sand, throw it to all her friends, fill her pail full of water, and pour it to her friend’s neck Blyton, 1989:42.
Her naughty plans show her independent character to have fun. She also decides to do all her plan by herself.
Amelia also learns a lesson from her mistakes. She does not want to be naughty again after her hands get burnt when she rescues a clockwork mouse trapped
in the fire. She then states to cure herself by applying ointment for her hands and fixing her burnt dress Blyton, 1989:184. She does these actions with her own effort
and ideas. She says these plans to her friends so that they know if she wants to change.
c. By Other’s Comment
