A. The Presentation of the Main character Josie and Alex Cormier in
Nineteen Minutes
1. Alex Cormier
First, the writer is describing the character of Alex Cormier as a single parent of Josie. Alex Cormier is a single parent of Josie, she is a new superior court judge,
and she had been a superior judge for thirty four days. She is a perfectionist person; we can see it from the first time before she left her house.
She twisted her thick copper hair into a knot and anchored it at the base of her neck with bobby pins, transforming herself into the person she needed to be
before she left her house. p.6 The quotation shows that Alex always prepares all of things before she leaves
her house. She wants all of thing to be well prepared. Alex Cormier is a perfectionist who always cares about everything what she has done.
Alex glanced down at her skirt, blouse, and heels and frowned. ―Why? Is it too Margaret
Thatcher?‖ ―No, I mean…why do you bother? No one knows what you have on under
your robe. You could wear, like, pajama pants. Or that sweater you have from college that’s got holes in the elbows.‖
―Whether or not people see it, I’m still expected to dress…well, judiciously.‖ p.9
Alex Cormier’s perfectionist character is not only seen from the way the first time she was preparing something, but we can also see it on how she is dressed;
Richard Gill says that clothes also something important to see character personality and social status. Graham Greene also says in theory, in addition, we see from the
character speaks, and then we also must notice to the character’s clothes. Clothes are something important to see character personality. That’s conversation above shows us
that Alex Cormier is a perfectionist woman, she always concern about what she is dressed. The way she is dressed up is like Margaret Thatcher, it is symbolized that
Alex is a perfectionist and decisive. Based www.biography.com, 2014, 24 August 2014 Margaret Thatcher was first women England prime minister. Margaret Thatcher
was a perfectionist, decisive and uncompromising in politics and leadership style, until she called as the iron lady. That is why Alex Cormier dressed like Margaret
Thatcher; she wants to emphasize her identity as perfectionist, decisive and uncompromising judge.
The quotation above also shows that Alex Cormier is a wise person. It is showed in this conversation before Josie comments to Alex why she is dressed in a
skirt, blouse, and heels. Josie says that if no one knows what you have on under your robe. Alex explained that in view of someone we should not judge someone without
actually seeing what is inside the person. Alex didn’t necessarily think that Josie was hiding anything more than any
other teenager, but it was different: a normal parent might metaphorically judge her child’s friends, whereas Alex could do it legally. p.6
Another evidence shows if Alex was a wise figure; it was shown from how
she faces her daughter. Alex does not necessarily think that Josie is hiding anything more than any other teenager, but it is different; a normal parent might
metaphorically judge her childs friends, whereas Alex can do it legally. She is a wise woman, she looks at what has ha
ppened to Josie doesn’t occurs because of the influence of her friend.
When Alex submitted her name years ago for the bench, it had been with the sincere desire to make sure people in this legal system were innocent until
proven guilty. She just never anticipated that, as a judge, she might not be given the same benefit of the doubt. p.6
Except she is a perfectionist person, perfectionist, decisive, uncompromising,
and wise, Alex Cormier also has dedication in her work, Before we are talking about dedication, it is important if we know about the meaning of dedication. Longman
Dictionary and Contemporary English say that dedication is a hard work or effort that someone puts into a particular activity because they care about it a lot. In that
quotation sh ows how Alex has dedication in her job because she doesn’t care about
something that she can receive but she is just care about the purpose and duty as a judge in a best way. She also tries to be an objective judge. because she doesn’t
concern about the bad risk. She is forty years old, at forty; she is still the youngest judge in the state. Many people are doubted with her ability, but her dedication make
people stigma change. ―You’d be good at it, Alex. You’re a fine decision maker. You’re even
tempered. You don’t let your emotions get in the way of your work. You have
a defense perspective, so you understand the litigants. And you’ve always been an excellent trial attorney.‖ He hesitated. p. 98
In this story, before Alex Cormier become a superior judge her old boss when
she is a public defender said that Alex Cormier is an intelligent and hard worker. It proved that before she is appointed as a judge, she gives some tasks to handle some
cases, at the age of which is relatively young as a public defender; she is able to resolve cases until she is appointed as a judge.
In Nineteen Minutes Alex Cormier is a static character because in this storythere is no changes character. The writer concludes from many evident that Alex
Cormier is a mother who has some characteristic, those are wise, intelligent, perfectionist, decisive, hard worker, and uncompromised.
2. Josie Cormier
After we discuss Alex Cormier’s characteristics, then we can discuss Josie Cormier Characteristics. In this chapter, the writer was discussed two different characteristics
of Josie. The first, the writer talk about her character when she is child, and the second one the writer when she is in adolescence period.
a. In her Childhood
Cheerful, Confident, good-hearted, Intelligent and loyal were characteristics that she had as a child. First, we are discussing about her loyalty to her friends.
Peter sank back into his seat. His face felt cold, but his ears were burning. He could hear the boy and his friends laughing, as loud as if it were happening in
his own head. Then he felt Josie’s hand slide into his. ―I’ve got peanut butter,‖ she whispered. ‖We can share.‖ p.93
Quotation above describes the first character of Josie. Good-hearted and solidarity are the Josie’s character. We can see how Josie willing to share lunch with
friends. Peter is one of Josie’s kindergarten friends Josie who later became Josie’s best friend. Peter is always bullied by his friends but Josie still wants to be his
friendand to share with him. Josie is not affected by her friends, but instead continues to do well to Peter, thats why caused Peter considers Josie as best friends.
―Come on,‖ Alex said, leading Josie upstairs to the bathroom. There, she peeled off her daughter’s shirt, washed her cuts, and covered them with
Neosporin and Band-Aids. She sat down in front of Josie, on the bathmat that looked like it was made of Cookie Monster skin. ―You want to talk about it?‖
Josie’s lower lip quivered and she started to cry. ―It’s Peter,‖ she said. ―Drew picks on him all the time and Peter gets hurt, so today I wanted it to be the
other way around.‖p.101 One day Josie beats the crap out of a boy on the playground. She is fighting
because she feels irritated to see her friend, Peter, who always bullied by them. Josie tries to give lessons to some friends who like to bully.The incident shows how Josie
has a good heart and solidarity towards the people around her. In addition to solidarity and good heart character, in the incident also shows how Josie has self-
confident character because a woman usually does not dare to man, but in this case Josie dared. Josie also dares to express her reason to the mother behind her actions.
Only people who have self-confident who is able to do this action. b.
In her Adolescence The writer is trying to analyze the facts displayed in the novel. The Pioneer of
adolescence theory, G. Stanley Hall sees that adolescent representing transitional stage in our evolutionary development from beast to human. Josie Cormier has some
distinct characteristics and reflections itself. Many evident show Josie as adolescent in transitional stage.
First, Josie is a pretty famous private school student as well as her boyfriend Matt, but he is not too comfortable with the popularity in schools.
Sometimes Josie thought of her life as a room with no doors and no windows. It was a sumptuous room, sure-a room half the kids in Sterling High would
have given their right arm to enter-but it was also a room from which there really wasn’t an escape. Either Josie was someone she didn’t want to be, or
she was someone who nobody wanted. p.10
The quotation above shows how a Josie stressed to her situation. In the novel Nineteen Minutes explain with some symbols. The situation also symbolize of the
restrained of Josie. In the situation the writer wants to describe how Josie felt confined, she feels she could not do anything.
She wore her dark hair long and straight; she dressed in in Abercrombie Fitch; she listened to Dashboard Confessional and Death Cab for Cutie. She
liked the eyes of the other girl in the school when she sat in the cafeteria borrowing Coutney’s makeup. p.10
The quotation above that says she hears the song of Dashboard Confessional and Death Cab for Cutie with emo and alternative rock that reflects someone in
adolescence. Emo music reflects sadness and alternative rock reflects a spirit rebel against something. And it is strengthening with how Josie dresses up; she dresses up
in Abercrombie Fitch. Abercrombie Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for young consumers, and is headquartered in New Albany, Ohio, a
suburb of Columbus. The way she dresses up and the songs she is heard symbolize a young woman who wants to get out of the confined situation.
Abercrombie Fitch also symbolize that Josie is not a perfectionist person, because Abercrombie Fitch is designed to show how a teenager exploring how to
dress casual and unrestrained with a rule. It shows that Josie has different characters with her mother who is very perfectionist.
Except rebel, an event described in Chapter 4 shows that Josie has a good characteristics and wise in looking at something. She does not hate Peterdirectly
because she has not been proven legally. Today, thanks to the superman binder, they’d started off the year with crisis.
With Josie’s help, he’d made a slip-cover of sorts from the tape and an old newspaper they stole from the science lab. He could take it off when he was
home, she reasoned, so that his mother wouldn’t be offended. p.198 This quotation shows that good character of Josie, in that chapter tells that
Josie frustrated because of her mother as a judge. Josies mother does not want to close with Peter, but because Josie has thought he was a good friend. Then Josie still
helps Peter. The incident also shows the rebel side of a Josie. She ignores her mother’s command, but instead of acting otherwise.
The writer concludes that in adolescence age Josie Cormier has some characteristics those are wise, rebel, not perfectionist, and loyal.
B. The Influence of Parenting Style changes toward Josie Cormier
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