Mother may become breadwinner and homemaker in the family to substitute the father figure in the family. But the absence of such a figure has certain effect
to the children.
4. Theory of Adolescence
The writer applies the theory of adolescence to analyze the main character of this novel, Ronnie. The writer uses
this theory because Ronnie‟s age is seventeen. “The word adolescence comes from Latin verb adolescence, which
means “to grow” or “to grow to maturity” Rice, 1996:3. Adolescence is the period after the childhood and before the adulthood. Based on Freud in the book
The Adolescent Development, Relationships and Culture , the definition of
adolescence is a period of sexual excitement, anxiety, and sometimes personality disturbance Rice, 1996:31. While, according Anna Freud, Freud‟s daughter,
adolescence is a period of internal conflict, physic disequilibrium, and erratic behavior Rice, 1996:32. It means that adolescence is egoistic, regarding
themselves as the sole object of interest and the center of the universe, on the other hand also capable of self sacrifice and devotion.
“A growing number of mental health practitioners view these divorces as major, negative events that stimulate insecurity, confusion
and painful emotions” Rice, 1996: 119. Divorce also becomes a major problem for adolescent. The
divorce makes their family break. Before the divorce, they had a complete parent, father and mother. When the divorce happened, they must realize that one of the
figures of parent has lost. “Divorce is typically part of larger problem in
psychological and emotional health” Greetman and Dunne, 1990:9. Divorce also affects the psychological and emotional health of a person. If a child usually gets
affection from their both parent and live together, after the divorce happened, they will no longer live with their parent and get affection as same as before the
divorce. “Anger and hostility are common emotional reactions among adolescents, especially toward the par
ent they blame for the divorce” Rice, 1996:120. Adolescent who cannot receive the reality that divorce happened in
their family, they will be angry with their parent. They will give some negative reactions.
Young children, because of their limited capacity to understand what is happening, are especially prone to unrealistic feeling of anger and guilt, and
they often revert to whinning, clinging, infantile behaviour that they had previously outgrown Kimmel and Weiner, 1985:262.
They will hostile with their parent generally. It can be hostility with mother
or father and also can be hostility with parent , father and mother. “After
separation occurs, adolescents have to adjust to the absence of one parent, often one on whom they have depended deeply for affection and h
elp” Rice, 1996:120. Divorce is also followed by a period of mourning and grief especially
if divorce makes an adolescent lose one figure that is very close to them. After the divorce, some mothers or fathers begins to date with other person. It will affect
their children too. “If parent begin to date again and get involved with another person, adolescents may become jealous and resentful because they have to share
their parent w ith another adult” Rice, 1996:120. The presence of someone in
adolescent‟s life can affect them especially if that person presents to substitute one figure in their life. If the mother or the father begins to date with someone else
