The second concept is the occurrence of defences to protect mind from the repressed experience. This part shows how Francesca uses defences to protect her
mind from the distressing event. In this part the writer also uses the theory of defense mechanism to gain more information about that. The third concept is the
core issues caused by the repressed or buried experience. In this part the writer finds the core issues that lead Francesca to her destructive behaviour. The theory
of social learning is also used to help to find the core issue. The social learning theory is used to find the relationship between Francesca and people around her
besides family. From its relationship it will be known how the relationship can affect her core issue. The last concept is the occurrence of self-destructive
behaviour. This part shows how Francesca’s eating disorder can happen. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A.
Object of the Study
The object of this study is the novel entitled
The Best Little Girl in the World.
The author of this novel is Steven Levenkron. This novel was first published in the United States of America in 1978 and published by Warner
Books. This novel consists of 256 pages with 25 chapters.
The Best Little Girl in the World
counts as a bestselling novel about obsession-that-kills and won the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults Award. This novel
was also adapted as a television film directed by Sam O’steen with the same title in 1981.
This novel is a portrait of a young ballerina who nearly dies from her eating disorder. The main character is a girl named Francesca. She likes to dance
ballet. Motivated at first by her demanding ballet teacher, as well as frustrationwith her own body compared to other dancers, Francesca develops an
obsession with weight loss and exercise that lead to severe anorexia nervosa. It takes herseveral months for her family to see and acknowledge what happensto
Francesca. In the story, caused by her eating disorder, Francesca becomes secretive, isolates herself from friends, and puts up a wall between herself and her
parents. After the parents know the problem in Francesca, they decide to take her to a therapist but then there is no change in Francesca’s disorder. After that her
parents take her to the hospital and in the end of the story Francesca with step by
step is fully recovered from her eating disorder.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach of this study is Psychoanalytic approach. Psychoanalytic approach is “a form of literary criticism which uses some of the techniques of
psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature” Barry, 2009: 92. Psychoanalysis itself is “a method of treating emotional and psychological
disorders” Bressler, 1999: 148. In short, psychoanalytic approach is an approach to analyse literary works using psychoanalysis. The psychoanalytic
approach is used by the writer of this study to answer the problem formulations formulated above.
Psychoanalytic approach is a suitable approach to explain Francesca Dietrich’s destructive behaviour because this theory reveals understanding about
how “life-events, as we grow up, that shape our psychological development, and these early experiences tend to play out in our adult lives” Bressler, 1999.
Unconsciously, people are shaped by every moment of life that they experience. Every moment gives them problems. Naturally, the problems that cannot be
overcome are repressed by their minds. This repression can lead them to do
certain destructive behaviours such as what happens to Francesca.
The writer uses this approach to deal with the main character’s emotions and illness that she suffers. Since the main character in the novel is revealed as
suffering from a disorder, this approach is used to help the writer to analyze the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
