Murphy 162. The narrator’s wife, Esther, realizes that her husband likes to look for adventure. It is stated in her conversation with her husband.
“That’s not it either. I’m very happy with my self. I enjoy your company, but I just don’t think it’s going to work.”
“You enjoy my company, but hate being your self. You’re always looking for adventure in order to forget more important things. You always want to
feel the adrenalin flowing in your veins and you forget that the only thing that should be flowing through them is blood.” 18.
The narrator is in Spain in order to finish writing his book, but he does not complete it immediately. Though Esther is the one who gives him a chance to
write there, since the ticket is from her, he does not use this opportunity well. In fact, he enjoys his independence. “It is very comfortable being married and
knowing that I can always return to her arms, meanwhile enjoying all the independence in the world” 22. He falls in love with a Catalan scientist, with an
Argentine woman, and with a young woman who sings in the metro. This blonde singer then sleeps in the rented apartment where he lives and goes out every night
with him to enjoy la movida madrilène “the Madrid scene”. He has fun there by attending parties. Until one day Esther tells him that she wants to come there and
he has to stop all fun.
4.2 The Character of Esther
Esther is the narrator’s wife. She is thirty years old. She is such a great journalist, winning two international prizes for journalism. They meet for the first
time when she wants to interview him. They then meet again at a party and their relationship grows into a more serious one. Esther moves her things to his
apartment and they then live together. In the novel, the narrator says directly about PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
her; that she is a journalist and a pretty woman. The writer here applies the direct comment technique Murphy 170.
One day, a journalist comes to interview me. She wants to know what it’s like to have my work known all over the country but to be entirely
unknown myself, since normally it’s only the singer who appears in the media. She’s pretty, intelligent, quiet 17.
Esther’s characters can be found through the narrator’s opinion, her saying, and also her reaction toward something.
4.2.1 Caring
Esther is caring. We can see it from what she does to her husband; her mannerisms toward her husband Murphy 173. She encourages him to write
when he thinks it is too hard for him. She buys him a ticket to Spain when he almost gives up writing his book and starts thinking that their marriage will not
work. Where is the ticket for?
Spain. I’m shocked. Air tickets are expensive, besides, I can’t go away now, I’ve
got a career ahead of me, and I need to look after it. I’ll lose out on a lot of potential music partnerships; the problem isn’t me, it’s our marriage 21.
She supports him though she accepts refusal from him to maintain their marriage. She loves him so much and gives him a chance to be alone so that he
can think and focus on his writing. “You can, you want to, but you don’t,” she says. “Your problem isn’t me, but you, so it would be best if you spent some time
alone.” 21. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
