Ia juga suka merokok seperti Geri namun tidak pernah digambarkan sedang berolahraga. “Sophia took the last cigarette from the pack in front of her, then
crumpled and tossed it on a plate. The tin star-shaped ashtray was already full of cigarette butts
―mostly Sophia’a brand…” Taubman, 1987:3. Sophia digambarkan sebagai tokoh yang emosional sebagaimana terlihat dari kutipan berikut. “Sophia
Amadetto had a fiery temper an a sharp wit, and was frequently angry at what she considered injustice or in trouble for making a smart comment” Taubman, 1987:4.
Sophia mengakui hal tersebut kepada Geri dan Mary. “It seems like I’m always angry lately…I can’t seem to calm down…” Taubman, 1987:5. Hal itu menjadi bahan
pembicaraan Geri dan Mary. “Oh, you know Soph.” Mary Frances shrugged. “She’s always getting upset about something. I can’t imagine her taking anything calmly”
Taubman, 1987:17. Kualitas tokoh Sophia di atas dapat dijumpai pada beberapa individu dalam kehidupan nyata.
3.1.3 Latar Lady Cop
3.1.3.1 Latar Netral dan Spiritual
Analisis terhadap latar Lady Cop diawali dengan jenis latar yang terdapat di dalam novel tersebut. Berdasarkan jenisnya, latar dibedakan menjadi dua yaitu latar netral
dan latar spiritual. Dua jenis latar itu terdapat di dalam Lady Cop secara bersamaan. Latar netral dapat diketahui dari beberapa kutipan seperti berikut. “The sidewalks
were busier than they would be in the middle of the afternoon” Taubman, 1987:1. Latar tentang keadaan trotoar tersebut mengiringi perjalanan Mary. “She felt as
though she had all of New York City to herself” Taubman, 1987:22. Latar ketika Geri sedang berolahraga tersebut dengan jelas menunjukkan bahwa ia atau
keseluruhan cerita Lady Cop berlokasi di kota New York. “The muster room was full
of cops talking with each other. Some held Styrofoam cups of coffe…The sergeant came in and everyone lined up for roll call and inspection” Taubman, 1987:76.
Kutipan tersebut menggambarkan suasana dalam sebuah kantor polisi tempat para tokoh novel bekerja. Latar spiritual terdapat pada penggambaran latar netral yang
lebih spesifik, hal itu dapat diketahui dari beberapa kutipan seperti berikut. “This block of East Seventy-eighth Street was one of Geri’s favorites in the city. Several six-
story, old-fashioned stone apartment buildings lined both sides, two with arched walk- throughs to Seventy-seventh Street that suggested an earlier and more gracious time”
Taubman, 1987:20. Penggambaran gedung-gedung apartemen tua dengan arsitektur yang menarik adalah untuk menimbulkan kesan bahwa masa lalu identik dengan
kenangan indah atau keadaan yang lebih baik. Like the rest of the precinct, the locker room had seen better days…The walls
were covered with NYPD green paint, which was filthy after years of neglect. The floor tiles were worn and the concrete was visible where tiles had come off.
The room was cramped, filled with metal lockers of all shapes and sizes, all bearing a “Police Don’t Move” decal…The lockers were in four rows, two
facing each other with a rickety picnic bench between. A cracked mirror sat on a wobbly chair at the end of one row Taubman, 1987:74.
Kondisi ruang ganti disamakan dengan kondisi kantor polisi tersebut secara keseluruhan yaitu tidak terawat dan berbeda jauh dibandingkan saat masih baru. Cat
yang mengelupas, lantai yang kusam dan lepas, serta sebuah kursi usang digambarkan untuk menghadirkan sisi lain dari kehidupan polisi di NYPD. Latar spiritual yang
menarik terdapat pada saat Geri dan Alice melewati daerah South Bronx. They were passing some buildings that still had tenants. Geri could see
the window shades, mostly blue or green. Every once in a while she spotted a red shade or a white one. One of the little mysteries of the city, as far as Geri
was concerned, was why poor people preferred blue and green window shades Taubman, 1987:110.
Warna-warna tirai yang diamati oleh Geri itu digambarkan sebagai suatu misteri dalam kehidupan sehari-hari di daerah tersebut.
3.1.3.2 Elemen Latar dalam Lady Cop
