Lynette’s main objective is achieving self-pleasure. Lynette’s reaction to Eddie’s disturbance gives clear description that Lynette did the logic thing when she got
bothered without deciding whether it was good or not. Based
on the analysis in this section, it can be concluded that Lynette’s motivation was the disturbance that she got everyday from her cousin, Eddie. The
change that was made by Lynette made the needs of safety fulfilled.
3. Love or Belongingness
Maslow 1987 explains that the love needs involve giving and receiving affection. When they are unsatisfied, a person will feel keenly the absence of
friends, mate, or children and such person will hunger for relations with people in general p. 20.
In this study, it can be found some reason that motivated Lynette to fulfill this level of human need. The motivation was the hunger of mate and affection.
There are some clues that can be used to show the motivation of Lynette. First of all was that Lynette could not get a
ny companion in Josh’s family. Marie was Josh’s wife. Marie was Josh’s second wife. Josh’s first wife had left the family.
Marie did not like talk much. She was a silent woman with a long face and nose, little eyes and calloused
hands. p. 13 She acted
as polite and distant with Josh’s kids as if they were strangers. p. 13
She was also busy with the ranch. Marie had most of the horses out on the trail. Trail rides were the main
money-making operation of this ranch Josh had bought in upstate New York. p. 4
The previous quotations are the only evidences that can lead us to the conclusion that one of Lynette’s motivations was the lack of companion from her
aunt, Marie. It was not only Marie. Lynette was also lack of companion from other persons in Some Other Summer.
Josh was being good to Lynette. Adler does not tell the character of Josh in detail. It makes the reader cannot find the occupation and daily activity of Josh.
There are only few conversations of others about Josh. The only thing that can be assumed was that Lynette rarely talked to Josh.
In Lynette’s opinion, Josh was a good man. She could feel the love from her Uncle, Josh.
Then she said carefully, “I never ask him for anything.” “What do you mean? Why not?”
“Well, because he’s already doing more for me than he needs to do just keeping me. Josh is a good man.” p. 19
The love of her uncle, Josh, was not enough for Lynette to realize that she was loved by everyone in Josh family. Another Lynette’s motivation was the lack
of companion from Debbi. Debbi was also the member of Josh’s family. She was
two years older than Lynette. Lynette was too busy with her own business. At first Lynette came to the ranch, they had been inseparable.
When Lynette had first come to the ranch in New Mexico, Debbi had said, “It’s you and me against the boys.” Despite the two years between them,
they had been inseparable. “Like sisters,” Debbi had said. p. 39 Debbi had almost filled the emptiness left by her mother and Jeremy. To
have one person close to her was all Lynette needed. p.39
That was only the beginning when Lynette lived in Josh’s family. That was only last for a short period. Debbi changed.
Overnight, she’d become a woman and discarded Lynette. They still shared a bedroom, but not their deepest feelings any more. Now Debbi sometimes
talked to Lynette as if she were a child – “Well, you wouldn’t
understand…. Oh, Lynette, you’re such a baby…. I can’t tell you what he said’; you’re too young.” p.39
“Debbi’s mean,” Eddie said. “She doesn’t care about nothing no more except her boyfriends.” p. 3
She’d be busy getting ready for a date with her boyfriend or talking on the phone. Debbi didn’t want to stay inside with the family any more. She was
removing herself from them the way her four big brothers had. p. 10-11
Debbi, in Some Other Summer, was one of persons who made Lynette suffers. Every behavior of Debbi always attracted Jeremy to pay attention to her. It was
the thing that made Lynette jealous. It was the thing that made Lynette’s hunger of love getting bigger.
The last family member was Eddie. Eddie was too hateful of Lynette. He could not be a good companion for Lynette. He always disturbed Lynette and
made her angry. The last character emerges in Some Other Summer was Jeremy. Jeremy
was the o ne that Lynette loved. During his vacation, he came to Josh’s house.
Lynette expected that she could spare most time with him. Unfortunately, Jeremy spent most of his time with Eddie or Debbi.
What was the change that could make Lynette fulfill this level of human need? That is the question after reading some clues related to the problem
associated to love need. As what has been stated previously, motivation will change one’s behavior. The objective is to fulfill the hunger or lack of the need.
When there is no change, it can be inferred that there is no motivation.
In this study, the writer noted that, in some problems, Lynette made no change on her behavior. Here, the writer only shows the changes in Lynette. It
becomes the focus in this study because the writer wants to show the motivation of Lynette.
The first hunger of mate was the hunger of being treated as a family. It is the first motivation of Lynette in achieving this level. At the last part of the story,
Lynette tried to be honest to everyone. She made a confession of bad things she did to Uncle Josh and others.
“I did it,” she said. “I started the fire.” “It was me,” she said, and shaky as she was, she began to explain. “I went
up to the fort after they left it this morning, and I broke it down with your little steel ax. I banged the walls down and left the broken pieces all over.
Some must have fallen in the fireplace.” p. 121 Before that confession, Lynette always kept everything secret. She tried to
defense herself and consider herself as innocent. She was surprised when Uncle Josh replied her confession.
“Ah, nobody started it,” Josh decided. “It was just a gosh-darned accident. Right Marie?”
“Come on over here, Lynette,” Josh said. “You got nothing to look so scared about. The fire wasn’t much. Didn’t do hardly no damage at all.” He
held his hand out to her. She didn’t understand. She’d given him all the excuse to get rid of her that
he needed. “Aren’t you going to send me away?” she asked. p. 122 Marie also stated something to ensure that everyone there loved her.
“Josh wouldn’t hold anything against you no matter what you did, Lynette,” Marie said. “He thinks the world of you, and he loves you. We
all do.” p. 123 Those are the clues that indicate Lynette’s need of love is fulfilled. Lynette still
had another hunger of mate. It was Eddie. Lynette always had quarrel with Eddie. Though Lynette hated Eddie, there was still a love left. Lynette showed her love
and care to Eddie when there was a forest fire. The change of Lynette’s attitude toward Eddie made Eddie acted nice to Lynette. Since then, Eddie did not disturb
Lynette any more. Eddie became Lynette’s friend. Lynette had fulfilled the hunger of mate at this stage. At the very last of the
story, the hunger of her love to Jeremy changed the way she thinks. She always thought that she always could get the attention of Jeremy. At the last part of the
story, Lynette changed her mind. And then some other summer, she thought
– No, she wouldn’t count on that. Instead, she’d keep growing up. Then maybe, some other summer, if
they met again, it might just happen that he would begin to lover her. p. 126
It could happen that way, she thought. Among all the endless possibilities,
that was one. But she wasn’t going to count on it. She didn’t need to anymore. p. 126
At this stage, it can be clearly seen that Lynette lost her need of love, particularly Lynette’s love for Jeremy. It means that Lynette did not fulfill her
need of Jeremy’s love. Otherwise, Lynette just let it go away. Another hunger emerged in this story was the hunger of belongingness.
Lynette felt that he belonged to nobody at first. But they didn’t make a family. Eddie was too hateful, and Marie was too
distant. Marie wasn’t comfortable except around horses. Josh was too busy and careless. p. 11
The hunger of belongingness always forced her to go away from Josh family. Lynette thought of going back to the house, packing her belongings,
saddling Penny and riding away on her. They could camp out during the day and ride during the night until they got so far away that no one would
know Josh. p. 55
Lynette was wrong at all. After the incident when the fire burnt the forest, Lynette finally figured out that Josh’s family loved her and accepted her as the family
member. For the first time, she was not teetering on the outside edge of the family,
gauging their acceptance of her. For the first time, she had no doubt of her welcome. She was one of them. She belonged. p. 123
The quotation above shows us that Lynette’s need on belongingness has been fulfilled.
4. Esteem Needs
