49 field of tragedy. Faith plays such a fundamental role in Elijah’s life. Before he
departs from the City of Akbar, Elijah has already reconciled with God. What he has been through so far really opens his eyes that God is all-powerful. Elijah
admits that He can do anything, and nothing is forbidden to Him. He knows, for if it were, there would exist someone more powerful than
He, to prevent His doing certain things. And if it so, Elijah would prefer to worship and reverse that more powerful someone. Still, because of His infinite
power, God chooses only to do Good. As a conclusion, Elijah teaches the people in Akbar that they shall see that often Good is disguised as Evil, but it goes on
being the Good, and is part of the plan that He created for humanity, 239-240
3. Hope
Elijah wants to free from the slaughtering punishment. The only thing he can do is fleeing to Akbar from his hometown. During his escape, he feels so
hopeless. Many prophets are killed because of Jezebel’s rage. He loses his Levite friend who is innocent. The future seems dark for Elijah. Hopelessly, he searches
the lights remained in his life. He thought about the reason for his existence, and obtained no answer. He
thought about where he should go, and discovered that he was surrounded. He tried to find joy on the knowledge that he would go on living for a few
more hours. But it was futile; he had just discovered that, as in almost all days of a life, man is powerless to make a decision. 20
Elijah really wants to quit. However, he listens to his soul attentively. Deep inside his heart, there comes the power that urges him not to give up. Still,
he searches for the way out from this mess, which according to Lynch it is a sense
50 of possible. At that moment what Elijah needs is the possibility to survive though
it is not always easy for him. Elijah listened attentively to what his soul was saying. “But no one can
lose sight of what he desires. Even if there are moments when he believes the world and the others are stronger. The secret is this: do not surrender.”
“I never thought of being a prophet.” Elijah said. 28
After living for some time in the desert and pondering the goals of his life, Elijah can come out from the difficult times. It takes time for Elijah to find out
that he should earn the peace of his mind. In order to accomplish the goals of his life, Elijah should have what he actually hopes for. Relating to the basic ideas
proposed by Lynch, at that time Elijah has not had or seen it. Nevertheless, hope comes along when Elijah has found his peace of mind.
“Who are you?” “I’m a man who has found peace,” replied Elijah. “I can live in the desert, provide for myself, and contemplate the endless beauty
of God’s creation. I have discovered that there resides in me a soul better that ever I thought. 29
In the very hard times, Elijah puts God as the center of his life. God becomes the only hope for him. When despair comes, he will lift up a prayer and
ask for His grace. Every step that Elijah takes is based on the hope that God will always is on his side. It is the same as what St. Paul teaches, “We live by hope”. It
is actually illustrated that what Elijah does in his life is based on his hope that Lord will get him somewhere.
He often raises prayers “The Lord is my shepherd,” he said, recalling an ancient prayer of King David. “He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me
beside still waters. “And he will not let me forget the meaning of my life,” he concluded in his own words 90-91
Elijah genuinely realizes that it is natural to feel fear when people deal with the unavoidable events, as the same thing happens to people in Akbar. They
51 are afraid of the coming war. Nonetheless, he aims to comfort the widow, that by
taking the right decision, everything will be just fine. Therefore, hope allows people to move forward even the circumstances does not run so well.
“Because I was afraid. But today, waiting for the battle to start, I heard the governor’s words, and I thoughts of you. Fear reaches only to the point
where the unavoidable begins; from there on, it loses its meaning. And all we have left is the hope that we are making the right decision p.145-146
Somehow Elijah is not able to manage everything in his life. Every action that he takes ends up in vain. He cannot handle the unavoidable events coming to
his life. There is no hope that left in his heart. When things seem impossible and hard for his life, he chooses to blame God.
Where have I sinned, O Lord? At what moment have I strayed from what Thou desirest of me? If thou art discontent with me, why hast Thou not
taken me from this world? Instead, thou hast afflicted yet again those who succored me and loved me. “I do not understand Thy designs. I see no
justice in Thy acts. In bearing the suffering Thou hast imposed on me, I am sorely waiting. Remove Thyself from my life, for I too am reduced to
ruins, fire, and dust. 167-168 Even when Elijah puts the blame on God, He still helps Elijah to solve out
the problems. By encountering with the shepherd, Elijah learns that there are some values that he should affirm when he overcomes the suffering, which is proposed
by Maguire that what is special about a person is their ability to transcend suffering and transform it into something positive.
You need discipline and patience to overcome it,” the shepherd said. “And hope. When that no longer exists, one can’t waste his energy fighting
against the impossible.” “It’s not a question of hope in the future. It’s a question of re-creating your own past. p.179
Further, the shepherd teaches Elijah that he should not be trapped by his
unavoidable events. This is because the feeling of frustration might become the
52 obstacles in achieving what one desires. The same opinion is also recommended
by Lecrereq, as cited in Maguire’s. If there is a meaning that endures in spite of Elijah’s suffering, then the tragic dimension will not blot out his hope. Tragedy,
according to Lecrereq, should be considered as an opening to creativity. They had profited from every moment of life in Akbar and through great
effort had accumulated the money for their journey. To these people, life was a constant triumph and would go on being one. These people also
returned, but with wonderful tales to tell. They had achieved everything they desired because they were not limited by the frustrations of the past.
180 Elijah learns about earning the value of hope from the shepherd. What
matters for the shepherd is to go onward. It takes Elijah’s focus as the strength to survive. Again, perception does really count here. However, it is conditioned by
Elijah’s state of being, as what Lecrereq has put forward. From now on, everything should not be the same after the tragedy, nor do things appear to Elijah
afterward in the same light. If you have a past that dissatisfies you, forget it now,” he went on.”
Imagine a new story of your life, and believe in it. Concentrate only on those moments in which you achieve what you desired, and this strength
will help you to accomplish what you want. 180-181
After departing from the shepherd’s house, Elijah decides to rebuild the city of Akbar. Not only reconstructing the city to be whole, but also Elijah tries to
share the positive values that he earns from the shepherd. He asks the people in Akbar to rebuild their life and overcome their traumas.
Tragedy do happen. We can discover the reason, blame others, imagine how different our lives would be had they not occurred. But none of that is
important; they did occur, and so be it. From there onward we must put aside the fear that they awoke in us and begin to rebuild 212-213
53 Elijah believes that people always live by the hope. There is always the
second chance to try again, which is advised by Maguire that hope makes and pushes human being to learn perpetually. And this opportunity will give great
advantage for the personal development. The heavy work demanded that he concentrate on the present moment. He
knew that inhabitants of Akbar were relying on him for the rebuilding he had already disappointed them once, when he had been unable to prevent
the death of the enemy general – and thus avoid war. But God always gives His children a second chance, and he must take advantage of this
new opportunity. 215 By the end of the story, everything seems under control. Fears and trauma
change into determination and strength to survive. It is proved that the unavoidable events will not take people down but develop their moral
consciousness. Most were weary that they exchanged not a word, but they discovered that
it is important to allow thought to wander as aimlessly as the clouds in the sky. In this way, anxiety fled from each person’s heart and they found
inspiration and strength for the day to come. 216
54
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter is divided into two major parts. The first part is the conclusion, which outlines Elijah’s character and characterization and the
Christian values revealed in the story. The second part relates to the suggestions for the future researchers and the implementation of literature in teaching learning
activities.
A. Conclusions
Based on the analysis presented in chapter IV, Elijah is characterized as a quite moderate member of the society. Coming from a low-class society, Elijah
runs his life well as a young carpenter. Instead of thinking about his talent for hearing what God’s angel says, he tries to be such an obedient child and ignores it.
By using his knowledge and wise mind, Elijah attempts to help the Governor of Akbar and those who come to ask for his help. He stays kind and warm-hearted.
Though there are some people who want to put him into death, he is never afraid. Elijah successfully brings the widow’s son back from the death. It shows that he is
gifted with a special talent. Also, he has such a rare ability which enables him hears and speaks to the God’s angel.
In fact, Elijah should remove Jezebel’s power and show that there is only one Lord. Pondering his ultimate purpose of life, the young Elijah chooses to use
the new name, Liberation. This name really reflects his course of life to liberate
