Ivan wants to go to Boston to see his friend, Brian. Ivan asks Polly to go with him. Polly does not want to go with him. Ivan knows that they relationships is getting
far and far away. “I’m going into Boston tomorrow,” Ivan says. “A friend of mine is dying.”
Polly sits up in bed and watches him as he finishes undressing. He looks breakable to her; he’s all bones. “Is it someone I know?” Polly asks.
“No,” Ivan says. “But he has AIDS. Do you want to come with me?” Polly stops looking at Ivan; she reaches for the clock on the night table and sets
the alarm. Ivan takes off his shoes and socks last. He sits heavily on the bed; he can feel Polly turning away from him.
“I’m too tired to go anywhere,” Polly says :p.167.
In conclusion, it can be seen that Polly Farrell has a dynamic character :Holman and Harmon 1986:83, because her character changes from the beginning of the story
until the end of the story. The changes occur both slowly and rapidly.
CHAPTER 5 CONCPUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
The last chapter of this study contains of two sections that are conclusions and suggestions. The first section is the conclusions concerning the answer of the problem
formulation. The second section is the suggestions concerning the suggestions for future researchers who might use this study as a comparative study. The second is the
implementation of the teaching learning process so the result of this study may be implemented in a real class teaching learning situation.
5.1 Conclusions
After analyzing Alice Hoffman’s At Risk, the writer comes to the conclusion that Polly’s personality changes are influenced by her daughter’s illness that is AIDS.
Before the illness is diagnosed, Polly is a caring, responsible, proud, positive thinking, wise and patient person. Her personality changes after knowing the fact that her
daughter is living with AIDS. Some changes occur slowly and some occur rapidly. Polly has to struggle to face the fact that her daughter is going to die. The one
that makes it harder is the fact that the community rejects Amanda. The parents committee does not want Amanda to go to school. Polly wants every thing to run like a
normal day, pretending that there is nothing happening with her family. She wants Amanda to keep going to school no matter what.
Having a daughter that is sick, Polly gives all her attention and affection to take care of Amanda. She becomes a possessive mother. Polly feels jealous when Laurel
Smith, her ex-client is getting closer with her daughter. She is afraid Amanda will be
taken from her side. Polly dismisses her jealousy after hearing Laurel’s explanation that she will never take Amanda from her side. Polly also forbids Amanda to spend her time
outside. When Amanda wants to go to her friend’s birthday party, Polly does not give her permission and it makes Amanda feel angry.
Polly realizes that she starts to neglect the family. Polly turns into a partial person. She no longer gives attention to Charlie and Charlie feels it. Charlie hates her
mother. Charlie spends his time alone because his best fried, Sevrin, is not allowed to play with Charlie anymore. Ivan also feels that Polly does not give attention to the
family. He finally makes a friend with Brian, who is also living with AIDS, to share his feelings. The condition of the family is getting cold.
Polly does not have a good relationship with her parents. The reason is because her father had an affair and Polly cannot accept it. Because her parents visit the family
often to see Amanda, Polly starts to have a closer relationship with them. But Polly still does not want to share her feeling with her parents.
Before knowing the illness, Polly always shares what she feels with Ivan but then Polly becomes an introvert person. Every time Ivan wants to share the burden,
Polly makes a distance with him. Thus, it is clearly that a change in significant people is able to make someone’s personality change.
5.2 Suggestions
This subheading is divided into two parts. The first part presents the suggestions for the future researchers and the last part focuses on using literature in English
teaching-learning process.
5.2.1 Suggestions for Future Researchers.
At Risk by Alice Hoffman is an interesting work of literature since it puts family and AIDS as the theme of the novel. Since At Risk is an interesting novel, there are
many aspects that can be studied through the novel. In At Risk, Hoffman presents some interesting characters. The writer chooses to analyze
Polly Farrell. It is possible for the future researchers to analyze other characters in the novel, such as Amanda, the daughter, Ivan, the husband father, or Charlie, the son. In
this study, the writer analyzes the personality changes. Therefore, future researches may analyze the conflict that emerges in the novel.
5.2.2 Suggestion to the Implementation of Teaching English through Piterature.
This section deals with the implementation of the literary work in teaching and learning language through literature.
Teaching English can be delivered by any sources, one of them is through literary works. Literature may provide some valuable sources of teaching and learning
English. Literature becomes a media that can increase English language mastery among students.
Culturally, literature provides knowledge about another culture to the students. The students are able to learn the historical, political, and social events from the
background of the literature. Literature also has a relationship with real life. It provides the human’s experiences, human’s relationship with other people and moral values.
In using literature as a teaching material, the teachers must select the text since not all the literary work can be used as a material in teaching learning activities. The
