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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
This chapter elaborates the formulated problems that have been stated in the first chapter. There are three subchapters in this chapter. The first subchapter
elaborates the answer of the first problem using the theory of character and the theory of characterization. The second subchapter elaborates the answers of the
second problem using the theory of love. The third subchapter elaborates the answers of the third problem that uses the theory of personality development.
A. The Portrayal of Dawson
In this subchapter, the two theories, namely the theory of character and the theory of characterization are about to restate in order to find the answer of the first
formulated problem in finding the character or personality of Dawson from the novel. Moreover, the analysis of
Dawson’s portrayal is required because his characterization defines who he was in the past life and who he is in the current life.
Therefore, this analysis is about to portray Dawson’s character in his past and current life that will be elaborated in the second analysis.
There are two kinds of characters stated by Abrams 2009 as known as major character and minor character. The major character is the person in a novel
who has the main role and becomes the focus in whole story, so that a major character usually gets the most attention from the readers. Meanwhile, for those
whose role or functions are about to support the major character are known as minor characters. In The Best of Me, Dawson is the major character in the story because
he frequently shows up in every events of the story and he is a character that is PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
intended to be the main focus of the story. Abrams 2009 also states that a character in a novel is described as “a person who possesses particular moral, intellectual,
and emotional qualities through the perso n’s ways of saying, what the person say,
and the action which the person does in every events of the story” pp. 42-43. Moreover, Murphy 1972 points out that there are nine different ways in order to
characterize a character in a novel namely personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, thoughts, and
mannerisms. These theories will be applied in order to make an analysis to the portrayal of Dawson.
The writer, therefore, finds out four characterizations that describe Dawson as a solitary person, a loyal person, a loving person, and a kindhearted
person. Moreover, the theory of character by Abrams 2009 is applied as same as the theory of characterization by Murphy 1972 in order to elaborate the portrayal
of Dawson. Therefore, the characterization of Dawson is shown as follows.
a. Solitary
Following that Dawson is single or an unmarried man, Dawson is portrayed as a person who tends to be alone. Murphy 1972 says that the direct
comment of the author is able to describe a character. Therefore, this characteristic owned by Dawson can be seen through the following quotation, “It was quiet,
though, and that was really all he needed. He was a quarter mile off the main road, and the nearest neighbor w
as even farther away than that” p. 6. The statement “it was quiet, though and that was really all he needed”
shows that Dawson likes a condition where he can be alone and being a solitary PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
person. It is also shown that the place where he spends for living is far from crowds and neighborhood. Dawson lives alone for almost fifteen years since he leaves his
hometown and he is not interested to have relationships with other people, because he wants to keep his profile as low as he can. It is shown in a statement that says,
“They didn’t know who he had been or what he had done, and he wanted to keep it that way” p. 7. People who meet Dawson will think that his life is merely boring
and so lonely, but it is because people barely know him, and it is what Dawson needs because he does not want to be exposed. Still, according to the theory of
characterization by Murphy 1972, it can be proven through the knowledge of the author or the author’s direct comment that “He didn’t go to the movies or kick back
at a friend ’s place while the Saints played on Sunday afternoons. He was forty-two
years old and hadn’t been on a date since he was a teenager” p. 7. Dawson has become a solitary person since he was teenager because of a
family ’s factor that he is born as a Cole. Coles is a large number of family who
inhabit Oriental, North California. Coles is different from other families in Oriental because they are a family whose profession is related to crimes, which is why it is
not easy for Dawson to be a part of his family. Moreover, following the condition that he is a Cole, he chooses to have less friends than he should. Therefore, the
reason that Dawson decides to have less friends has proven as he tends to be a solitary peson. The way of describing a character is proven by the statements of
Abrams 2009 who states: Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work,
who are interpreted by the reader as possessing particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualitites by inferences from what the persons
say and their distinctive ways of saying the dialogue and from what they do which is called the action pp. 42-43.
Furthermore, Dawson has spent his life by living on his own since he ran off from his family to live at Tuck’s house. Even though he lives at someone’s
house, he struggles his own life by himself. The two statements describe that living without any dependency to other people has become Dawson’s habit. Moreover,
according to Murphy 1972, a way of describing character can be seen through the ways the characeter behaves and the routines that the person usually does or it is
knwon as mannerisms. From the story, back to when Dawson was a teenager, he ran off from his family and ended up staying in Tuck Hostetler’s house.Therefore,
it is proven that Dawson is a loner because it is his willingness and decision to be alone.
b. Loving
Even though Dawson is portrayed as a loner and a hallucinatory person, however, Dawson has other characterization that he is portrayed as a loving person
for he always shows a great amount of affection for his first love, Amanda. Although Dawson can only see Amanda few weeks since they are separated for
years, Dawson still has the same feeling of love to her. Since Amanda entered Dawson’s world, he willingly devoted all of his feelings to her because Dawson
knows that he only and always loves Amanda. Murphy 1972 classifies a method of presenting a character that is shown
through the direct comment of the author, which means that the author describes a character directly through the story. Through the direct comment of the author, the
writer finds out a statement that describes Dawson is portrayed as a loving person. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
By the time summer end, he knew he was in love, and when the air turned crisp and autumn leaves drifted to the ground in ribbons of red and yellow,
he was certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, as crazy as that sounded… With Amanda, it was easy for him to be himself; with
Amanda, he was cont ent for the first time in his life… Or more accurately,
Amanda was all he could think about p. 17. Since the days Dawson spends with Amanda, he starts to realize that he is
in love with her. The feeling of love felt by Dawson makes him wants to spend the rest of his life with Amanda. Moreover, having Amanda by his side makes Dawson
thinks that there is no one he cares of but Amanda. It is because he is sure that he has found his true love.
The feelings of love and care to Amanda felt by Dawson are not only temporary. However, those feelings is everlasting even though they have broken up
because of Amanda’s parents’ disagreement on their relationship and even though they are separated by times and distances. By the time they see each other again,
Dawson still has those feelings for Amanda. Even Amanda is aware of it that, “she
could sense his unspoken emotion” p. 52. As Murphy 1972 has classified in his method of presenting a character, direct speech from Dawson also shows that he
still gives his affection for Amanda as he said that he does not believe she is right in front of her and he compliments her by saying that she looks amazing.
“I can’t believe you’re here. You look… amazing.” “Thank you.” Despite herself, she could feel the blood in her cheeks. p.
53
Therefore, Dawson shows an appreciation for Amanda as someone whom Dawson is endlessly fond and loved.
c. Loyal
Another characterization that Dawson possesses besides being a loving person is that he is considered as a loyal person. In this situation, Dawson is loyal
to Amanda as he does not stop loving her and he still shows his care and affection for her even after he breaks up with her.
Dawson’s loyalty can be seen through his willingness to love Amanda. He even does not go to any date with someone else because the reason that he cannot
replace Amanda’s position as his true love. According to Murphy 1972, there is a way to characterize a character through direct speech between characters in the
story. Therefore, Dawson’s loyalty is shown through direct speech that happens between him and Amanda as follows.
“Even on a date?” she quizzed between bites. “I don’t really date,” he said.
“Ever?” He began to cut his steak. “No.”
“Why not?” He could feel her studying him as she took a sip, waiting. Dawson shifted
in his seat.
“It’s better that way,” he answered. Her fork paused in midair. “It’s not because of me, is it?”
He kept his voice st eady. “I’m not sure what you want me to say,” he said.
“Surely you’re not suggesting…,” she began. When Dawson said nothing, she tried again. “Are you seriously trying to
tell me that you, that you haven’t dated anyone since we broke up?” pp. 69-70
From the conversation between Dawson and Amanda, it shows that Dawson has not changed since they broke up which means that Dawson’s feelings
are still the same for Amanda. Moreover, the reason why Dawson’s feeling for
Amanda has not changed is strengthened by A manda’s thought for him.
Murphy 1972 states that a characteristic as seen by another are the proper way to characterize a character through the opinions of another character in the
story that is done in direct statements. He still loved her, she was certain of that now, and the realization was
intoxicating. She knew it was wrong, and she tried to force the feeling away, but Dawson and their past had taken root once more, and she could
no longer deny the simple truth that for the first time in years, she’d felt like she’d finally come home p. 141.
From the statement above, it is known that Amanda herself cannot deny a truth that Dawson still loves her after years they are apart. It shows that even
Amanda admits Dawson still has loyalty to her. Other than that, the reason why Dawson still loves Amanda is that he simply cannot stop loving her. He admits that,
“he’d loved Amanda once and he’d never stopped loving her, and spending time with her tonight hadn’t changed that simple truth” p. 80.
Therefore, Da wson’s loyalty is derived from the feeling of love that he
feels for Amanda. Moreover, because the reason that Dawson cannot stop loving her, he is sure that he has found his true love, thus it is what makes him loyal to
Amanda for the rest of his life.
d. Kindhearted
Other than being a loving person, Dawson is also known as a character who is kindhearted to other people around him even with strangers besides Amanda.
Kindhearted characteristic is in his nature and it is grown through Dawson since he was still a boy. Kindhearted stands for a feeling of care to others and generous or a
willingness to give something freely. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
At the beginning of the story, it is told that Dawson always sends a half of his salary to Bonners family after the accident that causes Dawson has to end up at
jail for four years. In order to pay what he has done to the family, he starts to think to help out the family because he thinks that by helping Bonners, it will ease his
guilty feeling. In Murphy’s 1972 theory of characterization, there is a method in order to describe a character that can be done through direct knowledge from the
au thor, which means that the author directly states knowledge about the character’s
characterization. Therefore, the writer finds out a statement that shows that Dawson is kindhearted to Bonners.
He sometimes felt guilty about having the Bonners followed, but he had to know whether he’d been able to make even the smallest positive difference
in their lives. That’s all he’d wanted since the night of the accident, and it was the reason he’d been sending checks monthly for the past two decades,
almost always through anonymous offshore bank accounts. He was, after all, responsible for the greatest loss their family had experienced, and as
he ran the quiet streets he knew he was willing to do whatever he could to make amends p. 85.
Besides giving his kindness to Bonners, Dawson also willingly gives his care and love to Amanda without any return. Even, he willingly decides to not
holding her up again for Amanda’s sake and her family. It happens when Amanda and Dawson talk about the decision that has to be made between them. Amanda
asks Dawson not to give up her responsibilities or break up her family. Moreover, Amanda also says not to ask her to go with him. Therefore, Dawson says that he
will do whatever Amanda has asked. According to Murphy 1972, a method of describing a character in a novel can be done through direct speech, which means
that it is done through conversations or statements stated by the character. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
“Please… don’t ask me to go with you, because if you do, I’ll go. Please don’t ask me to tell Frank about us, because I’ll do that, too. Please don’t
ask me to give up my responsibilities or break up my family.” She inhaled, gulping air like someone drowning. “I love you, and if you
love me, too, then you just can’t ask me to do these things. Because I don’t trust myself enough to say no.”
“All right,” he finally whispered p. 228. It is never easy for Dawson to admit the truth that lies behind what
Amanda’s sayings for Dawson always dreams of seeing Amanda and all he needs is that he wants to spend time together again and he wants her to choose him.
However, he knows that it is not right if he follows his ego because eventually it will not make Amanda happy after all.
Furthermore, Dawson’s kindness is found at the end of the story. He knows that he cannot be together again with Amanda. However, he ever says once that he
will give her the best of him someday. It is a coincidental when Amanda’s son has an accident as same as Dawson. The thing that Dawson does to Amanda for a proof
of his love and care to her is that by having his heart transplanted into Amanda’s
son who needs it to keep him alive. Murphy 1972 has classified a method of describing a character that can be done through direct knowledge from the author.
The writer finds out a direct knowledge from the author that states Dawson gives his life to save Jared’s life, Amanda’s son. It is described as follows.
She’d suspected the truth since Morgan Tanner had called, and she’d made some calls to confirm her suspicions. Dawson, she’d learned, had been
taken off life support at Carolina East Regional Medical Center late Monday life. He’d been kept alive long after doctors knew he would never
recover, because he was an organ donor p. 333. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Moreover, there is another statement as the continuance of the previous statement. The statement strengthens the proof that Dawson finally gives Amanda
the best of himself. It is described as follows. Dawson, she knew, had saved Alan’s life, but in the end, he’d saved
Jared’s as well. And for her that meant… everything. I gave you the best of me,
he’d told her once, and with every beat of her son’s heart, she knew he’d done exactly that p. 333.
Therefore, Dawson’s kindness is the representative of a person who does devote the feelings of love, care, and even life itself to the beloved one and others.
Moreover, it is the part of Dawson’s portrayal as being a loving person.
B. The Development of Dawson’s Love
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