Speech Past life Theory of Character and Characterization

“To the growing girl, the father serves as reinforce of her feminity. Thus he teaches her what it means to be a woman” Martin and Stendler, 1959:370. The adolescent girls without fathers because of the divorce will behave differently from girls without father because of the father‟s dying. Girls without fathers bec ause of the father‟s dying tend to be shy, timid and socially inhibited around males. In contrast to girls without father because of the divorce, they are noticeably forward with males and tent to seek their attention. As distressing as a father‟s death may be, it constitutes unavoidable and understandable reason for his absence. When a father is gone because of a divorce, however, his absence may signify rejection and abandonment of the family. This can expose children to painful self questioning and disturbing comments from their friends and teacher... Kimmel and Weiner, 1985:258. The father absence in a family because of death is more understandable than the father absence because of divorce. The death is something that cannot be avoided. People will not ask about the absence of a father figure in this kind of family. Otherwise, if the absence of father figure because of a divorce, it can gives more effects to the daughter. Daughter can think that her father rejects her and leaves the family. It can give painful feeling to the daughter itself. People also will ask why the divorce happens in that family. Absence of the father or rejection by the father may create unsatisfied need in the girl. Martin and Stendler state that: Fatherless children may develop a number of problems. Sometimes they become excessively dependent upon the mother; sometimes they grown rebellious and defiant, difficult for the mother to control. Antisocial behavior in the form of stealing may also break out the following the loss of father 1957:331. Mother may become breadwinner and homemaker in the family to substitute the father figure in the family. But the absence of such a figure has certain effect to the children.

4. Theory of Adolescence

The writer applies the theory of adolescence to analyze the main character of this novel, Ronnie. The writer uses this theory because Ronnie‟s age is seventeen. “The word adolescence comes from Latin verb adolescence, which means “to grow” or “to grow to maturity” Rice, 1996:3. Adolescence is the period after the childhood and before the adulthood. Based on Freud in the book The Adolescent Development, Relationships and Culture , the definition of adolescence is a period of sexual excitement, anxiety, and sometimes personality disturbance Rice, 1996:31. While, according Anna Freud, Freud‟s daughter, adolescence is a period of internal conflict, physic disequilibrium, and erratic behavior Rice, 1996:32. It means that adolescence is egoistic, regarding themselves as the sole object of interest and the center of the universe, on the other hand also capable of self sacrifice and devotion. “A growing number of mental health practitioners view these divorces as major, negative events that stimulate insecurity, confusion and painful emotions” Rice, 1996: 119. Divorce also becomes a major problem for adolescent. The divorce makes their family break. Before the divorce, they had a complete parent, father and mother. When the divorce happened, they must realize that one of the figures of parent has lost. “Divorce is typically part of larger problem in