Background of the Study

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of five parts: background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study explains the reasons for choosing the novel The Road as the subject of the study and the importance of discussing the topic of the study. The problem formulation deals with the problems discussed in this study. The objectives of the study point out the purposes of conducting the study. The benefits of the study present the advantages that may be attained through this study and the definition of terms explains some important terms used in this study.

A. Background of the Study

If we think about life, we also think about struggling to survive. According to McKechnie 1410 struggle is “a task or goal requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve”. In other words, people need to show their brave hearts, endurance and strength to withstand all the opposing and disturbing influences to gain their goals. Meanwhile, in daily life people deal with complex problems that have to be accomplished with various strategies. In this case, people are demanded to work hard to manage their life struggles. In addition, Brockovich and Eliot 177 say that people have an inner power that consists of strength, conviction, and moral empowerment to be who they really are. This power will force and enable them to struggle with themselves, others, and against circumstances to overcome their problems. Besides, in struggling to overcome problems people have their own underlying motivations that provoke their efforts. Later, these motivations lead them to a bigger desire 1 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI to manage problems that is so-called ambition. This ambition may enable people to find many ideas and ways to struggle. While courage is needed in order to put this ambition into actions. According to Furey 4, courage is “a force, a force that puts our consciences and our values into action”. Courage does not imply an absence of fear but it insists people do what they believe is right in spite of their fears. However, people sometimes cannot differentiate their sanities and insanities behavior because they are overwhelmed with their ambitions. They may do everything in order to succeed without giving attention whether it is right or wrong. Further, every movement they take will give influences to their character and emotion. They may become frustrated, irritated, motivated, diligent, tough, and smart. Therefore, through the process of struggle, people experience many different kinds of feelings and something new and different which are useful for their own lives. Life struggle that is a part of social issues in human life can also be found in a work of literature, such as novel. Hudson 10 says, “Literature is the expression of life through the medium of language. It can be regarded as something essential since it contains about real life, people, thought, and feeling about life”. In short, by reading literary works, we learn the reflection of human life experience that is described in a written form. We can also broaden, deepen, and sharpen our awareness of life by reading novels Perrine 3. It is because through a novel, the author is aware of the situation around him and then expresses his experiences of life in a meaningful of way that can be understood by the readers. The Road, a novel written by Cormac McCarthy, an American writer, presents a life struggle of a father to get a better life for his son. The story tells about a father and his young son who travel together southwards across an unnamed road to escape from the unforgiving winter that will undoubtedly kill them. In order to survive they have to compete with other survivors who become cannibals because there is no food. They enter PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI broken houses, supermarkets, and gas stations to find food, clothes, and oil to burn wood and turn on their lamp. They just have a little stuff that is put in a supermarket cart and knapsacks. The father and his son do everything to survive. They call themselves the good guys because they do not eat people. They also try to help other people whenever they can do. Further, the struggles of the father to protect and to get a better life for his son are so hard. Before the story begins, it is told briefly that his wife has already committed suicide, overwhelmed by the horror of cannibalism and the misery affected by their existence. In consequence, he has to bring up his son by himself and his son’s life thoroughly depends on him because he is still very young. The struggles of a father to protect his son in The Road is interesting to analyze because it shows how hard a human being builds his hopes among harsh hopelessness in a world where murders and cannibalisms have replaced care and community. It is also a reflection of parents’ love and responsibility for taking care of their children. Besides, there are some reasons that make the novel worth discussed. Firstly, the interesting thing found in The Road is the author does not give proper name nor the clear profession of the character. It may indicate that all people regardless of hisher name, profession, and status in the society can make a better life if they have a strong motivation to struggle and wants to learn from their own and others’ experiences. Secondly, the way the author depicts the hard struggles of a father, which may portray his big responsibility for raising his young child in reality. The way the author created the conflicts, solved the problems, and gave the logical explanation to the main character and his son to overcome the appearing obstacles in the story is so fascinating. It seems that he puts all his conflicts and experiences of fathering a young son into his novel. The struggle of father in The Road is a description of the love and sacrifice of a parent to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI his son. It is expected by analyzing the struggles of a father in the novel, I may have a better perspective of how hard people survive in overcoming the appearing conflicts and learn how love is given by a parent for his child. The aim of this study is analyzing the struggles of a father, as seen in The Road, to get a better life for his son including the reasons why.

B. Problem Formulation