63
63 adventure and love para. 318. Now, she has to face a real life as a mother for
Phoebe, David Henry’s daughter who has Down syndrome as she is born. Caroline meets Albert Simpson, who is called as Al, on her way coming
back from the institution when the car’s battery is dead. All helps taking Caroline home. Caroline tells a lie about the baby. Later, Al tells Caroline that he smells
something wrong about the baby, so he travels around to find Caroline. After Caroline becomes the mother of Phoebe without husband in her side for six years,
Al becomes a husband for Caroline and a father for Phoebe. It is concluded that Caroline’s life changes because of David’s decision.
She is willing to take care of Phoebe in order to save Phoebe from a terrible place. She has to be a mother to Phoebe without any husband for six years. She starts a
new real life and leaves her old life which she spends for waiting for recognition, adventure and love. Having Phoebe unites Caroline and Al in a marriage.
4. On the Relation among Members of David’s Family
David’s decision of taking his daughter with Down syndrome away influences on the relation among members of David’s family. David’s decision
making process results in sending his daughter with Down syndrome away to an institution. People with Down syndrome have possibility to suffer from diseases.
David’s daughter will be susceptible to diseases because the daughter has Down syndrome. David’s biggest fear is that both the daughter and the family will suffer
because of it. David knows about the institution because he has ever sent people there. He never hears anything negative about the institution para. 82. He also
gets information from his professor that people with Down syndrome should be
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
64
64 sent to an institution. The professor says that there are no other options. They
should be sent to an institution p. 21. David has no other options except sending his daughter to an institution. David considers the institution as the best place
because the daughter can get the best medical treatment compare to other places. He believes it is the right place for the daughter. He asks a nurse to send the
daughter to the institution. He believes that it is the right choice. The relation among members in David’s family is still better in a few
years after the birth of Paul and the fake death of Phoebe. Although Norah is still in a deep loss and David is haunted by his decision and his past life, they enjoy
their togetherness in a vacation. Norah shares her past life. They are about her family old house and her parents’ relationship. David does the same thing
although some parts of the story are hidden. They share opinion about Paul’s future. Norah is satisfied about that day although sometimes it is distracted by
Norah’s longing of Phoebe and David’s anger para. 135-156. As the years pass, their relation is getting worse. Almost no conversation
happens. The conversations are about perfunctory and necessary things such as household chores and Paul’s schedule para. 223. They do their own activities.
David spends his life in his office and in the darkroom as cited in Petri, 1979, para. 303-304. It was peaceful in the darkroom, cool and quiet, ... p. 180. David
finds his office and in the darkroom as secure environment for him. Maslow says it is safety needs which show how people have pretension to fulfill their needs in
order to gain comfortable life as cited in Petri, 1979, para. 303-304. David needs a secure environment related to fear which covers him. David’s fear is aroused by
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
65
65 pain of the fact that Phoebe has Down syndrome, his wife’s sadness, and Paul’s
loneliness because of losing Phoebe. His fear is also aroused by the dead of his sister because of heart defect. Norah is getting busier with her career. She comes
home midnight. Meanwhile, Paul is playing the guitar in his room. He sometimes goes out with his friend. Their relation is described as people in the same building
in which each of them is separated by a wall which is too high to reach. They are separated by a secret. A secret which tells them that Phoebe is taken away. She
does not die para. 247. Year by year, they are like strangers who live in the same house para. 327.
In their vacation in Aruba, Norah tries to improve their closeness, but it just becomes a wish. They do same activities they do at home. They drink their
morning coffee in silence. Then, David takes pictures or fishing. In the evenings, he is reading a book while he is swinging in the hammock. He does this silence
because he has a lot of secrets which he is not able to tell them to Norah. He also does the silence to protect the conversation from topic which reminds them to the
daughter he has given away and arouses loss and pain. Norah takes walks and naps. She spends her time by pottering and going shopping in the tourist shop.
Paul plays his guitar or runs para. 224. Paul suffers for distance between his mother and his father. His parents
have their own secret. His mother has secret, her secret affair. Paul, who knows Norah’s secret affair, is angry to his mother because of the affair. He is also angry
to his father because his father does not say any comment to his mother concerning the affair.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
66
66 “You and Mom,” Paul said, his words bursting out, as if he’d been holding
them back a long time. “What’s wrong with you, anyway? You live like you don’t care about anything. You don’t have any joy. You just get
through the days, no matter what. You don’t even give a damn about that Howard guy.” p. 255
Meanwhile, his father also has his own secret. It is a life in his work and in the darkroom p. 264.
When Paul is older, he finds a distance between him and his father. Fishing, which is his father’s way to spend his time with him, becomes such an
obligatory for him as he is growing older. He does not enjoy the time of which they spend hours sitting and casting in the dock in silence. He feels a boundary
between him and his father para. 262-263. The relationship of David’s family members gets worst when David lets a
pregnant girl named Rosemary stay at their home. David has travelled to his parents’ old house for some days. He travels his hometown to visit and to
recollect memories of his family and his childhood. Rosemary lives there because there is nobody staying there. She is two years younger than either Paul or
Phoebe. David tells Rosemary about Phoebe and his decision to give her away para. 334-349. After David has been away for a few days, he comes home. He
invites Rosemary to move and stay in their house. It causes David and Norah to dispute. Norah does not want Rosemary to live in their house. She suggests some
ways to help. “There are plenty of ways to help, … . You give money. You take her to a place for unmarried mothers
. … ” p. 356. However, David does not let Rosemary go.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
67
67 His father has ever promised to Paul that he is going to take Paul to his
father’s old house. A place that is so important for him, but his father has not carried Paul there yet. Rosemary, who is a stranger, knows about his father old
house. She lives there. She also knows about June, the sister of his father. Even, Rosemary visits June’s grave with his father. It is the place he has never seen.
Paul envies Rosemary. For years, Paul has kept his anger inside him. He is angry at his mother’s
affair, his father’s silence, and his distance between him and his father. It is not only anger. He envies Rosemary. In a chance, when his parents are in a dispute.
He takes part on the dispute. He conveys his dream to be a musician. Paul and his father have discussed about it many times. They do not have the same idea of. His
father says that being a musician is not a safe career to earn money. In the middle of his parents’ dispute, he says that he is going to Juilliard. He gets in there. He
waits for his father’s answer. He wishes his father would answer as usual. He wishes his father said that he could not make living by being a musician. He
wishes his father were firm, reasonable and resistant so that he could burst his anger out. Instead of arguing, his father nods, supports him, and asks him to go,
work hard and be happy para. 357-367. “Paul stood uneasily on the porch. All these years, each time he and his father talked, he’d felt he was running into a
wall. And now the wall was mysteriously gone, but he was still running, giddy and uncertain, in open space” p. 367. Then, Paul really runs to escape himself
from shame.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
68
68 Failing to burst out his anger, Paul tries to make his father angry. In a few
days, he is caught stealing cheese. In police office, David and Paul are involved in conversation. David reminds Paul that his life will be different. He will not go out
with his friends for a while. His life will not go on as usual after he steals his neighbours’ car.
“Fine,” Paul said. “Then I’m not coming home. I’d rather go to jail.” “Well, I can certainly arrange that,” David answered, his tone dangerously
cool. “Go ahead,” Paul said. “Arrange it. Because I’m a musician. And I’m
good. And I’d rather sleep in the streets than give it up. Hell, I’d rather be dead.” p. 383
David does not give his respond toward Paul’s last sentences. There is a little moment of silence. Paul breaks the moment. “’My sister doesn’t know how good
she’s got it,’ he said” p. 383. Paul’s words slap David. The situation is so tense. Norah also slaps David through her words. “’I lost one child,’ she said, turning to
him. ‘I will not lose another’” p. 383. David startles hearing what Norah has just said. “’All right,’ David said. ‘Maybe that’s right. Maybe you’re right to pay no
attention to me. God knows I’m sorry for the things I’ve done to fail you both’” p. 384. Then, David turns away. He leaves the police office. He also leaves the
house. He moves to a new house and packs his things while Norah is working. After David moves to a new house, the relation between Paul and his
father is not getting better. Paul creates a distance. He rarely visits David in his new house, but they never have a personal conversation. David has ever tried, but
Paul ignores. Paul chooses to leave the chair, yawn, and be tired in sudden. Norah and David’ relation is ended with divorce.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
69
69 From the analysis above, it is concluded that David’s decision taking his
daughter with Down syndrome way brings influence on the relation among members in David’s family. The relation among members of David’s family is
getting worse. They have their own business. David spends his time in his office and the darkroom. Norah is busy with her career. Meanwhile, Paul is playing
guitar in his room. They also prefer staying at home in silence to having more conversation. The relation of David and Norah is ended by their divorce as David
leaves their house.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
70
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter consists of two parts. They are conclusions and suggestions. The conclusions summarize the characterizations of David, the motivation of
David’s decision of taking his daughter with Down syndrome away from his family life, David’s decision making process, and the influence of David’s
decision on his family life. The second part presents the suggestions for the further researchers who will conduct analysis on The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
novel and implementation of the novel for teaching learning activities.
A. Conclusions
There are three parts that can be concluded from the analysis of the problem formulation. The first is how David is portrayed in the novel “The
Memory Keeper’s Daughter ”.
Based on the analysis, first, David is described as a kind person. He opens a free clinic on Tuesday nights for patients who are not able to pay so in order to
give something back over gifts and talents of being a doctor and to realize his words to help the world. Second, David is protective. He protects Norah and Paul
from grief, pain, and loss by sending Phoebe into an institution. Third, David is described as a calm person. When Norah is in her labour and when he finds Norah
having affair with another man, David can control himself not to be in a rush and angry. Fourth, David is described as a secretive person. He never tells Norah that
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
