Background of the Study

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

People have their own needs and purposes in life. They want to fulfill their needs and obtain everything they want. They have to struggle to get their needs and purposes. Everyone, not only man but also woman needs love and both of them have motivation to fulfill it. Many people think that to grow up and live their life without knowing love is possible. They can speculate whether or not love is the ultimate purpose of life. However, it is believed that love is the only one worth to be fought for. Some people regard that love can make them happy. It can be proved if someone finds a good partner in his or her life. Sometimes, people feel sad because of love. Love can ruin everything. Someone feels that feeling if he is broken hearted because of love itself. Love can bring people ecstasy which recovers their sore and sickness. Even if people are afraid to bear all in the searching for love, the rewards outweigh the injuries. Love must not to own. The sacrifice is important to make someone happy although he or she has his or her own relationship with someone else. Finally, we cannot be with him or her. Marriage is a goal of a relationship between man and woman who want to live together and build a family. Everybody has his or her own reason why they decide to get married. For example, because they need a status of their relationship, or because they really love each other and they want to live together. 2 Making choice and decision are always experienced by every person. Every time people are faced with options and choices in many aspects of their life. Nothing is easy when people decide which options and choices they must take. Literary works are written as a reflection of the writers in observing the facts in the society. Most of the time, writers of the literary works, such as novellas, prose, poems, novels, short story, and, poetry write their works according to the realities that happen to them or happen in their society. Considering that reason literary works can also be a portrait of life. The problems which appear in a novel can be seen as the problems which may appear in our daily life. Therefore, literature has a close relationship with human life. Literature contains the record of the people’s values, thoughts, problems and conflicts in their life. Literature is a good piece of writing which helps us understand human beings, in all times and places, have much in common; there are good and bad people. Literature is not only an idea or theory that an author makes. It is also a creative work to express an experience of the author which is related to human life; where we can learn many aspects from the written form. According to Wellek and Warren’s Theory of Literature, literature can also be defined as the work of art that represents human life 1956: 94. As one of literary works, a novel consists of many aspects which are interesting to be analyzed. A novel as an example of literary works can be used by the author to express his or her feeling, emotion, point of view, or everything that he or she wants toward his society or environment where he or she lives in. According to 3 Murphy, the greatest novels reflects life and are compounded similarly of many elements, just as life is a mixture of joy, disappointment, hope, sorrow, humor, suffering, and success 1972: 33. All of those elements have relation with the story of this novel. In this novel, entitled Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, there are much conditions and motivations to choose partner. It is difficult to make decision in choosing between two important people to marry with. Savannah makes a long distance relationship with John. As a woman she becomes motivated to fulfill needs of attention, protection, and affection from her soul mate. However, she does not really get them because John is far away from Savannah. She also needs real love to stay next to her. Savannah who loves John very much has to end their relationship, and then she marries Tim. Actually she still loves John, when she marries Tim. Many conditions are experienced by Savannah. She has to struggle to face her conditions in her life. The reason in writing this thesis comes from the writer’s curiosity to know more deeply about the character in the novel. This study concerns with the character analysis of Savannah. The novel is interesting to be discussed because it shows how a person has motivation to decide with whom she marries with. This novel is one of romantic novels by Nicholas Sparks. This novel is also popular in many countries. The writer is interested in choosing this topic because the writer wants to show and analyze the relation between the character, the conditions, and the 4 motivations to marry Tim. The writer also tries to explore motivation to marry Tim.

B. Problem Formulation