The influences of mitch`s behavior towards morrie`s dependent behavior as seen in mitch albom`s tuesdays with morrie - USD Repository
THE INFLUENCES OF MITCH’S BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MORRIE’S
DEPENDENT BEHAVIOR AS SEEN IN MITCH ALBOM’S
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
A THESIS
Presented as a Partial fulfillment of the Requirement
To Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
In English Language Education
By
Name: Widi Astuti
Student Number: 011214158
ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
PAGE OF DEDICATION
God leads us by strange ways; We know He wills our happiness, But we neither know what our happiness is, nor the way
We are blind; left to ourselves, We should take the wrong way; we must leave it to Him
Author Unknown Dedicated with love and gratitude to: My beloved parents, my lovely brother and unbelievable friends whom I love.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ....................................................................................... i PAGE OF APPROVAL ....................................................................... ii BOARDS OF EXAMINERS ............................................................... iii STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY .................................. iv PAGE OF DEDICATION ................................................................... vvi TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................... viii
ix ABSTRAK ..............................................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................... …………. x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................
1 1.1. Background of the Study .................................................................
1 1.2. Objective of the Study ....................................................................
5 1.3. Problem Formulation .......................................................................
5 1.4. Definition of Terms .........................................................................
5 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ................
6 2.1. Review of Related Theories.............................................................
6 2.1.1. Theory of Character and Characterization ...............................
6 2.2 Critical Approaches ..........................................................................
10 2.2.1. The Meaning of Behavior and Motivation ...............................
11 2.2.2. The Meaning of Relationship ...................................................
15 2.2.3. Theory of Friendship According to Beebe ...............................
17
2.3. The Relationship between Psychology and Literature………………
19 2.4. Theoretical Framework ...................................................................
20 2.5. Criticism...........................................................................................
21 2.6. Context of the Novel .......................................................................
24
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY .................................................... 26 3.1. Object of the Study……………………………………………… ..
26 3.2. Approaches ......................................................................................
28 3.3. Procedures........................................................................................
29 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ..................................................................
30
4.1. Morrie’s Characteristics in Tuesdays with Morrie .......................... 30 4.1.1. Open Minded ......................................................................
30 4.1.2. Lonely ..................................................................................
32 4.1 3. Patient ................................................................................
34 4.1 4. Attentive ..............................................................................
35 4.1 5. Tough ……………. ...........................................………… 37 4.1.6. Compassionate ....................................................................
40 4.1.7. Helpful ................................................................................
42
4.2. What can Influence Morrie to be dependent on Mitch?…… …… 44
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS......................................................................
50 5.1. Conclusions .....................................................................................
50 5.2. Suggestions for Teaching Implementation ......................................
50 5.3. Suggestions for Implementation of Tuesdays with Morrie …........
51 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................
53 APPENDICES ………………………………………………………… 55 APPENDIX 1. Summary of the Novel…………………………………… 56 APPENDIX 2. The Biography of Mitch ………………………………… 58 APPENDIX 3. Lesson Plan of Extensive Reading I …………………….. 61 APPENDIX 4. Lesson Plan of Speaking IV …………………….. ……. 62 APPENDIX 5. The Material for Extensive Reading I ……………………. 63 APPENDIX 6. The Material for Speaking IV ……………………………. 64
ABSTRACT
Astuti, Widi. (2007). The Influences of Mitch’s Behavior towards Morrie’s
Dependent Behavior as Seen in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie .
Yogyakarta: English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teaching Training and Education, Sanata Dharma UniversityThis study discussed an influence of the relationship between Mitch and Morrie, towards Morrie the main characters in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. The novel was based on the true story experience of Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz, (Mitch’s mentor when he studied in Brandeis University). It told us about Mitch’s friendship with Morrie Schwartz, from the very first time they met in Sociology class until the day that Morrie was claimed to be dying because of an unforgiving illness, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The aim of this study was to discuss Morrie’s significant attitudes towards his relationship with Mitch Albom. There were two problems discussed in this study, namely Morrie’s characters and Morrie’s dependent behavior.
There were two sources used in this study namely, the primary data, which was the novel itself, and other sources taken from books, journals and the Internet. Theories which were used in this study were theory of characters, the meaning of behavior and motivation as well as the meaning relationship and theory friendship according to Beebe. Since this study also analyzed the influence of Mitch’s behavior toward Morrie’s dependencies, the approach used in this study was psychological approach.
The conclusion showed that Morrie’s characters were open minded, lonely, patient, attentive, tough, compassionate and helpful. Morrie’s characters in Tuesdays with Morrie seemed to be the background of Morrie’s lonely life. The loneliness that Morrie had been going through had made him to be vulnerable that led him to be dependent.
It was recommended that future researches examined the psychological needs of Morrie to understand his attitudes towards Mitch Albom. As for English teachers it was suggested that they use the novel to teach Extensive Reading I and Speaking IV.
ABSTRAK
Astuti, Widi. (2007). The Influences of Mitch’s Behavior towards Morrie’s
Dependent Behavior as Seen in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie .
Yogyakarta: English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teaching Training and Education, Sanata Dharma UniversityStudi ini membahas tentang pengaruh hubungan antara Mitch dan Morrie, terhadap Morrie tokoh utama dalam novel Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. Novel ini berdasarkan pada kisah nyata antara Mitch Albom dan Morrie Schwartz (mentornya ketika masih belajar di universitas Brandeis). Novel Mitch Albom ini menceritakan tentang persahabatan Mitch dengan Morrie Schwartz, sejak pertama kali bertemu di kelas sosiologi sampai pada saatnya Morrie dinyatakan terkena penyakit tulang mematikan (ALS).
Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk mengamati tingkah laku-tingkah laku Morrie yang berarti terhadap hubunganya dengan Mitch Albom. Ada dua masalah yang di bahas dalam novel ini yaitu karakter Morrie dan sikap Morrie yang tergantung.
Ada dua sumber yang di gunakan dalam studi ini, data yang utama adalah novel itu sendiri dan sumber yang lain adalah buku-buku, jurnal dan internet. Teori yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah teori penokohan, arti tingkah laku dan motivasi dan arti hubungan dan teori persahabatan menurut Beebe. Karena studi ini juga menganalisa tentang pengaruh sikap Mitch terhadap sikap Morrie yang tergantung, maka pendekatan yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan psikologi.
Kesimpulan menyatakan bahwa karakter Morrie adalah terbuka, kesepian, sabar, perhatian, tabah, penuh belas kasih dan penolong. karakter Morrie dalam Tuesdays with Morrie menjadi latar belakang kehidupan Morrie yang sepi. Kesepian yang Morrie alami membuatnya menjadi rapuh sehingga membuatnya menjadi seorang yang tergantung.
Di sarankan untuk para peneliti selanjutnya memeriksa sisi psikilogi Morrie, untuk lebih memahami sikap Morrie terhadap Mitch Albom. Untuk Para guru bahasa Iggris di sarankan agar mereka menggunakan novel ini untuk mengajar Extensive Reading I dan Speaking IV.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My biggest thanks go to the Almighty Jesus Christ whose greatest love and care strengthen my way in doing this thesis. I Thank God for always being there for me through nights and day, good and bad times.
I also thank God for sending me the great persons to help me, pray for me, support me, and encourage me to finish this thesis.
I would thank God for sending me the kindest advisor Mr. Herujiyanto, a wise advisor who always helps with his suggestions, attention, motivation and correction.
I would like to thank God for sending me kind and everlasting friends like
Mbak Nopee, my soul mate whom I can always count on for everything, Della,
Lia, Marina, Flor, Rini, and all the member of class F. I would also like to thank
to my family in CEC, especially Cie Lan, Cie Wen who have inspired me and opened my eyes to everything in life. Uni, who was my Roommate and also my partner in crime thanks for being a good listener. To all the things around me thanks for being the witness of everything I said and did. For the girl in the next door Cie Ends thanks for the patience to be my neighbor, and not to forget to all friends in CEC whom I share my days during the two years working Ka’ Eno
Cefuk, Lia, Ima, Tessy, Shanti, Shinta, Cecil, Dame, Nia, Upik, Ko’ Adi, my
dearest pal, Yadi, Pak Eko, for accompanying me watching the big matches.
Mbak Eva, the Putra Bangsa kindergarten teachers, and Putra Persada teachers thanks for all. I also thank the creatures that I never realized of their existence in accompanying me. May all beings be happy.
I would like to thank God once again for sending me people who keep reminding me to do this thesis like, Bu’ Utt and family for the support, Sr.
Margaret who lets me waste her time by checking my thesis patiently, my lovely
English students and my Sunday school students and all the people who have ever been a part of my life.
My special “Thank God” is for giving me such a great family, my Dad who taught me to be a strong girl, the best Mother who gives me unconditional love and automatically hugs me when I’m cold and hands to wipe every tear I. to my Brother from whom I learn many things and someone who gives me a reason to work harder than I thought I could do. Thank to the tear, blood and sweat I shed during the process of making this thesis.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter mainly discusses four main things about Mitch Albom’s
novel, Tuesdays with Morrie. They are the Background of the Study, the Objective of the study, the Problem Formulation and the Definition of Terms.
The Background of the Study deals with the reason why Mitch Albom’s novel Tuesdays with Morrie is selected as the facilitating data of this study. The Objective of the Study is limited by only dealing with the problems, which are found in the Problem Formulations. At the end of this chapter the Definition of Terms is presented. It is concerning with special words and their explanation used in this study to avoid the readers’ misunderstanding towards the certain words.
1.1 Background of the Study
Human are created with different personalities. They are blessed with strength and weakness. Each of them is special because, he or she has her or his own way of thinking, dressing, talking and other characteristics. Something that will lead us to know what sort of person they are, is by the way they communicate with other people.
Communication is the basic thing of a relationship, because it is a way to build relationship. We will be able to know someone’s personality through the communication. The personality of someone can be seen from the way he or she only ways, the best way to know someone’s personality is through communication. The way people talk and what people say will lead us to know what sort person he or she is.
Buscaglia says that communication is the art of talking with each other, saying what we feel and mean, saying it clearly; listening to what the other says and asks making sure that we are hearing accurately (84). Communication is something easy to say but sometimes it is hard to do, for instance, there are some cases where a daughter cannot talk to her mother, father cannot talk to his son and wife cannot talk to her husband. Those situations happen because not everyone can be a good listener and not everyone can be a good person to talk to. There has to be closeness between them.
The story of Tuesdays with Morrie tells us about the friendship between a lecturer and his student. A friendship between Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesdays with Morrie and his lecturer, Morrie Schwartz from the time that they met in the sociology class to the time that Morrie was dying because of an unforgiving illness he suffered. He teaches people that life is such a precious thing to waste. We never know “how and when our life will end.”
In the novel Morrie is described as a dying man who never gives up his faith fighting against his illness. He does not drown himself into deep regret of suffering the illness. He tells everyone that he is dying and that he has less time to live but he shows people that dying does not mean that he has to stay in bed until he dies. He invites people to come to him and share his or her problems, not to claimed that he was dying of an unforgiving illness called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He did not much mourn on that bad news because he thought that it would not change anything. Although he is dying, he does not lose his spirit to go on with life.
He exercises his wisdom to the entire things that happens in his life and his past life strengthens his step. He does not want to look back on his past life which would remind him of losing people he loved. Until the day he finds Mitch, one of his students in Brandeis University. With Mitch, he can be so open to share his ideas about many things in life. There is something in Mitch that reminds him of his past life. He said that Mitch was like him when he was young. Someone who will talk to no one when there is a problem.
When Morrie says “I hope that one day you will think of me as your friend” Morrie is suggesting that he like to make friends. He wants to get along with people or friends. He sometimes spends his time joining young people on the dance floor without worrying about his age and status.
There are so many moral factors in this novel that we can learn. One of them is about his attitude when he was dying and the way he dealt with it. The other that makes this novel special is the way Morrie shares his views about the topics in life. When he talks to Mitch about death, we can see his wisdom in facing the most dangerous moment in his life. He tells us that death is not something to be afraid of because life will only end someone’s life in this world but he will start a new life in a new world which nobody knows.
Morrie was nine years old when he lost his mother so that he had to take care of his sick brother and father. He always wished that his father would talk to them or kiss them good night to ease their loneliness. Morrie always wanted that his father could be someone he and his brother could count on after their mother died. In fact he had to stand on his own feet and carry the burden himself to take care of himself and his brother.
In Morrie’s childhood Morrie did not feel the way other children felt when they were kids. Morrie had many words to say to his father but it seemed to be hard to say them. For all Morrie’s life Morrie had never been talked so openly to anyone like when he talks to Mitch. He starts to like Mitch because he thinks that Mitch is the one that he can share all his thoughts with.
On Mitch’s graduation day Morrie sheds a tear, he thought that it would be his very last time to see Mitch and there would not be a time for them to share their views and there would be nobody to ease his loneliness anymore. On that day Mitch promised Morrie to keep in touch, but Mitch did not make it until he found out that Morrie was dying. He had to take the medication to lengthen his life and to ease his pain.
This study reveals some parts about Morrie Schwartz, the main character in this novel according to my opinion. Morrie grows old in the shadow of his past.
He felt so much suffering in his past life that haunts him for all his life, losing father and mother, earning the family to live and having to face the life without anybody around him to watch over him.
1.2 Objective of the Study
The aim of this study is to look into one’s significant attitudes on the friendship with one of his or her former students as seen in Morrie, the main character of Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.
1.3 Problem Formulation
Considering the background above I would like to formulate the problems, which appear in the novel, as follows;
1. How is Morrie, the main character of the novel described?
2. What can Influence Morrie to be dependent on Mitch?
1.4 Definition of Terms
Before I discuss the novel I would like to clarify the importance of the terms related to the title. This is to avoid the readers from misunderstanding and having confusion in following the discussion.
Influence: as Hornby says, influence is defined the power to affect somebody‘s
action. Character s or beliefs, especially by providing example for them to follow, winning their admiration or making them afraid to disagree (437).
In this study, influence means something that brings effect on someone’s life. It refers to Morrie’s past life.
Dependent: as in Hornby’s Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, dependent is
person who depends on someone else’s for existence, supported (234). In
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In this chapter I would like to discuss five main topics namely the Theoretical Review, Critical Approaches, Theoretical Framework, Criticism and Context of the Novel. They are used to analyze and comprehend Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie better.
2.1. Review of Related Theories
2.1.1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Holman and Harmon define that character is the idea of moral or constitution of human personality, the presence the moral value of the creature in art in the form human being. The character is also short description of a person who has some definite quality (18).
After reading some books about theories I find out that according to M.H Abrams in his book entitled A Glossary of Literary Terms (20) characters are, “The person represented in dramatic or native work, who are interrupted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say and what they do the action.”
E.M. Foster in Aspect of Novel distinguishes the character in two they are: round character and flat character (46-51).
Round character is the primary doer who can make the reader and the character that is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularity. The round character is unpredictable because he or she is changed in the story.
Flat character sometimes is called type’s character in two-dimensional characters. It refers to a character that is shaped in single idea or quantity. The character is described briefly. The author usually does not present them with many individualizing details. He or she is static and does not grow or change in the story.
The flat character is predictable. He or she always behaves and talks in the same way. That kind of character does not play very important role neither in the role nor in the play. His or her deeds are easily predicted because they do not have significant changing in action.
Barnet, Berman, and Burto (71-72) defined four things to figure out what characters’ play in the novel;
1. From What the Characters Say The reader is able to predict what the author describes the personality of the speaker from the way they say and the words that they say. It gives us a clue whether the actor is protagonist or antagonist. The reader can determine the person from the statement he or she utters.
2. From What the Characters Do This consideration relates to the character’s action. By seeing what the class, good or bad person. The reader will understand the characters through his or her attitude. It can be the reflection of the character. The reader will be able to predict the characters personality from the things that the characters do.
3. From What Other Characters Say about the Main Character The comment and the opinion of other character can be used to analyze the main character. What other characters say about the main character is needed to get an additional information and clear description about certain characters in the story. The author gives the descriptions of the character’s personality through the other character’s judgment toward the character in the story.
4. From What the Other Characters Do The action of other people towards a character also determines the analysis of the characters. It is very important to know the character of the main character such as lazy, wicked, careless person etc. The other characters’ response in specific event in the story can be the reflection of the character’s motives. It may help the readers to understand the character’s personality.
According to Allport as quoted by Larver and Schiever in Perspective on personality, the characteristic of a character is related to his or her behavior, thoughts and feelings (5). They will influence their way of thinking, feeling and behavior of characters. Therefore to understand deeper about the character and to know well about his or her characteristic are important.
Related with that, according to Murphy in Understanding Unseen there are several ways in which an author attempts to make his or her characters understandable and come alive for his or her readers, so that the readers will be able to know the personality of the characters. They are personal description characters as seen by another, seeing by other characters, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts and mannerism (161- 173). However I only choose six ways to understand the characters of Morrie, the main character of Tuesdays with Morrie so I can get clues to find his characteristics. They are;
1. Characters as Seen by Another: The author describes the character through other’s views and opinions.
2. Speech: The author can give the readers an insight into the character of the persons in the book through what the person says.
3. Past Life: By letting the reader learn something about the person’s past life the author can give a clue to the events that have helped to shape a person’s characters.
4. Reactions: The author can give a clue to a person’s characters by letting the readers know how that person reacts to various the situations or event.
5. Direct Comment: The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.
6. Thoughts: The author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a person is thinking.
2. 2 Critical Approaches
To understand others’ literary works in more detail; the readers should use critical approach. A critical approach provides a method for the readers to gain a higher value of understanding of the work being read. For instance we can say that it brings us a better understanding of its nature, function, and positive values.
There are five approaches suggested by Rohrberger and Woods, Jr (6-15) that can be used to analyze works of literature. First is the formalist approach.
This approach examines the literary without reference to facts of author’s life, without reference to the genre or in literary history, and without reference in which the literary object takes place. When critics employ this approach, they concentrate on the total integrity of literary works. Second is biographical approach. When analyst of literature use the biographical approach in order to judge literary works, they perceive the importance of acknowledging the author’s personal life for a deep understanding to his or her writing. In this approach the author’s life, idea and personality are considered to be important elements in studying literary work. Third is the social cultural-historical approach. This approach asserts the social cultural-historical background in which the literary work is created influences that literary object. Fourth is the mythopoeic approach. When the major interest of critic is the mythopoeic approach, he or she attempts to find particular recurrent patterns of human thought, which are considered sharing the same universal belief to certain community mind. The patterns, generally, involve death and rebirth, guilt and sacrifices, primitive rites, or approach. When the analyst employs this approach he or she insists that each character’s behavior can be referred to the psychology of human being. So the characters’ thought and behavior can be traced more profoundly by using this approach. In this thesis the analyzing will focus on the psychological approach.
In this part I adopt some theories to support the analysis. The theories I used are theory of behavior and motivation, theory of relationship, and theory friendship and the relationship between Psychology and Literature.
2.2.1. The Meaning of Behavior and Motivation
Abrams states that motivation is defined as internal process that influences the direction, persistence and vigor of goal directed behavior (282). Motivation keeps human beings to their goal to prevent from losing his way to achieve his goal. Motivation also makes human beings behave in a certain behavior that support them in achieving their goal. Therefore, motivation always influences someone’s act or behavior.
Most plays have central motive and in general these are a giant human emotion, which motivated most people in real life: hopes for reward a major character desires to bring happiness and prosperity to himself or to person whom he loves. All of his actions are planned to hasten the advent prosperity. Love is an extension of the hope for reward, a character motivated to certain action because of the love which he has, the love which he wants, or the love which someone has for him. Characters should not suddenly break off and act in a way not plausibly
It requires awareness to know that there is a motivation when individual’s behavior is performed, but it needs at least the understanding of his or her past time before the individual is able to identify his or her reason that suggest him or her. Jung stated that “The concept of unconscious motives suggests that even with careful reflection and interrogation the person is unable to identify motives.” The motives are usually formulated when he or she has learned the information about his or her background (8-9).
In his book Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, Bandura claims that human’s motivations come from their interpretation about stimulus events which bring them to organize the information they brought before finally derived them into beliefs that lead them doing a positive or negative action (183). The greater effort can mobilize people into a real action if they are confident they can do it (301). “One of the cognitively based sources of motivation relies on goal setting and self evaluate reaction to one’s own behavior” (467).
Petri in his book Motivation: Theory and Research says that motivation is the concept that is used to describe the forces acting or within an organism to initiate and direct behavior (3). In this book, Lewin also pointed out that several forces might at the same time give influence on behavior; this behavior was the result of the total forces acting upon the individual. In Lewin’s theory, “the behavior of individual is seen in relation to both internal and external forces acting upon individual. Behavior is regarded as the result of the conditions present within the person and the psychological environment in which that person is immersed” (225).
Lewin says that the motivation construct that is used for motivation to person was tension. “Tension exists when a potential need becomes a need in fact.” If one wants to understand behavior, one must understand all the forces that are related to that behavior. According to him, there are two factors that lead someone to do something; they are physiological needs and psychological needs. Physiological needs related to the physic need, such as hunger, thirst, to experience specific type of contact and rest; while psychological needs connected to the emotions of someone’s need. It can be going to dance or finish the homework, it can be anything that satisfied or unsatisfied our deep desire (226- 227).
Abraham Maslow in Petri’s book Motivation: Theory and Research suggests that we are all driven by five motives, they are:
1. Physiological Needs People cannot dispute the fact that psychological needs are the most basic to human life. All of us will feel better if our body has been fed and watered. All the things that relate to someone’s personality or someone’s behavior will basically be based on the psychological needs.
2. Safety Needs People might think safe if they have a place that will protect them from any dance to night if they thought there was going to be disaster tore their house. Safety needs are primarily triggered in emergency situation.
3. Belongingness or Love Needs When the inside of the body is well taken care of, then it will have affection from others, to have companionship in loneliness, those would make someone feel that they are surrounded by people who love them.
4. Esteem Needs When all of the previous three needs are satisfied, this need becomes important for people. In this need we want to strive for achievement, to demonstrate adequacy, to show others that we are competent and that we can be independent and free. We also want to have prestige, recognition, and attention for our efforts.
5. Self Actualizations Needs “These are our desires to become all that we are capable of becoming.” Self- actualization is the total and complete fulfillment of our inner destiny. The self- actualized person is a very positive one. His or her behavior is motivated by a new set of needs. Self-actualization constantly stimulates people to test their ability and expand their horizons.
“These five begins to appreciate a bit more vital, but not pre-eminent, place growth, which leads us to the higher motivation such as self-esteem and self- actualization. Just as we do not concern our self with feeding food to survive each say, so we do not take a proof of our worth (by being loved and approved of by people) once we have passed that stage (302-305).
2.2.2. The Meaning of Relationship
According to Stenberg, there are three basic points in relationships, Intimacy, Passion and Commitment. Intimacy is the term that deals with the feeling of closeness. Romantic and sexual attraction is a part of passion.
Commitment involves the decision that love exists and the relationship should continue (228).
The three basic points in relationships can form seven types of relationships. They are:
1. Liking: This relationship is built with the feeling of closeness without involving romantic and sexual attraction and the decision for continuing the relationship.
2. Companionate Love: This relationship is also categorized by Sternberg as platonic friendship. It is a close relationship between two people in which sexual desire has been suppressed.
3. Romantic Love: People involved in this relationship have the feeling of closeness and sexual desire but they do not take commitment as an important thing.
4. Empty Love: Commitment exists in this relationship, but no sexual desire and intimacy.
5. Fatuous Love: Sexual desire and commitment appear in this relationship, but the feeling of closeness is not part of it.
6. Infatuated Love: The only thing that is important in infatuated love relationship is sexual desire. People cannot find the existence of closeness and commitment inside the relationship.
7. Consummate Love: The consummate love relationship exists in marriage.
A marital couple who agrees to have intimacy and commitment takes sexual intercourse as something that completes their relationship. The main purpose of sexual desire in this relationship is to enable the couple in bringing the new generation into the family.
Buscaglia says that there are some obstacles in building a good relationship (37). They are described like: Lack of Communication, Selfishness, Dishonesty, Jealousy, Lack of trust, Perfectionism, Lack of flexibility, Lack of understanding, Lack of respect and Apathy.
Furthermore, Buscaglia explains that there are seven advices to develop the relationship with others (150) they are;
1. Expect to invest a great deal of time and energy in relationship, lasting relationship does not just happen, they are created.
2. Do not hold on to anger, hurt or pain. They steal people’s energy and
3. There are times when people may be able to give up on relationship, but never give up on relating.
4. Divorce, fighting arguing will never solve human problems; better to try to understand, warmth, and flexibility.
5. Do not become involved in pettiness, ego, and childish, hurts, these will only serve to degrade human relationships and prevent closeness.
6. Learn to listen to others.
Do not allow the relationship to die or neglect.
7.
2.1.3. Theory of Friendship According to Beebe
According to Beebe (412) in his book entitled Inter Personal Communication Relating to Other states an explanation about the nature or friendship. He says that a friend is someone we trust, the one whom we share a good and bad time with. Someone who will always be there for you, even in the worst time, hold your hand when you are lonely and wipe your tears when you cry.
Beebe (43) also takes the opinion about friendship that there are three reasons about friendship they are:
1. The need of Inclusion It suggests that each of us has a need to be included in the activities.
Everybody needs human contact and fellowship. We need to be invited by other to join with and perhaps we need to invite others to join us in certain situation. It will be different to treat one to another because everybody is not the same.
2. The Need for Control It suggests that someone also need some degrees of dominion over the relationship we establish with other. Someone must exercise control in order to predict how others will respond. He or she also needs to be controlled by others because he or she desires some level of stability and comfort in his or her interaction with others.
3. The Need of Affection People need to give and receive love, support warmth and intimacy, although the amount is different from person to person. From that statement I can draw a conclusion about the need of having a companion, the man’s inclusion, control and affection needs. It is better if they can actively seek other as friend, because of these needs social isolation can negatively affect our physical and mental health. Research suggests that the most stressful event in life is losing a friend or companion.
Beebe (413) in his book states the meaning of friendship dealing with our physical and mental needs: “Besides helping us enjoy a healthy life, friends help us to cope with the stress, take care of physical needs even help us in the development of our personality. Friends help us cope with uncertainty and have a
From that statement I can also conclude that friends are the main influence for someone’s personality. As evidence there are many people who trust their friends rather than their parents when they had problems.
2.1.4. The Relationship between Psychology and Literature
James says that psychology is the science of mental life, both the phenomena, such as feelings, desires, cognitions, reasoning, decision, etc, and their conditions (15), while literature is the work of imagination or a creative writing which relates to human expression. As an expression is, literature also” hold the mirror up to man,” in which the author can communicate his or her feeling of his or her fictional character and then make them look alive. The author can use the understanding, which is provided by psychologist in order to enrich his or her story, and in other way the psychologist can giant their understanding of human behavior by drawing for the deep sensitivity of a good author.
According to Wellek and Warren Theory of Literature, psychological has four possibilities of understanding: first is the study of psychology of the author as a person; second is the process study creativity; third is the study of type and application of psychological conditions which as applied in literary work; fourth is the study of the effect of literature towards the readers (90).
Wellek also says that psychological critic view works through the lens of psychology. They look at the psychological motivations of the character and of the authors themselves. Basically, literature reflects the life and represents a in the creativity of the artist or analyze the fictional character’s motivation and behavior. It is clear, that literature and psychology are two different fields, but they influence each other. Literature may contain the application of the psychology rule in the work (93).
2.3. Theoretical Framework
I apply five basic theories to help in solving the problem in this study, namely Theory of Character; Theory Behavior and Motivation, Theory Relationship and Friendship and The Relationship between Psychological and Literature. Those theories are used in order to reveal the subject matter I want to discuss in this thesis so that I will get the deeper understanding about the theories to help to finish the thesis.
I explore the characteristic of the main character through the way he thinks, speeches and actions use Theory of Character and Characterization. This way will make the love that is presented through their characteristic revealed easily.
The deeper understanding of Theory of Motivations used to give a brief explanation about motivation. The motivation of the main characters in the novel is presented from his speech, thought and action. This way will make it easy to find out the motivations that can cause the main characters in the novel feel comfortable to be friends.
Talking about relationship Leo Buscaglia states that: Relationship seldom because people do not understand how much or what kind of upkeep, time, work, love and caring is required or because people are too lazy or afraid to try. A relationship is a living thing, it needs and benefits from the same attention to detail that an artist lavishes on his art (193).
Theory of friendship is used to find out what kind of relationship that they have. It has motivated Mitch and Morrie to see each other again. The relationship between psychology and literature in used to give a brief explanation about relation between those different field, psychology and literature, so that the readers can understand that actually, these two fields complete each other.
2.4. Criticism
Tuesdays with Morrie is a non-fiction story which is based on the Author’s own experiences. This novel has 192 pages and divided into 27 chapters. It is printed in the United States of America, published by Double day, New York. Tuesdays with Morrie has been published in thirty one languages in thirty six countries and it was bestseller in Japan, Australia, Brazil, and England.
Besides Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom also published eight books, including the New York Times bestseller The Five People You meet in Heaven, and the phenomenal bestseller Tuesdays With Morrie, Live Albom I (1987), Live Albom II (1990), Live Albom III (1992), Live Albom IV (1995) the autobiography of Bo Schembechler (co-written with Schembechler and also a New York Times bestseller), and Fab Five the story of the University of Michigan's famed men's basketball recruits who all became starters as freshmen during the early 1990's.
Tuesdays with Morrie’s popularity is continued by the film version of it. The film won the EMMY awards in 2000. It also won “The best actor” and “The best supporting actor” (NN http://www.albom.com/morrie.htm accessed on March
st 31 , 2007 at 14 p.m.).
Although Tuesdays with Morrie is a best selling novel in many countries, but it still gets many reactions from public. In 1978, Professor Morrie Schwartz was facilitating an unusual class in sociology at Brandeis University. They called it “Group Process.” In this class they study how to interact with other people in areas such as anger, jealousy, sensitivity, trust and many things.
th
(http://en.wikipedia.org//wiki Tuesdays with Morrie accessed on October 15 , 2007 at 14.06 p.m.): “We are to stand, facing away from our classmates and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than five inches before we stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment. Finally, one student crosses her arms over her chest, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton iced tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool. For a moment, I am sure that she is going to thump on the floor. At last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulder and yanks her up harshly.
‘Whoa! Several students yell. Some clap. Morrie smiles. ‘You see! He says to the girl, ‘you closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see; you have to believe what you feel. And if you ever are going to have people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling.”