The moral values revealed through the friendship between Bruno and Shmuel in Boyne`s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - USD Repository
THE MORAL VALUES REVEALED
THROUGH THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN BRUNO AND
SHMUEL IN BOYNE’S THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By:
STEPHANIE HELGA J. ANINDYA
Student Number : 084214072
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
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THE MORAL VALUES REVEALED
THROUGH THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN BRUNO AND SHMUEL IN
BOYNE’S THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By:
STEPHANIE HELGA J. ANINDYA
Student Number : 084214072
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2012
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“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” ( John Lennon )
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For My Beloved Parents
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Completing this thesis, I want to express my gratitude to Jesus Christ, who always guides me in working on this thesis and shows the enlightenments when I was down and desperately lost the ideas. I also present this gratitude to my parents, L. Sukarno Yudo, and F. Yuliana Rianti, who always give me support to keep writing and never give up to go on. I am also very thankful to my beloved brother, Athanasius Chrisma Herlambang, for giving me the encouragement to finish this thesis although he is far away there in North Sumatra.
My next gratitude is for my lecturers who always lead me to the right step, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum and Maria Ananta, S.S.,M.Ed. Then, I want to say thank you for my friend, Agathon Hutama, who handily gives me some help whenever I find troubles. I also want to express my big thanks to my friends for the advice, suggestion, and support so I can accomplish this thesis. They are Rintan, Gisa, Rissa, Ari, Cella, Nophek, Denty, and those who I cannot be mentioned here one by one.
Lastly, I would like to thank my friends in Lektor Kotabaru; Bertus, Irene, Lucy, Rini, Diesta, Pijey, for giving me columns to share my yelps and motivation to never give up my plan to finish this thesis this year.
Stephanie Helga J. Anindya
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TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................... i
APPROVAL PAGE ......................................................................................... ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE .................................................................................... iii
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN ........................................................... iv
MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................ v
DEDICATION PAGE ...................................................................................... vi
LEMBAR PENGESAHAN PUBLIKASI ILMIAH ......................................... vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. ix
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... x
ABSTRAK .......................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 1
A. Background of the Study .................................................................. 1 B. Problem Formulation ....................................................................... 5 C. Objectives of the Study .................................................................... 6 D. Definition of Terms .......................................................................... 6CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW .................................................. 8
A. Review of Related Studies ............................................................... 8 B. Review of Related Theories ............................................................. 12 1. Theory of Character ................................................................... 12 2. The Relation of Literature and Morality .................................... 14 3. Theory of Friendship .................................................................. 15 4. Theory of Morality ..................................................................... 17 C. Theoretical Framework .................................................................... 20CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 21
A. Object of the Study........................................................................... 21 B. Approach of the Study ..................................................................... 23 C. Method of the Study ......................................................................... 23CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 25
A. The Description of Main Characters in the Novel ........................... 25 1. Bruno .......................................................................................... 26 2. Shmuel ....................................................................................... 37 B. The Depiction of Friendship between Bruno and Shmuel .............. 43 C. The Moral Values Revealed through the Friendship between Brunoand Shmuel ....................................................................................... 59
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ....................................................................... 71
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 75APPENDIX ....................................................................................................... 77
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ABSTRACT
STEPHANIE HELGA J. ANINDYA. The Moral Values Revealed through the
Friendship between Bruno and Shmuel in Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped
Pajamas. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata
Dharma University, 2012.Moral values are the values which are regarded as the significant things in the society which aim to con trol humans’ behaviors in life. The Boy in the Striped
Pajamas by John Boyne is one of the books which discusses moral values. From
this book, the writer notices that moral values can be revealed using the perspective of friendship that is conducted by the two boys who are racially different living in the two different places during the Nazi regime.
In the first analysis, the writer described the two main characters in the story in which those characters play a role as the friendship creators. In the second analysis, the writer elaborated the friendship quality that they build. In the third analysis, the writer revealed the moral values from that friendship. The answers of the first analysis are used to answer the second analysis which then is elaborated to reveal the answers in the third analysis.
The writer used the library research method to answer the questions stated in problem formulation. The writer collected the data from many references to strengthen the theories in analyzing this novel. Besides, the writer also took some sources from the internet to support this analysis. Moral Philosophical approach is applied to give the further comprehension about moral values.
In the first analysis, the writer only described two characters who have the significant role in the novel in attempt to reveal the moral values; Bruno, a son of a Nazi commandant and Shmuel, a Jewish inmate. Their traits were analyzed to reveal the quality of friendship that is maintained by them.
Bruno’s characteristics described in this analysis are adventurous, critical, spontaneous, kind, and naïve. Meanwhile, Shmuel is described as lonely, open, dependent, and naïve. Their characteristics then are analyzed to answer the second problem formulation, which is friendship characteristics.
The friendship maintained by them is characterized as interdependent, genuine, strange, harmonious, secretive, and disputatious. It is used to reveal the moral values. The moral values revealed through the friendship of Bruno and Shmuel are: needing for reciprocal actions, respecting others without noticing what races they belong, treating a friend with compassion, respecting the dignity of others by upholding the equality, exercising reason, and being responsible to protect best friend.
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ABSTRAK
STEPHANIE HELGA J. ANINDYA. The Moral Values Revealed through the
Friendship between Bruno and Shmuel in Boyne’s the Boy in the Striped
Pajamas. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata
Dharma, 2012.Nilai Moral adalah nilai yang dipandang memiliki daya di masyarakat untuk mengendalikan tingkah laku manusia. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas karya John Boyne adalah salah satu buku yang membahas tentang nilai moral. Dari buku ini penulis melihat terdapat suatu nilai moral yang dimunculkan di dalamnya dengan menggunakan sudut pandang pertemanan dua orang anak berbeda ras yang hidup di tempat terpisah di bawah bayang-bayang rezim Nazi.
Di analisis pertama, penulis menggambarkan dua tokoh utama di dalam cerita dimana mereka berperan sebagai tokoh yang membangun persahabatan. Di analisis kedua, penulis menjabarkan tentang sifat pertemanan yang mereka bangun. Di analisis ketiga, penulis memunculkan nilai moral yang dapat dipetik dari sifat pertemanan tersebut. Jawaban analisis pertama digunakan untuk menjawab analisis kedua yang kemudian ditelaah untuk menghasilkan jawaban di analisis tiga.
Metode yang digunakan oleh penulis untuk menjawab rumusan masalah adalah studi pustaka. Penulis mengumpulkan data dari berbagai buku referensi yang mampu untuk menunjang teori yang digunakan untuk menganalisis novel ini. Selain itu, penulis juga menggunakan sumber dari internet untuk mendukung analisis ini. Pendekatan Filsafat Moral diterapkan untuk memberi pengertian yang tepat mengenai nilai moral.
Di analisis pertama, penulis hanya menjabarkan dua tokoh yang memiliki peran penting dalam pemunculan nilai moral dalam cerita; Bruno, seorang anak komandan Nazi dan Shmuel, seorang tahanan Yahudi. Karaktetistik mereka kemudian dianalisis untuk mendapatkan sifat pertemanan yang dibangun. Karakteristik Bruno adalah memiliki jiwa petualang, kritis, spontan, baik, dan naïf. Sedangkan karakter Shmuel adalah kesepian, terbuka, selalu tergantung pada orang lain, dan naif. Karakter kedua anak tersebut kemudian dianalisis untuk mendapatkan jawaban masalah kedua, yaitu sifat pertemanan.
Sifat pertemanan yang dibangun oleh keduanya adalah saling tergantung satu sama lain, tulus, tidak biasa, harmonis, rahasia, dan memiliki kecenderungan untuk selalu berdebat. Di analisis kedua, penulis menggambarkan sifat pertemanan tersebut yang kemudian ditelaah lagi untuk akhirnya dapat memunculkan nilai-nilai moral. Nilai-nilai moral yang dapat dipetik dari pertemanan Bruno dan Shmuel adalah kebutuhan akan perbuatan yang saling timbal balik, kemauan untuk menghargai orang lain tanpa memandang ras, kesediaan memperlakukan teman dengan penuh kasih sayang, kemauan untuk menghargai martabat orang lain dengan menjunjung tinggi keseteraan, kebebasan untuk mengutarakan pendapat yang dilandasi dengan akal sehat, dan kemampuan berani bertanggung jawab untuk melindungi sahabat.
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter contains of background of the study, problem
formulation, objectives of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study explains the reason why the writer chooses John Boyne‘s novel entitled The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as the primary data. The problem formulation is the question which is answered in this study. The objectives of the study deal with the purpose of this study. The definition of terms explains the terms which are used in this study to avoid misunderstandings.
A. Background of the Study
Discussing something happened in the past can give people reflection to relate it with something happened in this present day. History is part of human being. It is the fact so people may take a conclusion and improve an awareness about something that happened many centuries ago. In the book A
Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature, Rebecca J. Lukens stated that
history is the representation of facts. Imagination is needed to turn facts into fiction in a form of work of literature (1995: 15). In other words, a fiction is a product of fact or true experience which is added by imagination.
The uncovering of history through the works of literature is very common throughout the world. Every part in this world has its own history.
History in part of Asia may be different from the history in part of Europe,
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and when the history is retold in a form of a novel or a book, the flow of the story can be different depend on the author‘s imagination.
The first work of literature which tells about history comes from the book Children of The A-Bomb. In this book, Jean Dan and Ruth Sieben- Morgen reveal the story of bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through the testimonies of children and some students who were saved in that tragedy and still alive until this present time (1959: i). From those testimonies, people are invited to trace back the actual event that occurred during the late of 1945.
Children of The A-Bomb is one example of literary works which discusses about history from one part in Asia.
The second work of literature which also retells the history from Asia is The Collapse of a Colonial Society by L. de Jong. In this book, he retells about the existence of Japan in Indonesia in 1942. Jong reviews the AAA campaign which was formed by Japan during its occupation in Indonesia which finally triggered the resistance of Indonesians and led to war. AAA campaign itself stands for Asia Tjahaja (the Light of Asia), Asia Pelindung (the Protector of Asia), and Asia Pemimpin (the Leader of Asia) (2002: 50). Those two examples are the evidences of war conducted in Asia. Thus, it can be concluded that history existed in Asia in around 1945.
Outside Asia, the conduct of war also occurred in another continent during that period. The next literary work which discusses war is The Struggle
for Europe by Chester Wilmot. This book tells about the historical event
which happened in Europe, one of them is the existence of Führer in German
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as the powerful military conduct of the war. The Führer himself was Adolf Hitler, the one who ran German. ―…none could deny that he was the driving force behind the German war machine
‖ (1952: 160). The history about Führer was very notorious around the world in spite of the fact that he was the one who conducted the genocide of non-Aryan race during that period.
The story about Führer does not end only by Chester Wilmot‘s
Struggle for Europe , but it is also elaborated by a writer as well as a person
who experienced by herself the existence of his power. She is Edith Singer, who then retells her true story through the book March to Freedom. In this book, Singer tells her true experience when she was brought to the concentration camp where Führer ruled and realized his idea to exterminate the non-Aryan race. Singer who was depicted as a child when she experienced the genocide, luckily could be saved and eventually delivered her own story through a book. As stated previously, fiction is a manifestation of fact. Through March to Freedom, the true history is revealed.
The last example of literary work which tells about the war and elaborates the existence of Führer is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. This novel describes the cruelty of Führer and his action to exterminate the non-Aryan people, including the Jews. The Boy in the Striped
Pajamas tells about the struggle of Jewish people when they experienced the
Holocaust period during Nazi occupation. Similar to the works of literature which are mentioned previously, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas also takes the setting during the Second World War.
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The existence of Führer and his cruelty is not the only parts which are discussed in this novel. Further, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas also reveals the moral values as the indirect elements which can be discovered through the friendship of the main characters. As a book which tells about the immoral evidence among the human race, moral values become the next turning point that will be discussed in this study.
As cited previously, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas tells about the complexity of a friendship which is created by Bruno and Shmuel in the two very different places. Bruno‘s innocence and his pleasure of exploring his surrounding are the two things that most children may experience them as well. As a child, he likes reading books about adventure which then the idea to be an explorer appears in his mind and leads him to do exploring without thinking the danger or chaos that he may cause of doing this activity.
Children, too, seek pleasure from a story, but the sources of their pleasures are more limited. Since their experiences are more limited, children may not understand the same complexity of ideas (Lukens, 1995: 7).
As a novel about the past event, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas delivers the fact about Holocaust through the perspective of a nine-year-old boy under the name Bruno who makes friend with a Jewish child named Shmuel. As a son of a German military commandant who works as a Nazi officer, Bruno is definitely prohibited to make a contact with the Jews. Then it became a rare phenomenon at that time when Bruno eventually decided to keep contact with Shmuel whom he knew that Shmuel was a Jew. Since the Holocaust is the horrific event and none of Aryans will dare to make a contact
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with the Jews, Bruno instead of avoiding the Jews, he makes friend with one of them.
―Each of us exists in relation to others‖ (Wakin, 1980: 52). That quotation means that nobody can prevent other fellows to make a relation with whomever. That is the reason why moral values are required to be discussed in this study as the medium to seek the other side of the Holocaust itself in which a friendship is built in the middle of war and racial struggle. Even until nowadays, morality is still a part of society and still considered as the issue which causes ambiguity on what makes a thing is valued as a virtue or an evil.
This study uses the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas because of its correlation with the history of Holocaust in which genocide was practiced.
People may see the reflection of it by realizing the situation happened in this period where conflicts are still being a part of human. Conflicts which are caused by different races, religions, and ethnics which then trigger people committing the genocide to their opposites. As the novel which tells about the horrible event, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas puts the characters through the point of view of children whose language is palpable. Besides, the novel also elaborates the friendship between the main characters in which the racial prejudice does not exist. Briefly, the Holocaust presented in the novel uncovers the Nazi‘s cruelty which contradicts with the moral values.
B. Problem Formulation
The problems that the writer tried to answer in the analysis can be formulated as follows.
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1. How are the characteristics of Bruno and Shmuel described? 2.
How is the friendship of Bruno and Shmuel described? 3. What are the moral values revealed through the friendship of Bruno and
Shmuel? C.
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to reveal how the friendship of the main characters in novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas shows the moral values. The objectives of this study aim to answer the questions which are stated in the former part. There are three objectives to be discussed in this study. The first objective aims to find out the characteristics of the main characters, Bruno and Shmuel. The first objective then has an aim to answer the second objective which is to find out how the friendship of Bruno and Shmuel can be described by knowing the characteristics of them. The second objective then aims to answer the third objective. It is to find out what the moral values are revealed through the friendship between Bruno and Shmuel.
D. Definition of Terms
In defining certain terms which are used in this study; it is very possible that every person may have his or her own interpretations. Therefore, to avoid misunderstanding, some terms in this study will be explained.
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1. Moral Values
Values which determine a person by his/her acts of doing something which is morally good or evil. What makes an act morally good or evil is the value or disvalue of its actual consequences (Wellman, 1975: 135).
According to Wellman, moral values are the values which are taken from the good or evil actions which are conducted by a person. The thing that makes an action good or evil is the actual consequences of the action itself.
2. Friendship
Mutually satisfying psychological relationship involving companionship, sharing, understanding of thoughts and feelings, and caring for and comforting one another in times of need. In addition, a friendship is a relationship that endures over time and transcend occasional conflict. All emphasize that the understanding of friendship evolves from a concrete, behavioral relationship involving sharing material goods and pleasurable activity to a more abstract conception of a relationship of mutual consideration and psychological satisfaction (Berk, 1989: 491).
So, according to Berk, friendship is the psychological relationship which involves the quality of companionship, sharing, understanding of thoughts and feelings, caring, and comforting the others. Moreover, it also involves sharing material and pleasurable activities. Friendship can endure over time and transcend occasional conflict.
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CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW This chapter consists of review of related studies, review of related
theories, theoretical framework, and a brief explanation about literature and morality. Review of related studies presents the essay from Dr. Sue Page entitled Vaseline on the Lens: Contemporary representations of the Holocaust
in Children Literature, an undergraduate thesis entitled Telling Institutional Cruelty to Children Through Literature: A Study on John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas which is written by Gideon Widyatmoko, and a
discussion guide entitled The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Discussion Guide by Harriet S. Mosatche, Ph. D.
Review of related theories presents theory of character, theory of friendship, and theory of morality. Theoretical framework describes the application of the theories to answer the problem formulation, and the explanation about literature and morality elaborates the idea of the connection between literature and morality.
A. Review of Related Studies
This part contains a review of essay from Dr. Sue Page entitled
Vaseline on the Lens: Contemporary representations of the Holocaust in Children Literature. In his essay, Dr. Sue Page starts her hypothesis by saying
that most of the works of literature which retell about evil things happened in
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the mid-twentieth century have been softened. The authors mediate the historical fact through their writing, but their language style on depicting the fact is truly softened. Thus, instead of giving the readers reality, it causes the misleading for them in seeing the history (2008: 1).
So, in her hypothesis, Dr. Sue Page states that the way the author depicts the historical events instead of giving the disclosure of the truth towards the readers; it results into the misleading for them. It is because the true idea of historical event has been softened.
Related to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas which also tells about the cruelty which happened in the mid-twentieth century, in which mechanized killing of more than eleven million civilians was committed, Dr. Sue Page also criticizes that The Boy in the Striped Pajamas aims to fulfill the adult‘s wish. Meaning to say that the children can be protected by the way the author depicts the evil historical event softly. Some adults fear that the historical event can traumatize the children, but the adult‘s lack of knowledge toward such historical event is considered as a protection because they do not need to retell it. In other words, children need protection from the thing that can upset them. Since the Holocaust is the historical event which can upset the adults, then it is considered as the thing that can upset children as well (2008: 4).
Actually the idea to soften the actual event in historical period has a purpose to protect the children and avoid the traumatic effect which can be possibly experienced by them. Though, actually it can still be prevented by adult‘s lack of knowledge. The adults do not need to tell it. Holocaust is one
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of the historical events which is considered as the event which can traumatize not only the children, but also the adults. That is why the protection is needed because of that reason.
In her essay, Dr. Sue Page also tries to criticize the way the authors of the mid-twentieth literary works soften the idea of historical event in purpose to protect the children. One of the authors who practices this idea is John Boyne himself, the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. He depicts Holocaust tragedy through the perspective of children who are illustrated as the innocent creatures. In contrast, an innocent children‘s perspective then is met by the setting which is far from innocent. Nonetheless, in her essay, Dr. Sue Page also highlights
Boyne‘s cover note which said that The Boy in the
Striped Pajamas is not a book for a nine-year-old child, but it is a book about
a nine-year-old child. Implicitly, it is a book for the adults who want to make a belief that children can maintain their naivety and innocence in any situation.
So, the conclusion is that children can be protected from such historical event (2008: 3).
Like the writers who depict history which happened in the mid- twentieth century, John Boyne, the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, also soften the idea of cruelty by depicting the characters in his novel through the perspective of children which are considered as innocent living beings.
Although the novel uses the children‘s point of view, actually it is addressed to the adults who want to make a proof that children can preserve their naivety and their innocence in any situation.
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The second study comes from an undergraduate thesis written by Gideon Widyatmoko. In his thesis, he puts much concern about the theme of the story.
In John Boyne‘s The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, a novel intended by the author to be a children literature, the writer finds the theme of institutional cruelty committed by Nazi during the Second World War in Germany. The writer considers the theme as inappropriate for children (2011: xi).
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
is considered as a children‘s literature due to its theme which tells about the institutional cruelty conducted by Nazi during the Second World War. Because of that reason, Widyatmoko says that the theme is inappropriate for children.
The last study comes from a discussion guide entitled The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Discussion Guide which is developed by Harriet S.
Mosatche, Ph. D. In her discussion guide, she states that The Boy in the
Striped Pajamas raises friendship as the central theme in the story which
explores reasons, depths, and meaning of friendship. She also claims that the novel is crafted as a fable, which means a story with moral that teaches a lesson about humanity (2008: 7-8).
Besides telling the Holocaust event, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas also brings up the idea of friendship as the essential matter in the story.
Mosatche also believes that this novel is considered as a fable since it tells about moral and gives the lesson about humanity. So, besides raising the essence of friendship as the central element, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas also lifts up the moral values and humanity as the other elements. The
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friendship which is told in the novel then can be used to figure out the reasons, depths, and meanings beyond it. The moral values which are depicted in the novel is the element that makes the novel called a fable.
By reviewing the study by Dr. Sue Page, a discussion guide by Harriet S. Mosatche, Ph. D, and an undergraduate thesis by Gideon Widyatmoko, the writer of this study will not continue those reviews deeper. The writer analyzes this study in purpose to reveal the moral values which can be discovered, specifically through the friendship of the main characters.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Character
The first theory of character comes from the book A Glossary of
Literary Terms by M.H. Abrams. In A Glossary of Literary Terms, he states his theory of character.
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say
—the dialogue—and by what they do—the action‖ (1985: 23). That quotation means that the readers of a work of literature can understand the characters by their expressions which can be seen from their speaking, dialogue, and actions. Besides, characters are persons who have the quality of moral, dispositional, and emotional.
Abrams ‘ theory of character is not only elaborated by the quotation stated above, but it is also broadened by the alternative methods for characterizing. In different page, Abrams states this theory.
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In showing (also called ―the dramatic method‖), the author presents the characters talking and acting and leaves the reader to infer what motives and dispositions lie behind what they say and do. In telling, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters (1985: 24).
That quotation means that the determination of characters can be done by either showing or telling. If it is done by showing, the disclosure of characters is indicated by the characters‘ speech and actions; meanwhile, if it is done by telling, the disclosure of characters is indicated by the author‘s description towards those characters.
Rebecca J. Lukens is agree with Abrams ‘ theory of character. In the book
A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature, Lukens states that
character is generally used to mean mental, emotional and social qualities which can distinguish a person. Character is the living beings in a story, play, or a poem. She also adds that the disclosure of characters can be done by actions
, speech, appearance, other‘s comment, and author‘s comments (1995: 41-42).
Similar to Abrams ‘ A Glossary of Literary Terms, A Critical
Handbook of Children’s Literature also elaborates the elements which can be
used to reveal the characters. Besides stating that the disclosure of characters can be done by actions, speech, appearance, other‘s comment, and author‘s comments, Lukens also gives another information about characters that characters are the living beings in a story, a play, or a poem and it is used to mean mental, emotional, and social qualities. Those three things then can differentiate a person.
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2. The Relation of Literature and Morality
In some aspects, literature and morality may have the coherence. The connection between literature and morality is discussed by Robin Dudley through his thesis writing entitled Morality and Literature.
Historically, literature and morality have always enjoyed a close relationship…I think every teacher, like every critic, is going to approach a given wor k in a highly individual manner, but it‘s good to keep in mind the close historical link between literature and morality. The early twentieth century happens to have produced a lot of work that deals with morality, so it‘s a good period to focus on in this discussion of morality and literature (2009: 38-39).
The quotation above means that based on history, there is a close connection between morality and literature. Dudley suggests that this close connection must be practiced in any given works. Meaning to say that morality must be also a part of discussion in literature since there is a fact that many works which have a deal with morality had been produced in the early twentieth century.
Related to the quotation previously, Dudley adds that works of literature are great forum for moral consideration and re-consideration and classrooms are excellent place to test out people‘s opinions. So, it is necessary to bring morality into classroom discussion in order to teach literature effectively because so much moral questioning and posturing are exist in so much literature (2009: 37).
After stating those quotations, Dudley then comes to the main purpose of teaching morality in literature. He declares his belief by saying this quotation.
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I believe teaching works of literature that raise difficult and complicated moral questions can help students develop critical thinking and writing skills… It considers that the idea of English teachers can, without moralizing, capitalize on literature‘s moral questions to cultivate compassion, imagination, reason, and independence of thought, and thereby helps students become better readers, clearer thinkers, and more careful writers (2009: v). By stating the quotation above, Dudley means that engaging works of literature with moral questions can help student to improve their critical thinking and writing skill. Besides, it can help them also to cultivate compassion, imagination, reason, and independence of thought. The other effects of this engaging are the students can become better readers, clearer thinkers, and more careful writer.
3. Theory of Friendship
In the book The Mind and Heart of Love , M. C. D‘Arcy quotes
Aristotle‘s statement about three forms of friendship. The first is love which is based on profit. It dies when the profit is gone (1956: 118). So, friendship in this form simply means that the endurance of the friendship itself depends on the profit only.
The second is friendship that is based on the permanent in us. It is selfish and therefore fickle. That means that the second form of friendship further highlights the permanent of the participants which then may cause the selfishness and fickle attitude.
The third form is the friendship of men who are good . ―Now those who wish well to their friends for their sake are most truly friends ‖ (1956: 118).
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That quotation means that a true friendship is a friendship which is built by a person who concerns with his best frien d‘s sake and wish well for his friends. Besides, what is good is the basis of their love.
D‘Arcy also states four definitions of friends. First, a friend is one who wishes something good and does what is good as well. That person does that for the sake of his or her friends. Second, a friend is a one who wishes his or her friend to exist and live for his or her sake. Third, a friend is one who lives with. Fifth, a friend is one who grieves and rejoices with his or her friends (1956: 119). The writer does not apply the fourth definition because it does not have any relation with the analysis.
From those four definitions, a brief summary can be drawn that a friend is someone who always does something good for his friend. Whatever he does, it must be for the sake of his friend. A friend is also someone who can accompany his friend both in happiness and sadness.
Looking back to Aris totle‘s forms of friendship, D‘Arcy continues his statement by saying that
Aristotle‘s third form of friendship is the explanation of true friendship. Those who are capricious or evil cannot have this third form (1956: 119).
A bad man seems to do everything for his own sake,…while the good man acts for honour‘s sake, and the more so the better he is, and acts for his friend‘s sake, and sacrifices his own interest (1956: 119). So, to build a true friendship, an individual must rule out his jealousy towards his friend. A true friendship can be maintained if a person even can sacrifice his own importance for the sake of his friend. Indirectly, his actions
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of doing those things can increase his quality as a friend and as a human being.
In a different page, D‘Arcy adds another definition of friendship. ―Friendship cannot exist between a person and a thing; it is a special relation and the love which is given and taken in it is like no other‖ (1956: 122).
That quotation means that a friendship can only be established among humans. A person cannot create a friendship with his or her items or the inanimate objects. It is because a friendship needs a reciprocal love which is given and taken from one to another. And the love itself is irreplaceable.
4. Theory of Morality
In the book The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice, Lawrence Kohlberg delivers the stages of morality.
Actually, there are three levels which contains two stages each, but the writer only takes the second stage in the first level, that is the instrumental-relativist orientation, the second stage in the second level, that is the interpersonal concordance or ―good boy‖ – ―nice girl‖, and the second stage in the third level, that is the universal ethical principle orientation. The reason why the writer chooses those stages is because those stages have the same concern as this study.
a. The Instrumental-Relativist Orientation
In this stage, right actions are the actions which can satisfy one‘s need and occasionally the needs of others. The elements which are shown in this
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stage are fairness, reciprocity, and equal sharing. Reciprocity itself means ―you scratch my back and I‘ll scratch yours‖ (Kohlberg, 1981: 17).
b. The Interpersonal Concordance or “good boy – nice girl”
Based on this stage, what is considered as good behavior is the behavior which pleases or helps the others and is approved by them. Behavior itself is judged by the intention which then determines the consideration of being nice or not. ―There is much conformity to stereotypical images of what is majority or ―natural‖ behavior‖. ―He means well‖ becomes important for the first time because one can ear n approval by being ―nice‖ (Kohlberg, 1981: 18).
c. The Universal Ethical Principle Orientation
This stage is the universal principles of justice which highlights the reciprocity and equality of human rights, and respect for the dignity of human beings as individuals (Kohlberg, 1981: 19). So, this stage means that the dignity of human beings as individuals must be respected since every individual has his own right just as the same as the others.