The influence of Jamie Sullivan on Landon Carter`s personality development seen in Nicholas Sparks`s A Walk To Remember - USD Repository
THE INFLUENCE OF JAMIE SULLIVAN ON LANDON CARTER’S PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT SEEN IN NICHOLAS SPARKS’S A WALK TO REMEMBER AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By PUPUT TRISANTI ARINI Student Number: 064214107
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTEMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
THE INFLUENCE OF JAMIE SULLIVAN ON LANDON CARTER’S PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT SEEN IN NICHOLAS SPARKS’S A WALK TO REMEMBER AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By PUPUT TRISANTI ARINI Student Number: 064214107
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTEMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
Success doesn’t come to you… you go to it (Marva Collins)
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain)God gives you pain to make you learn how to be strong. Stay
positive, never give up, and always be grateful! (Ihatequotes) Tiada sesuatu yang indah dari sebuah perjalanan kecuali sampai tujuan Tiada sesuatu yang indah dari hasil berusaha kecuali kesuksesan Tiada sesuatu yang indah dari hasil perjuangan kecuali kemenangan (My father)This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to: My beloved parents family lovely Friends and for the better future
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIK
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Puput Trisanti Arini
Nomor Mahasiswa : 064214107 Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
THE INFLUENCE OF JAMIE SULLIVAN ON LANDON CARTER’S
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT SEEN IN
NICHOLAS SPARKS’S
A WALK TO REMEMBER
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin ataupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal: 30 September 2011 Yang menyatakan Puput Trisanti Arini
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My first gratitude goes to Allah S.W.T, who has given me a wonderful life, thank you for Your guiding and protection so that I can finish this undergraduate thesis.
My deepest gratitude goes to my beloved parents, Edi Sutanto and Diah
Utami who always support me with their love, patience and prayer.
I would like to thank my grandparents for their prayers and to my lovely sister ‘Mbak Uli’ and my big brother ‘Mas Aang’, thank you for your love, support, and advice which make me grow up. To my dear lovely niece Zhezhe and Zephy, thank you for the happiness and cheerfulness that you bring into my life.
I would like to thank my advisor, Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S.,
M.Hum, for helping me in writing this undergraduate thesis. I really thank for her
patience, guidance, time, suggestions and ideas in improving my undergraduate thesis. I would also like to thank my co-advisor Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari,
S.S., M.Ed for her checking this undergraduate thesis and giving me some
suggestions.My appreciation also goes to all the lecturers of English Letters Department, thank you for the wonderful experience, upbringing, knowledge and guidance. I could never forget all the kindness of your heart.
To all of my lovely friends in English Letters USD Nungky, Bibi, Dea,
Danas, Dewi, Rere, Rena, Elsa, Rina, Suster Karita, Yenny, Ira, Sita, Mbak
Nina, Mbak Sukma, Vero, Wahyu, Hasan, Kiky, Dimas, Bayu,
Thank you for the unforgettable moment that we have spent together and especially for Inkan, thank for your suggestions.
To my boarding house mates Rima, Agnes, Ce Ve, Ce Artha, Vanilla,
Sandra
who accompany me in passing my life in Jogja, thank for the wonderful friendship, and especially for ‘Mbak Sesil’, thank for being my teacher.
To Lia, Aank, Sesil, Rosy, Shinta, Bram, Yoza, Agnes Endah, thank for the wonderful friendship that all of you has given to me, for love and support, and for the unforgettable moment that we have spent together.
I am terribly sorry for not mentioning the names of my friends one by one, but it is my honor to know all of you.
Puput Trisanti Arini
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ...................................................................................................... i APPROVAL PAGE ........................................................................................... ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iii MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION PAGE ........................................................................................ v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI
.................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. ix ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... xi ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ............................................................................... 1 B. Problem Formulation ..................................................................................... 3 C. Objectives of the study .................................................................................. 3 D. Definition of Terms ....................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies ............................................................................ 6 B. Review of Related Theories .......................................................................... 8
1. Theory of Characters and Characterization ........................................ 8
2. Theory of Personality Development ................................................ 11
C. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................... 14
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY A. Object of the study ....................................................................................... 15 B. Approach of the study ................................................................................. 16 C. Method of the study ..................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER IV A. The Description of Landon Carter as Major Character ............................... 19
1. The Description of Landon Carter before he becomes friends with Jamie Sullivan ......................................................................... 20 a. Mischievous ......................................................................... 21
b. Disobedient .......................................................................... 23
c. Impious ................................................................................. 25
d. Pessimistic ............................................................................ 26
2. The Description of Landon Carter after he becomes friends with Jamie Sullivan ......................................................................... 27 a. Polite ..................................................................................... 28
b. Mature .................................................................................. 30
c. Optimistic ............................................................................. 32
d. Religious .............................................................................. 34
B. The Description of Jamie Sullivan as Major Character ............................... 35
a. Simple ............................................................................................... 36
b. Religious .......................................................................................... 38
c. Helpful .............................................................................................. 39
d. Kind .................................................................................................. 41
e. Obedient ........................................................................................... 42
f. Optimistic ......................................................................................... 43
C. The Influence of Jamie Sullivan on Landon Carter’s Personality Development ............................................................................................... 45
1. Sense of Politeness ........................................................................... 47
2. Sense of Maturity ............................................................................. 50
3. Sense of Religiosity ......................................................................... 53
4. Sense of Optimism ........................................................................... 54
5. Sense of Generosity .......................................................................... 56
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 59 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 63
ABSTRACT
PUPUT TRISANTI ARINI (2011). The Influence of Jamie Sullivan on Landon
Carter’s Personality Development seen in Nicholas Sparks’s A Walk to
Remember. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This study discusses Nicholas Sparks' novel A Walk to Remember. This novel shows the power of love between two major characters that are Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan. The writer chooses to analyze the personality development of Landon Carter, one of the major characters, since there is an interesting description of Landon Carter's personality which changes from time to time because of significant person in Landon Carter's life. The significant person that influences Landon Carter’s personality development is Jamie Sullivan.
There are three problems analyzed in this study: (1) How is Landon Carter personality development described in the novel? (2) How is Jamie Sullivan described in the novel? (3) How does Jamie Sullivan influence Landon Carter's personality development?
This study uses Abrams, Forster, Murphy, Pervin and John, and Hurlock's theories. This study applies the library research method and uses psychological approach. It is the most appropriate approach because this study examines personality development.
Based on the analysis, there are three main points which can be drawn from this study. The first point is how Landon Carter personality development is described in the novel. Before Landon Carter becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan, he is described as mischievous, disobedient, impious, and pessimistic. After Landon Carter becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan, he is described as polite, mature, religious, optimistic, and generous. The second point is how Jamie Sullivan is described in the novel. She is described as simple, religious, helpful, kind, obedient, and optimistic. The third point is the influence of Jamie Sullivan on Landon Carter's personality development. Jamie Sullivan has a great contribution on Landon Carter’s personality development. Because of Jamie Sullivan’s influence, Landon Carter becomes a person with sense of politeness, sense of maturity, sense of religiosity, sense of optimism, and sense of generosity. From those changes, it can be concluded that Landon Carter’s personality development is influenced by significant person that is Jamie Sullivan. Jamie Sullivan makes Landon Carter’s personality becomes better and undergoes qualitative, and slow development.
ABSTRAK
PUPUT TRISANTI ARINI (2011). The Influence of Jamie Sullivan on Landon
Carter’s Personality Development seen in Nicholas Sparks’s A Walk to
Remember. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma. Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul A Walk to Remember, karya
Nicholas Sparks. Novel ini menunjukkan kekuatan cinta antara dua karakter utama yaitu Landon Carter dan Jamie Sullivan. Penulis memilih untuk menganalisa perkembangan kepribadian Landon Carter, salah satu tokoh utama, karena terdapat penggambaran menarik dari kepribadian Landon Carter yang berubah dari waktu ke waktu karena orang penting dalam kehidupan Landon Carter. Orang penting yang mempengaruhi perkembangan kepribadian Landon Carter adalah Jamie Sullivan.
Ada tiga masalah yang dianalisa dalam skripsi ini: (1) Bagaimanakah perkembangan kebribadian Landon Carter digambarkan dalam novel ini? (2) Bagaimana Jamie Sullivan digambarkan dalam novel ini? (3) Bagaimana Jamie Sullivan mempengaruhi perkembangan kepribadian Landon Carter?
Penelitian ini menggunakan teori-teori dari Abrams, Forster, Murphy, Pervin dan John, dan Hurlock. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode studi kepustakaan dan menggunakan pendekatan psikologis. Pendekatan psikologis merupakan pendekatan yang paling tepat karena penelitian ini meneliti perkembangan kepribadian.
Berdasarkan analisis, ada tiga hal utama yang dapat ditarik dalam skripsi ini. Hal pertama adalah bagaimana perkembangan kepribadian Landon Carter digambarkan dalam novel. Sebelum Landon Carter berteman dengan Jamie Sullivan, dia digambarkan sebagai orang yang nakal, tidak patuh, tidak beriman, dan pesimis. Setelah Landon Carter berteman dengan Jamie Sullivan, dia digambarkan sebagai seorang yang sopan, dewasa, beriman, optimis dan dermawan. Hal kedua adalah bagaimana Jamie Sullivan digambarkan dalam novel. Dia digambarkan sebagai orang yang sederhana, beriman, penolong, baik, patuh, dan optimis. Hal ketiga adalah pengaruh dari Jamie Sullivan terhadap perkembangan kepribadian Landon Carter. Jamie Sullivan mempunyai pengaruh besar dalam perkembangan kepribadian Landon Carter. Karena pengaruh dari Jamie Sullivan, Landon Carter menjadi seorang yang memiliki rasa kesopanan, rasa kedewasaan, rasa religius, rasa optimisme, dan rasa kedermawanan. Dari perubahan-perubahan tersebut, dapat ditarik kesimpulan bahwa perkembangan kepribadian Landon Carter adalah pengaruh dari orang penting di sekitarnya yaitu Jamie Sullivan. Jamie Sullivan membuat kepribadian Landon Carter berubah menjadi lebih baik dan mengalami perkembangan secara kualitatif dan lambat.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background of the Study A. There are many ways to express feelings, ideas, thoughts and experiences. Writing literature such as a novel is one of the ways. By reading literature
carefully, one can broaden, deepen and sharpen his awareness of life and its problem (Perrine, 1974:3). Novel is one of the literary works that is extended works of fiction. The author pours his or her ideas about life through the novel. The ideas may come from a particular event that happens in author’s life or merely reflection of human life. Wellek and Warren in their book entitled Theory
of Literature
states that the work of literature portrays life as reality. It can be seen in the quotation below: Literature looks like a real life portrait. It’s an illustration of human lives because the literary works present the reality of human situation, problems, feeling, and relationship (1956:96). Novel has many valuable lessons and messages about human life. From the novel we can enrich our knowledge and learn the moral values from the character’s life experiences. The reader will find that reading a novel gives not only pleasure but also valuable things of life. Life is full of mystery. No one could ever know what will happen in the future. Man can change. His or her changes are caused by many factors. The factors could be caused by the influence of friends, family, environment or something which happens in life. According to Hurlock in her book Personality development, the personality changes can be classified into three major categories. First, some changes are for better and some are for the worse. Second, some are qualitative. The last is some occur slowly and some occur rapidly (1974: 120-122).
A lesson of being changing and changed can be seen in the novel by Nicholas Sparks entitled A Walk to Remember. The major character named Landon Carter undergoes such changing in his personality and his life when he is 17 years old. His changes happen after he becomes friend with a girl named Jamie Sullivan. According to Landon Carter, she is a strange girl and he does not want to become friend with her. But some moments which they often spend together change Landon Carter’s point of view about Jamie Sullivan. Even he finds that he falls in love with her. He used to be such a bad person in the beginning of the story but then he changes into someone else better. This personality development is interesting to be analyzed.
The writer finds that A Walk to Remember is worth to be analyzed. First, it is because of the author and second, it is because of the content. Nicholas Sparks is a New York Times best selling author. He has written some romantic novels such as The Notebook, Message in the Bottle, Night in Rodanthe, Dear
John, A Bend in the Road, The Guardian, The Rescue, The Last Song, The lucky
One, and many more. Some of them are New York Times best seller and have
adapted to be a movie including A Walk to Remember. Since Pandora Association with Warner Bros Pictured presented it to be a movie, this novel becomes more well-known.
A Walk to Remember
is an interesting novel. The story is beautiful that touches the writer’s heart. This is a story of true love, first love and everlasting love. This novel shows the power of love between the two characters that are Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter. They have different backgrounds of family and life so that there is a big distance between them. Besides, Jamie Sullivan suffers from leukemia. This novel is rich with the challenges of the main characters to prove their love. It shows the power of love between two people that can change a person’s life. Based on the reason above, the writer is interested to analyze this novel and focuses on major character, Landon Carter, who experiences the personality development.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the background of study presented above, the problems of the study are formulated as follows:
1. How is Landon Carter personality development described in the novel?
2. How is Jamie Sullivan described in the novel?
3. How does Jamie Sullivan influence Landon Carter’s personality development?
C. Objectives of the Study
There are three objectives to achieve. Firstly, the writer wants to reveal the description of Landon Carter personality development. Here, the writer elaborates Landon Carter personality before he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan and after he becomes friend with and fall in love with Jamie. The second objective of this research is to observe how Jamie Sullivan’s character described in the novel. The third objective is to analyze the process on how Jamie Sullivan influences Landon Carter’s personality development.
D. Definition of Terms
The terms in this study need to be clarified in order to avoid unnecessary confusion. The terms are:
a. Personality Development
Allport in Hurlock’s Personality Development states that personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought (1974:7).
According to Hurlock, personality is the characteristics and qualities of a person as a whole. In literary work, personality is all the characteristics and qualities that make the imaginary person alive to the readers (1974:108).
Pikunas in his book Human Development an Emergent Science states that: “Development is a broad term that refers to all the process of change by which an individual’s potentialities unfold and appear as new qualities, abilities, traits, and related characteristic. It includes the long term and relatively irreversible gains from growth, maturation, learning, and achievement (1976:23). Pikunas’s statement above suggests that people undergo some changing in their life, this kind of changing called development. It cannot quickly happen but takes long time and process to increase the potentialities.
Then, it can be concluded that personality development is a process of change in individual’s characteristics behavior and thought.
b. Influence
Influence according to Sukhanov in Encarta Webster’s College Dictionary is the power that somebody has to affect other people’s thinking or actions by means of argument, example or force of personality (2005:738). In Longman
Dictionary of English Language and Culture
, influence is an effect on someone or something without the use of direct force or command (Summers, 1992:674).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies There are several studies discussing Nicholas Sparks’s A Walk to Remember . Merry Christina, one of alumni of Sanata Dharma University,
analyzed this novel in her thesis entitled The Values of Love as Reflected in Nicholas Sparks’s A Walk to Remember.
This thesis analyzes the values of love from the novel. She concludes that the values of love may cover lots of element in life. Those are about honesty, forgiveness, truth, to give with all the heart, to share, and most of all, an everlasting love will never die. Those elements can be seen from the major character named Jamie Sullivan. With the power of love, we believe that we are able to do everything (Christina, 2007: viii).
The other study also comes from one of alumni of Sanata Dharma University. She is Yulia Frida P. She analyzed this novel in her thesis entitled The
Influence of Jamie Sullivan’s Emotion towards her Motivation to Struggle for Life
as seen in Nicholas Sparks’s A Walk to Remember.In this study, Frida finds a fact that Jamie Sullivan’s suffering from leukemia, makes she feels afraid of death, but she does not show her fear explicitly. Jamie Sullivan’s emotion becomes the conviction of Jamie Sullivan to struggle for life. There are some reasons which motivate her to struggle for life. One of them is her strong faith and her love toward Landon Carter (Frida, 2006:viii).
There is also a study that discusses about personality development of major character in the novel. It comes from Ratnaningsih who was the student of Sanata Sharma University. She applies the theory of personality development in analyzing a major character that is Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Her thesis which entitled The Influence of Jalil, Raheed, and Laila on Mariam’s
Personality Changes emphasizes on the personality changes of Mariam.
Ratnaningsih shows how Jalil makes Mariam who is an affectionate person becomes unfriendly person. Raheed makes Mariam who is unreflective becomes reflective. This personality change is influenced by the people around Mariam. It can be seen in the following quotation:
They are Jalil, Rasheed, and Laila. Jalil is Mariam’s father. Although Jalil loves Mariam,he is ashamed to admit Mariam as his daughter since Mariam is his illegitimate daughter. Jalil also forces Mariam to marry Rasheed in order to maintain his good name. Because of Jalil’s personalities, Mariam experiences some personality changes. Then, Rasheed also makes Mariam have personality changes with his bad personalities. The character of Laila, the other major character, which in contrast to Mariam causes Mariam to have personality changes (Ratnaningsih, 2010:3).
Another comment comes from Kristine Cure. She states that A Walk to
Remember is an extra-ordinary love story. Another attempt of one of the greatest
novelists in modern times, Nicholas Sparks, to somehow unlock the mystery of extra-ordinary love for us. Sparks attempts to reveal the extra-ordinary power of love to change a person's life ( http://www.helium.com/items/1421042-a-walk-to-
B. Review of Related Theories
In order to answer the problem formulation that appears previously, the writer requires some theories to support the accuracy of this study.
1. Theory of Characters and Characterization
The simple meaning of character is someone in literary work that has some sort identity (it does not need to be a strong one), an identity which is made up by appearance, conversation, action, name and (possibly) thoughts going on head (Gill, 1995:127). It means the character is the person taking part in the story although she or he does not have any significant role.
According to Abrams, the characters are the person presented in 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 (1982:21). The statement emphasizes that the character is not only about the name of character but the whole, includes his/her speech, action, behavior, etc.
According to Foster, character is divided into two kinds. They are flat and round characters. A flat character is created around a single idea or quality and characterized only by one or two traits (1974: 46-51). In other words, the character remains stable condition from the beginning to the end of the story. A round character is complex in temperament and motivation (1974: 46-51). This kind of character can change or develop according to certain action through the story.
The author characterizes characters in the novel in order to be understood. There are many ways in characterizing the character in the novel. In
Understanding Unseen,
M.J Murphy classified the way an author reveals the character’s personalities and trait to the readers (1972:161-173), as follows: a. Personal description The character can be seen from the person’s physical appearance in the story such as the clothes wore in the story.
b. Characters as seen by another It means that the author describes the character through the opinion and perspective given by others characters in the story. Their opinion influences the reader’s impression so that the reader may get a reflected image.
c. Speech The author describes the character through what other character says in his speech about certain character. Whenever a person speaks, whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an opinion. He is giving some clue to his character.
d. Past life Meaning that, the author gives some clues to the readers by describing the characters past life. The author comment on the character’s thought, through conversation with other characters, or through the medium of another person.
e. Conversations of others
The author describes the conversations between the character and the other character, therefore it can give the readers a clue of the personality that the character has.
f. Reactions Meaning that, the readers are allowed to know the character’s personality by giving problems to the character. The reactions of the character toward the problems and events can show the character’s personality.
g. Direct comment Meaning that, the author gives his own comment to the characters he creates directly. By giving comments explicitly, the readers will understand what kind of person he or she is.
h. Thought Meaning that, the author takes the readers to the character’s thought and feeling, so the readers can subjectively understand the character’s personalities, and the position in the story. The readers can feel as if they were the character itself. i. Mannerism The character’s mannerism, habit, idiosyncrasies are described by the author to the readers in order to be a way in knowing the character itself.
2. Theory of Personality Development
Hurlock (1974:120-122) divides characteristics of change in personality into three major categories. First, some changes are for the better and some are for the worse. Second, some are quantitative and some are qualitative. And third, some occur slowly and some rapidly. They can be explained as follows:
1) Better Versus Worse Personality changes for the better or for the worse reflect the kind of life adjustment the individual is making at the time. Personality changes for the worse in normal people occur at the puberty and the middle age. When pronounced changes, especially for worse, occur at times when they normally do not occur, these changes should be recognized as danger signals. 2) Quantitative Versus Qualitative.
In qualitative changes, an already-present trait usually an undesirable one, is replaced by another trait, usually a desirable one. In the case of selfishness, for example, a qualitative change would mean that selfishness was eliminated and replaced with generosity. In quantitative changes, characteristics already present are reinforced, strengthened, or weakened. Undesirable traits usually become less undesirable.
3) Slow Versus Rapid Changes Changes are regarded as slow if they are barely perceptible, while rapid changes are quickly able to be understood to all. Normally, personality changes are slow and gradual. They are slow, even in childhood before the personality pattern has become well set, because every change involves the breaking of a previously learned habit and the learning of a new habit to replace it.
Furthermore, changes in personality do not occur of their own accord. Usually they are the result of multiple revisions in thoughts and feelings related to the person’s concepts of self. The changes of personality can be affected by several conditions (Hurlock, 1974: 124-130). The most significant conditions are:
Firstly, physical changes in someone can change his/her personality. The physical changes are caused by some aspects, such as illness, blindness, and injuries in which those changes may make someone's personality change. The physical changes also happen when someone is at puberty in which those changes may make someone have personality change in self concept (Hurlock, 1974:124).
Secondly, changes in environment either physical or social environment are responsible for someone's personality changes. The changes depend on how well someone adjusts himself/herself to the new environment. The environment changes can make improvement in someone's personality changes in two conditions. The first is whether someone can meet equilibrium with the environment. The example is moving to a friendly environment can lead someone to be an accepted person. The second is the timing of the movement. The example is parents' divorce when their children are still young has a greater effect than when their children are adults (Hurlock, 1974:125).
Thirdly, the significant people in someone's life can be responsible for personality changes. Personality changes will depend on how much the attitudes, values, beliefs, and so on of the significant people differ from those of the individual. If there is a great disparity, he will be motivated to effect greater changes. The individual tries to adapt the pattern of behavior, attitudes, beliefs, values, and so on. The example of the significant people who are responsible for someone's personality changes in young adult are usually spouses, friends, neighbors, and employers (Hurlock, 1974:126).
Fourthly, Social pressure can make people change their personality in order to be accepted socially. Personalities which are rejected by social tend to change. As childhood progresses, the child become aware that some personality traits are admired while some are disliked. Since everyone normally has a strong desire to be accepted by those who are significant to him, he tries to change any personality trait that will militate against his being accepted. The strong social pressures such as shyness, bossiness, aggressiveness, and greediness have much possibility to encourage changes in certain aspects of personality rather than the traits of admiration, affection, cooperativeness, and generosity (Hurlock, 1974:126).
Fifthly, changes of one’s role may occur because of the changes age, economic conditions, and affiliation with a new group. When the result of the changes put the person into a favorable status, there will be a change for better in the person’s self-concept (Hurlock, 1974:127).
Sixthly, when the motivation to improve the personality pattern is strong enough, changes can be effected. People generally improve their pattern in order to get greater social acceptance and also to improve their social relationship (Hurlock, 1974:127).
Seventhly, the changes in self-concept of one’s personality will change his complete personality pattern. Changes in self-concept are more difficult in older people and usually the changes occur slowly. There are three obstacles to the changing of self-concept. The first is the intellectual. People who are accustomed to certain behavior of solving problems are difficult to see that there are other ways to solve those problems. The second is the emotional. People who usually think to be follower experience dissatisfaction when they think to be a leader. The third is environment. The people have difficulties to have good self-concepts if they are in the environment which tend to judge them based on race or religion (Hurlock, 1974:128).
The last, the use of psychotherapy helps a person to gain better insight into the reasons for his unrealistically favorable or unfavorable concept. It also helps to recognize how self-concept influence the quality of his behavior, to realize how irrational his self-concept and his behavior are, to get the motivation and knowledge how to change his self-concept, to protect the guidance essential to make this change with no upsetting the whole person personality pattern, and to alter the conditions in the environment which contribute to an unfavorable self- concept (Hurlock, 1974:129).
C. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This section explains about how the theories presented in this chapter are used to analyze Nicholas Sparks’s A Walk to Remember. The Theories will be used to answer the questions in the problem formulation. Abrams, Fosters, and Murphy’s theories on character and characterization will be used to answer the first and the second problem formulation. Hurlock’s theory on personality development that is experienced by Landon Carter is used to answer the third problem formulation.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study The object of this study is a novel entitled A Walk to Remember written by Nicholas Sparks. It was published in the fall of 1999 by Warner Books. This is an
international best seller and the third novel of Nicholas Sparks. This novel has been translated into more than thirty languages and was adapted to be a movie by Pandora Association with Warner Bros in 2002 which make this novel more well- known. The novel is divided into thirteen chapters and contains of 240 pages.
A Walk to Remember
is story of true love between two teens. The major characters are Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter. Landon Carter, a seventeen year old boy, lived in the small town of Beaufort, North Carolina in 1958. He is described as a bad boy. The other character is Jamie Sullivan. She is described as a nice girl. She is the daughter of the town’s Baptist minister. She is nice girl who always carries the bible all day at school and reads it at lunch break. She rescues bound animal and helps the children at a local orphanage.
Landon Carter has never thought that he will be friended with Jamie Sullivan even tough they study together at the same school since junior high school to senior high school. He thinks that Jamie is a strange girl so that he does not want to make friend with her. Yet, this condition changes as the time goes by. It starts when Landon Carter has to get partner for the homecoming dance at school. He is forced by the situation to ask Jamie Sullivan to be his partner in the homecoming dance because he does not get a partner. From this moment, they become friend and spend more time together. Landon Carter learns that there is much more about Jamie Sullivan that he has never considered before.
Finally, Landon Carter finds that he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan. Luckily, Jamie Sullivan accepts Landon Carter’s love. This condition makes Landon change. He becomes mature and being a good man. But love is not easy for both of them. The fact that Jamie Sullivan’s age is no long anymore because of the leukemia that she got is a great obstacle for both. But it does not make them stop loving each other. Landon Carter loves Jamie Sullivan with all her heart and accepts Jamie Sullivan the way she is. Then, they are getting married.
B. Approach of the Study There are many approaches that can be used to analyze the literary work.
In analyzing this novel, the writer applies psychological approach. It is because this study concerns to the personality of the character in the novel A Walk to
Remember .
Rohberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature state that psychological approach tries to locate and to demonstrate certain recurrent patterns from the knowledge of psychology (1971: 12). In analyzing the work of literature, psychological theories are used to explain the human motivation, personality, development, and behavior pattern written in literary object. In short, psychological approach aims to observe literature by using the theory of psychology.
C. Method of the Study
The writer employed the library research as the method of the study. There were some sources used in this novel. Due to the lack of books of the library, the writer could not find the original book in the library of Sanata Dharma University and in the bookstores in Yogyakarta. So, the writer took the novel A Walk to
Remember by Nicholas Sparks from the online bookstore in Jakarta.
The other sources were from some books which contain related information that needed in this study. As the additional source, the writer found the data as much as possible from the internet. Hopefully, the combination of these references would help the writer to analyze the novel deeply.
Some important books that have been used as references of library research are A Glossary of Literary Terms, Understanding Unseen: An
Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students, Reading
and Writing about Literature, Personality Development and many more. The
writer also used some references from the internet sources. All the references were used to help the writer in analyzing the novel.
There were some steps that were taken to analyze the novel. The first step, the writer read the novel A Walk to Remember several times to get a deep understanding of the story. The writer also read the novel which has been translated in Indonesian. The writer focused on two major characters that are Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter.
The second steps, the writer tried to find the appropriate approach to analyze the novel and the theories. Related to the first and the second questions in the problem formulation, the writer analyzed the description of Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter by applying theory of character and characterization. The character in the novel that is Landon Carter undergoes personality changes, so the writer chose psychological approach as the most appropriate approach. Theory of personality development was applied in order to reveal Landon Carter’s personality development throughout the story. The purpose was to reveal the influence of Jamie Sullivan on Landon Carter’s personality development.
The third steps, the writer collected the data which can be used to support the study. The data consisted of the data which related to the novel. The data was used in the related studies, the related theories and also the approach. The writer combined all the data. By using all data, the writer could analyze the novel and gave conclusion to the analysis. After all steps were finished, the writer presented a conclusion for the study.
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS This analysis is divided into three parts. The first is the analysis of Landon Carter’s personality development described in the novel. In this first
analysis, the writer analyzes Landon Carter’s character before he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan and after he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan. In the second analysis, the writer elaborates Jamie Sullivan’s character. The last one is the influence of Jamie Sullivan on Landon Carter’s personality development.
A. The Description of Landon Carter as Major Character
The novel depicts Landon Carter in two phases of his life, namely before he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan and after he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan. In order to understand Landon Carter as major character in A Walk to
Remember , some methods proposed by Murphy (1972:161-172) are applied. He
states that the character of the story can be seen through personal description, characters as seen by another, speech, conversation by another character, past life, reaction, direct comment, thought and mannerism. However, to analyze the characterization of Landon Carter, not all the methods are used, but only some of those are applied. Based on Forster’s theory, Landon Carter is considered as a round character that is dynamic and complex and can change or develop throughout the story (1974:73). It is because Landon Carter is characterized differently in each phase of his life. In discussing the description of Landon
Carter, the writer divides the analyses into two parts. They are the analysis of Landon Carter’s personality before he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter’s personality after he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan.
1. The Description of Landon Carter before He becomes friends with Jamie
SullivanLandon Carter is one of the major characters in this story. This novel starts with a 57 year old man, Landon Carter, turning back the pages of his life to the time when he was 17 years old, in the late 1950s. Landon Carter, narrator of the novel, lives in a small town, Beaufort, North California. He is born in a rich family which makes him popular and has many friends. His grandfather is known as a cruel creditor who makes his family becomes rich. He lives with his mother and his father. His father is a United States congressman for almost thirty years. The relationship between Landon Carter and his father is bad. His father has no time for him because he is very busy with his work so that they almost never have a time to talk to each other.
“He wasn’t there for me growing up. I hate to say that, because nowadays people claim that sort of stuff even if their parent was around and use it to excuse their behavior. My dad… he didn’t love me… that’s why I became a stripper and performed on The Jerry Springer Show ” (Sparks, 1999:12).
Landon Carter’s statement above proves that he has a bad relationship with his father. He is lack of love from his father when he is growing up. Therefore, he thinks that his father does not love him. His father leaves him for nine months of a year, living three hundred miles away in a Washington as a congressman. This his statement, it also can be concluded that many people judge that parents are the cause of children’s offensive behavior. The description of Landon Carter’s personality before he becomes friend with Jamie Sullivan is elaborated below: