A study on the factors that influence Jack's personality development on Emma Donoghue's room.

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ABSTRACT
ETRI SELVIANA. A Study on The Factors that Influence Jack’s Personality
Development on Emma Donoghue’s Room. Yogyakarta: Department of English
Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2013.
This study discusses Jack’s personality development on Emma
Donoghue’s novel entitled Room. This novel tells about
Jack’s life when he
lives in and outside the room. He is the main character and the narrator of the
novel. Jack is isolated in the room for five years but finally he can escape from the
room. When he lives in the room, he has no chance to interact with others while in
the outside he can interact so his personality can develop. Based on the story, the
personality development is caused by several factors. Therefore, the writer would
like to find the factors that influence the personality development of the main
character.

This study has two objectives. First is to describe the personality
development of the main character. Then, the second is to find out the factors that
influence main character’s personality development.
The method of this study is library research. The writer uses Emma
Donoghue’s novel entitled Room as the primary source. Several books about
literature theories, psychological theories and internet sources are used as the
secondary sources. The psychological approach is used to get deep analysis on the
topic of the study.
The writer finds that Jack is characterized as a happy, imaginative, fearful
and rude boy when he lived in the room. When he is no longer in the room, he
develops into an unhappy, unimaginative, brave and polite boy. He can develop
because of the influence of some factors. The first factor is family. Family
members who influence Jack’s personality development are his mother and
grandma. The second factor is environment. Police Officer and Dr. Clay are
people who influence Jack’s personality development.

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ABSTRAK
ETRI SELVIANA. A Study on The Factors that Influence Jack’s Personality
Development on Emma Donoghue’s Room. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris,
Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2013.
Penelitian ini membahas tentang perubahan kepribadian Jack dalam novel
berjudul Room karya Emma Donoghue. Novel ini menceritakan tentang
kehidupan Jack ketika dia berada di dalam dan di luar ruangan. Dia merupakan
tokoh utama dan narator dari novel. Jack disekap dalam ruangan selama lima
tahun tetapi akhirnya dia dapat melarikan diri dari ruangan tersebut. Ketika berada
di dalam ruangan, dia tidak mempunyai kesempatan untuk berinteraksi dengan
orang lain, tetapi ketika berada di luar ruangan dia dapat berinteraksi sehingga
kepribadiannya dapat berkembang. Berdasarkan cerita, perubahan kepribadian
dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor. Oleh karena itu, penulis berkeinginan untuk
menemukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan kepribadian dari tokoh
utama.

Penelitian ini mempunyai dua tujuan. Tujuan yang pertama adalah untuk
mendeskripsikan perubahan kepribadian dari tokoh utama. Lalu, yang kedua
adalah untuk menemukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan
kepribadian tokoh utama.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kepustakaan.
Penulis menggunakan novel berjudul Room karya Emma Donoghue sebagai
sumber yang utama. Beberapa buku tentang teori sastra, teori psikologi dan
sumber lain dari internet digunakan sebagai sumber yang kedua. Pendekatan
psikologi digunakan untuk mendapatkan analisis yang mendalam dalam penelitian
ini.
Penulis menemukan bahwa Jack dikarakteristikkan sebagai anak laki-laki
yang ceria, imajinatif, penakut dan kasar ketika tinggal di dalam ruangan. Ketika
dia sudah tidak lagi tinggal di ruangan, dia berubah menjadi anak yang tidak ceria,
realistik, berani dan sopan. Dia dapat berubah karena adanya pengaruh dari
beberapa faktor. Faktor yang pertama adalah keluarga. Anggota keluarga yang
berpengaruh adalah ibu dan neneknya. Faktor yang kedua adalah lingkungan.
Polisi dan Dr. Clay adalah orang yang mempengaruhi perubahan kepribadian
Jack.

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A STUDY ON THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE JACK’S
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT ON EMMA
DONOGHUE’S ROOM
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as partial fulfillment of the Requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

By
ETRI SELVIANA
Student Number: 094214024

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013

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A STUDY ON THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE JACK’S
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT ON EMMA
DONOGHUE’S ROOM
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as partial fulfillment of the Requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By
ETRI SELVIANA
Student Number: 094214024

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work
or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
bibliography, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, November 15, 2013

Etri Selviana

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SET YOUR GOALS HIGH,
AND DON’T STOP

‘TILL YOU GET THERE
..Bo Jackson..

CHANGE YOUR LIFE TODAY. DON’T GAMBLE ON THE
FUTURE, ACT NOW, WITHOUT DELAY.
~Simone de Beauvoir~

A LITTLE MORE PERSISTENCE, ALITTLE
MORE EFFORT, AND WHAT SEEMED
HOPELESS FAILURE MAY TURN TO
GLORIOUS SUCCESS.
..Elbert Hubbard..

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Dedicated to:
The Almighty God
People whom I call *Mamak & Babeh*
My Sisters and My Brothers

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I address my deepest praise to the Almighty God for every single thing He
gives in my life. My greatest gratitude belongs to my parents, Mamak Marsini and
Babeh Muhammad Batin, who never stop pushing and supporting their daughter

to finish her study.
My greatest gratitude is sincerely addressed to my advisor Dr. F.X.
Siswadi, M.A. for his guidance and advice so I can complete this thesis. I also
thank to my co-advisor J.Harris H.Setiajid, S.S.,M.Hum. for his willingness to
correct my thesis. I would also give thank to my academic advisor and all
lecturers who help me during my study in Sanata Dharma University and all staff
in Secretariat of English Letters.
Special thanks are given to my brothers, Ersa and Ega, my sister Enik
Marantika and his family Bang Alex, Miss Magda, Rubina, Della for their love,
kindness and support to me. I thank all my friends from class of 2009 for the
memories during study in Sanata Dharma University. For Keluarga Cemara,
Teater Kepik, and KKN Ceria Kelompok Binalia thank you so much for
happiness through those moments we experienced together. Debby, Lenny, Reta,
Aldo, Pita, Ivan, Silvia Pristi, Xyannie, Adhika, Bang Iyan, and Septiana thank for
the friendship and memories during these years.
Last but not least, I address my special gratitude to Cancerio Pandwitya
Puris for his affection, support and bitter-sweet memories we experienced
together during these last three years.
Etri Selviana.

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama
: Etri Selviana
Nomor Mahasiswa : 094214024
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
A STUDY ON THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE JACK’S
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT ON EMMA
DONOGHUE’S ROOM
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, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau
media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya
maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya
sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 15 November 2013
Yang menyatakan

Etri Selviana

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TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………. ………..
APPROVAL PAGE ……………………………………………….
ACCEPTABLE PAGE ……………………………………………
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY …………………
MOTTO PAGE ………………………………………………….
DEDICATION PAGE ……………………………………………..
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS …………………………………………
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PENGESAHAN …………………….
TABLE OF CONTENT …………………………………………..
ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………….
ABSTRAK ……………………………………………………………

i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
ix
x
xi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ………………………………..
A. Background of the Study …………………………………..
B. Problem Formulation ……………………………………….
C. Objective of the Study …………………………………….. …
D. Definition of Terms …………………………..................... …

1
1
6
6
6

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ……………. ………..
A. Review of Related Studies ………………………………….
B. Review of Related Theories …………………………………
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ……………
2. The Relation between Literature and Psychology……..
3. Theory on Personality Development…………………..

8
8
11
11
14
14

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY…………………………………
A. Object of the Study…………………………………………..
B. Approach of the Study……………………………………….
C. Method of the Study……………………………………………

23
23
24
25

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS …………………………………………
A. The Development of the Main Character……………………
1. Jack’s Personality in the room ……………………………
2. Jack’s Personality Outside the room ……………………..
3. The kinds of Development on Jack’s Personality …………
B. The Factors Influencing Jack’s Personality Development ……
1. Family………………………………………………………
2. Environment………………………………………………

26
26
27
39
48
50
51
57

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ………………………………………

62

BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………..

64

APPENDIX (Summary of the Room) ……………………………….

66

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ABSTRACT
ETRI SELVIANA. A Study on The Factors that Influence Jack’s Personality
Development on Emma Donoghue’s Room. Yogyakarta: Department of English
Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2013.
This study discusses Jack’s personality development on Emma
Donoghue’s novel entitled Room. This novel tells about
Jack’s life when he
lives in and outside the room. He is the main character and the narrator of the
novel. Jack is isolated in the room for five years but finally he can escape from the
room. When he lives in the room, he has no chance to interact with others while in
the outside he can interact so his personality can develop. Based on the story, the
personality development is caused by several factors. Therefore, the writer would
like to find the factors that influence the personality development of the main
character.
This study has two objectives. First is to describe the personality
development of the main character. Then, the second is to find out the factors that
influence main character’s personality development.
The method of this study is library research. The writer uses Emma
Donoghue’s novel entitled Room as the primary source. Several books about
literature theories, psychological theories and internet sources are used as the
secondary sources. The psychological approach is used to get deep analysis on the
topic of the study.
The writer finds that Jack is characterized as a happy, imaginative, fearful
and rude boy when he lived in the room. When he is no longer in the room, he
develops into an unhappy, unimaginative, brave and polite boy. He can develop
because of the influence of some factors. The first factor is family. Family
members who influence Jack’s personality development are his mother and
grandma. The second factor is environment. Police Officer and Dr. Clay are
people who influence Jack’s personality development.

x

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ABSTRAK
ETRI SELVIANA. A Study on The Factors that Influence Jack’s Personality
Development on Emma Donoghue’s Room. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris,
Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2013.
Penelitian ini membahas tentang perubahan kepribadian Jack dalam novel
berjudul Room karya Emma Donoghue. Novel ini menceritakan tentang
kehidupan Jack ketika dia berada di dalam dan di luar ruangan. Dia merupakan
tokoh utama dan narator dari novel. Jack disekap dalam ruangan selama lima
tahun tetapi akhirnya dia dapat melarikan diri dari ruangan tersebut. Ketika berada
di dalam ruangan, dia tidak mempunyai kesempatan untuk berinteraksi dengan
orang lain, tetapi ketika berada di luar ruangan dia dapat berinteraksi sehingga
kepribadiannya dapat berkembang. Berdasarkan cerita, perubahan kepribadian
dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor. Oleh karena itu, penulis berkeinginan untuk
menemukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan kepribadian dari tokoh
utama.
Penelitian ini mempunyai dua tujuan. Tujuan yang pertama adalah untuk
mendeskripsikan perubahan kepribadian dari tokoh utama. Lalu, yang kedua
adalah untuk menemukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan
kepribadian tokoh utama.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kepustakaan.
Penulis menggunakan novel berjudul Room karya Emma Donoghue sebagai
sumber yang utama. Beberapa buku tentang teori sastra, teori psikologi dan
sumber lain dari internet digunakan sebagai sumber yang kedua. Pendekatan
psikologi digunakan untuk mendapatkan analisis yang mendalam dalam penelitian
ini.
Penulis menemukan bahwa Jack dikarakteristikkan sebagai anak laki-laki
yang ceria, imajinatif, penakut dan kasar ketika tinggal di dalam ruangan. Ketika
dia sudah tidak lagi tinggal di ruangan, dia berubah menjadi anak yang tidak ceria,
realistik, berani dan sopan. Dia dapat berubah karena adanya pengaruh dari
beberapa faktor. Faktor yang pertama adalah keluarga. Anggota keluarga yang
berpengaruh adalah ibu dan neneknya. Faktor yang kedua adalah lingkungan.
Polisi dan Dr. Clay adalah orang yang mempengaruhi perubahan kepribadian
Jack.

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
There are several kinds of literary works. It is mentioned that there
are four modern literary genres; those are the short story, the novel, the
poem, and the play (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 19). All of those have a
close relation with human life. This is because literary works can represent
someone’s life and it can be the result of human’s interpretation about the
world around him.
A novel is a work of art in so far as it introduces us into a living
world we live in (Van De Laar and Schoonderwoerd, 1963: 163). This
means a novel is not only an art’s product that used to please the readers
but it has other benefits for the readers. Reading novel as one of the
literary works is not only about finishing the whole text, but it is about
what new thing is given by it. One of the elements of the novel is
characters. In the book A New Handbook of Literary Terms, it is stated that
characters come to mean an individual, named personality, in literature or
life (Mikics, 2007: 54). This statement shows that characters can be found
in the real world and also in the fictional world like in the novel. However,
characters in the novel must be credible, that is, the readers must accept
them as believable people (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 20). This means
that even the novel can be fictional but the characters still must be the

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same with human being and it is must be as real as a human. Therefore,
the readers can perceive the story clearly.
Since it is stated that characters must be accepted as believable
people, the characters must be same with human being (Rohrberger and
Woods, 1971: 20). It means that characters must have characteristic that is
called as personality. The term character is used in literature while the
term personality is used in psychological. In the book Personality
Theories, it is stated, “Personality as the dynamic organization within the
individual of those internal psychophysical systems that determine a
person’s characteristic behavior and thought” (Hjelle and Ziegler, 1981:
315). The dynamic organization means that every human develops and
changes constantly, whereas psychophysical means that the element of
body and mind must be considered when it discusses about the personality.
The characteristic of someone’s personality makes him different with
others.
In the reality, every human experiences something new from
everything around them, and feel the development on him. The
development can be on their physical appearances and also in their
personality. Thus, the characters in the story also have to be developed.
They have to develop like the human being. Their physical and their
personality have to develop by the time and by the events they feel. This
development is not only felt by the human being, but character in the story

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also can feel this way. This is because the character in the story can reflect
the human being in the real life.
A novel is a work of fiction. A work of fiction which shows the
interest of thought, feeling or motivation of the character are greater than
the external action of the narrative is called as the psychological novel
(http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/481652/psychologicalnovel). The novel discussed in this study deals with the feeling and
thought of the main character which is greater than other things in the
story.
Room is a novel written by Emma Donoghue. The most interesting
point of this novel is the personality of the main character. The main
character of the novel is a five year old boy, named Jack, who is isolated
in a room with his mother then he can escape from the room. By that time,
his life is changing. Living outside the room being without any isolation is
quite hard for Jack. He has to change his habits and leave everything he
has in the room then starts the new life without thinking about his previous
life in the room.
Jack’s personality is very interesting to be discussed. This is
because he feels the situation which is not felt by others. In the story, he
feels the changing in the environment from in the inside of the room to be
outside the room. Besides, he feels the changing of people around him.
These changing seem affect his personality to develop.

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The changing in personality do not occur of their own accord, and
usually the changing is the result of multiple revision on the thought and
feelings related to the person’s self concept (Hurlock, 1974: 124). It means
that there are other things that might influence someone’s personality to
change or develop. In addition Haber and Runyon state that early social
relationships and the development of the concept of self so much depend
on the environment and the quality of experiences. It means that the
environment gives influence to someone’s personality.
This novel guides the readers to see the personality development of
the main character through the life events that he had experienced. The
personality develops when the main character is no longer in the room. By
this situation, it seems that the personality development is influenced by
some factors around him. In addition, this novel is narrated by a five year
old boy and the reader’s imagination is limited on what the main character
knows. It means that the readers only know what has been known and told
by the main character, Jack.
In

the

end

of

her

review

about

Room,

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/books/review/Benderthtml?pagewanted=al, Bender states, “This is a truly memorable novel,
one that can be read through myriad lenses –psychological, sociological,
political.’ Bender’s statement means that this novel can be analyzed from
several points of view. Since this study is going to know the factors that

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influence the personality development of the main character, the writer
decides to analyze this novel through the psychological point of view.
In the http://www.roomthebook.com/inside/reviews-blurbs/, an
observer states that this novel is not only a story about kidnapping child,
but it is a work as the study personality development. it can be seen in the
quotation, ‘in the hands of this audacious novelist, Jack’s tale is more than
a victim-and-survivor story: it works as a study of child development,
shows the power of language and storytelling,, and is a kind of sustained
poem in praise of motherhood and parental love.’ The quotation above
shows that this novel can be used for the study of personality
development. Therefore the writer decides to choose the personality
development of the main character as the main topic that will be discussed
clearly in this study.
This study focuses on the factors that influence the personality
development of the main character. An approach is needed in order to get
the deep analysis on it, so the writer uses the psychological approach to
analyze this novel. The writer thinks that this novel is worth to be
discussing because this novel shows the changing in someone’s
personality which is influence by several factors. It can give the reader
some useful information about how someone’s personality is developed
and what factors that influence his/her personality development.

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B. Problem Formulation
There are two problems formulation that will be discussed to have
a deep analysis on the personality development of the main character.
1. How does the main character develop?
2. What are the factors that influence the main character’s
personality development?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objective of this study is to answer those two problems above.
The first is to find the personality of the main character, Jack, and how it
develops. After Jack’s personality and the development are understood,
the analysis continues to find the factors that influence his personality
development. Thus, how the factors influence Jack’s personality
development is the goal of this study.
D. Definition of Terms
There are several terms that can cause confusion on this study, the
first

is

factor.

Based

on

http://www.meriam-

webster.com/dictionary/factor, factor means something that helps produce
or influence a result; one of the things that can cause something to happen.
In this study, factors mean some things that make the personality of the
main character can develop. The second is influence. Influence means a
power to affect somebody’s action, character or beliefs, especially
providing an example for them to follow (Hornby, 1994:64). In this study,
influence means the effect which is given by the family and others people

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in his environment. The last is personality development. Allport, in
Hurlock’s

book

Personality

Development,

says

that

personality

development is the development of the organized patterns of behaviors and
attitudes that makes a person different with others. It occurs by the
ongoing interaction of the temperament, characters, and environment. It
determines his or her uniqueness in speech, in relation to people and
things, in mannerism, in fantasy and in the others ways directed towards
the specific goal to adjust to her or his environment.

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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
This study discusses about personality development of the main
character on the novel entitled Room written by Emma Donoghue
published in 2010. This is an interesting novel which is narrated by Jack, a
5 year old boy who is isolated in a room with his mother. The story is the
book is interesting because the main character feels something different
with other boy in his age. He is isolated by the captor who is actually his
father. All of his activities are arranged by his mother and he has no
interaction with other people. However, it does not mean that he will not
be happy with this condition, he feels so happy because of his mother has
arranges everything for him. He never wants to go out from the room and
feel the life outside. This is because he already enjoys everything he does
and everything he has in the room even he has no real friends inside room.
Janet Potter, www.openlettersmonthly.com/unlies-his-mother-told-him/,
reviews how Jack feels about the way his mother raised him in the room
and how his mother encourages him when he does not live in the room
anymore.
After all, Ma raised him to be perfectly happy living with her in a
solitary room, and that’s exactly what he was – perfectly happy. He
never yearned to go outside and make friends and play on a
playground, and now he’s being encouraged, practically forced, to
be grateful for the freedom he was molded to live without.

8

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In her review, Potter emphasizes that this book shows Jack’s personality
development. This quotation shows that Jack is raised by his mother in a
room and he is perfectly happy to do all the activities. Then, when Jack no
longer lives in the room and he is being encouraged for his new life
outside the room.
Jack as the main character in the novel is portrayed as an
extraordinary child who has a lot of friends in his single room. He is very
happy because his mother is always around him and gives him the great
affection. According to Aimee Bender (2010):
Jack seems happily ensconced in a routine that is deeply secure, in
a setting where he can see his mother all day, at any moment. She
has created a structured, lively regimen for him, including exercise,
singing and reading. The main objects in the room are given capital
letters — Rug, Bed, Wall — a wonderful choice, because to Jack,
they are named beings. In a world where the only other companion
is his mother, Bed is his friend as much as anything else. Jack, in
this way, is a heightened version of a regular kid, bringing
boundless wonder and meaning to his every pursuit.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/books/review/Bendert.html?pagewanted=al).
The quotation above shows Jack’s life and the activities that are done by
Jack. From those activities arranged by his mother, Jack learns something
and his personality is developed. Bender shows one of Jack’s
characteristic that is imaginative. The imaginative characteristic is shown
by thinking that everything in the room is beings. He thinks that every
thing in the room is his friend. In her review, Bender emphasizes that this
personality is the effect of isolation in the room that make him doesn’t
have any interaction with others except his mother.

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There are some studies about personality development. The first
study is provided by Murti Hastuti Kintorini. In her thesis The Influences
of Gregor’s Family and Environment toward his Personality Development
in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Kintorini (2004) says that ‘Family
is considered to be the people who determine children’s personality
development, especially during their early years of life.’ She discusses
about the personality development of Gregor, the main character. Gregor
develops because he feels the rude treatment from his father and also get
isolation from his environment. Kintorini’s study related with this study
because both of the studies are discussing about factors influence someone
personality development.
The other study about personality development is provided by
Pricillia Noviani in her thesis entitled The Influence of the Environmental
Factors in Developing Dawn Rochelle’s Personality in Lurlene
Mcdaniel’s To Live Again. In her thesis, she states that Dawn’s personality
can develop because of the environment. Dawn gets influence by her
family and environment through the good relationship, communication,
and interaction between them. Noviani thesis shows that family and
environment can develop Dawn’s personality. The relation between those
two studies above to this study is the topic discussed. Both of them discuss
the factors influence someone’s personality development.
This study finds the factors that influence someone’s personality
development. Those factors are family and environment. However, this

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study finds that is not only environment which influences but also the
changing in environment can influence someone’s personality to develop.
That is why this study is different with those studies about the influence of
family and environment towards someone’s personality development.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
In this part, the writer presents the theory of character and
characterization. The theory of character is used to find how the character
is described in the story and the theory of characterization explains the
way to understand the character.
Characters are the most important part of the story. They do and act
to make the story looks alive. According to Abrams (1981: 20) , character
is the person, in a dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and
dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say –the dialog- and
what they do –the action-. It means that characters in the story are not only
person in the story but they also has human characteristic and also feeling.
They show it by the action they do in the story and what things they say.
In A Handbook to Literature, Holman and Harmon classify the
character into major character and minor character. Major character is the
character that has the most important role in the story. This character
appears very frequently from the beginning until the end of the story and
becomes the focus of the story. Minor character is the character that less

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important than the major one. This character does not always appear in the
story.
Character also can be classified as static and dynamic character.
The static character is the character that does not change at all. This
character stays the same person from the beginning until the end of the
story. The dynamic character is the character that is capable to change. The
change may be large or a small one, positive or negative, but it is
something significant and basic, not some minor change of habit or
opinion (Arp and Johnson, 2009: 164-165).
Characterization is the way the author describes the character.
Murphy (1972: 161-173) describes that there are nine ways to make the
character understandable.
a) Personal Description
The author describes a person by his/her appearance such as the color
of the skin, hair, or face and also the clothes he/she wears in the story.
b) Characters as seen by another
The author describes the character through the eyes and opinion of
another. The reader gets, as it were, a reflected image.
c) Speech
The author portrays the character through the way he/she speaks.
Whenever the character communicates with other, the author gives the
readers clue to the character.

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d) Past Life
The author lets the reader to learn something about the character’s
past life so the reader can know the past events that helped to shape
the a person’s character. The author can give direct comments through
the character’s thoughts, conversation or the medium of another
person.
e) Conversation of others
The reader gets the clue of the character by the conversation spoken. It
can be from the things he/she speaks about or the way he/she speaks.
f) Reactions
The readers can see the character by the reaction of person towards a
situation or even in the story.
g) Direct Comment
The author can give the comments about the character directly.
h) Thoughts
The author gives the clue about the character through his/her way of
thinking.
i) Mannerism
The author gives us the clue about the character through his/her
mannerism, habits or idiosyncrasies.
This study focuses on the development of the main character. The
writer mentions the nine ways of characterization to analyze the main
character. However, the writer only uses several ways to analyze the main

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character. This is because the author only describes the main character
with several ways. Therefore, when the author doesn’t use all the ways,
the writer also can’t analyze the character with the nine ways of
characterization. However, the character still can be analyzed deeply even
though it only uses the several ways.
2. The Relation between Literature and Psychology
Since it is stated that characters must be accepted as believable
person (Rohrberger, 1965: 7), thus they can be analyzed through the
perspective of psychology. In the book Introduction to Fiction, it is stated
that literature is the unique imitation of life. This means that what is
written in the literature can be the representation of the human life
(Stanton, 1965: 7). Then, the general meaning of the psychology is the
study of human. The study of human can be related to literature. Since the
character of the story can represent human, they can be studied through the
psychology field.
Guerin in the book A Handbook of Critical Approaches to
Literature emphasizes that literature and psychology is related each other.
The psychological theory often used as an interpretive tool by modern
critic (Guerin, 1979: 201). Therefore, the psychological theory can be used
to get a deep analysis on this study.
3. Theory on Personality Development
In this part, the writer mentions the theory of personality development.
It is used to analyze the main character’s personality development or

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changing. As it said by Hurlock, in the book Personality Development,
that the change of personality does not occur of their own accord,
therefore the writer also mentions the theory of factor that might influence
someone’s personality development.
In his book Personality Searching for the Sources of Human Behavior,
William states, ‘Personality is the distinctive patterns of behavior
(including thoughts and emotions) that characterize each individual’s
adaptation to the situation of his or her life (1981: 146).’ This means that
each individual adapts the situation in his/her life differently. Their
behavior and their way of thinking for each individual are not the same.
Some people with their kind of personality can be called as
extroversion or introversion. Extroversion was typically defined as a
“turning outward of the mind” onto people and objects in the external
world, while introversion as “inner directedness” and a preference of
abstract ideas rather than the concrete objects (Harvey and Exner, 1978:
217). It means that extroverted person is not only thinking about himself
but also about others, while introverted person only thinks about himself.
In the book Dimensions of Personality, it is stated that there are two kinds
of extroversion and introversion. Each of them has its own characteristics,
those are:
i.

Unstable extroversion : touchy, restless, aggressive, excitable,
changeable, impulsive, optimistic, active.

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ii.

Stable extroversion : sociable, outgoing, talkactive, responsive,
easygoing, lively, carefree, leadership.

iii.

Unstable introversion : moody, anxious, rigid, sober, pessimistic,
reserved, unsociable, quiet.

iv.

Stable introversion : passive, careful, thoughful, peaceful,
controlled, reliable, even-tempered, calm.

This kind of personality is used to show what kind of personality that is
possessed by the main character.
When someone’s personality is affected by some factors, the
personality might changes or develops. One of the factors can be the
interaction with another people. At the first time human was born, the first
interaction they have is the interaction with the family. This makes the
family as the most significant part to influence someone’s personality. In
the book Personality Development, it is stated that there is a relationship
between the family, especially mother, and the new born child,:
Early social self-concepts or “mirror images’ develop in the home.
Because the child’s relationship with the mother is the first
significant relationship in his life, what the mother thinks of the
child, how she treats him, and how he interprets her treatment of
him- all have profound influence on how he thinks of himself.
( Hurlock, 1974: 26)
This quotation emphasizes that the early relationship experienced by a
child is in the family and the way the family treats him influence his
personality such as his behavior and also his way of thinking. Besides, the
habit of the family also has big role for the child self-concepts, so the
family has a very big role for shaping the child’s way of thinking.

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Theory on personality development is used to know the personality
of the person. In her book Personality Development, Hurlock states that
human life consists of two aspects, which are individual and social aspect.
The individual aspect concerns with physical changes and human’s
personality development. Human personality development is influenced by
two factors; the family and the environment. Humans were born for the
very first time as children who live in a family. Family is the first place
where children get a new experience. The same with what Hurlock says
that children get their early experiences in the family, children acquire
their attitudes, values, and patterns of social behavior from the experiences
they had in the family. Hurlock states that the environment can give
influence to someone’s personality. The forms into which the hereditary
potentials will develop will depend largely on the significant people in the
individual’s environmental (Hurlock, 1974: 16).
In her book, Hurlock says that the development of the character
can be the changes of the character. She classifies the changes into three
categories (1974: 120).
i.

Better versus worse
This change depends on the situation of someone’s life.

“Personality changes for the better or for the worse reflect the kind of life
adjustment that the individual is making at the time (1974:120). It means
that if someone could adjust and accept himself in life situation he can

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change his personality into better changes. On the other hand, his
personality is going to be worse if he could not adjust his life situation.
ii.

Qualitative versus quantitative
In her book, Hurlock states:
This means that qualitative changes, either the complete
replacement of a desirable trait by an undesirable one or vice versa,
do not normally occur even in the early years of life. For the most
part, changes are quantitative: Characteristics already present are
reinforced, strengthened, or weakened (1974: 121).

From the quotation, it can be inferred that the quantitative changes of
someone’s personality can be strengthened or weakened. Hurlock gives
the example of a person who is shy, self-conscious in social situation may
be less in the presence of the intimate friends than in the presence of
strangers or those whom he regards as his superiors. However, his
behavior is consistent. While the qualitative changes mean someone’s
personality changes very radically because of some factors. It means that
the previous characteristic is replaced with the new characteristics.
iii.

Slowly versus rapidly
Hurlock stresses that personality changes are slow and gradual.

This is because the changes involves the transgression of the previous
habit and processes the new habit to replace the previous one. It means
that a person needs time to process changing or development of his/her
personality, so the changing of the personality can’t take place overnight.
In her other book, Child Development, Hurlock also explains that
someone’s personality can be the acquisition of the new features,:

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Some physical and mental features develop from maturation and
some develop from learning. New physical features include second
teeth and primary and secondary sex characteristics; new mental
features include the sex urge, moral standards, and religious beliefs
(Hurlock, 1965: 14).
Hurlock emphasizes that someone’s development can be caused by his/her
maturation and the learning process. The things that can be included in this
development are the sex urge, the moral standard and his/her belief
through the religious things. Those things are the acquisitions of the new
features for his/her personality. It means that in the development of the
personality, those things might appear as the result of the learning process.
According to Hurlock, the changing in the personality does not
occur of theirs own accord. Usually it is the result of the multiple
revisions in the thought and feeling related to the person’s self-concept.
Someone’s personality can be developed when he/she is influenced by
several factors. The factors can be the condition surrounds his life. There
are the important conditions that influence someone’s personality
development (1974:124-130):
i.

Physical Changes
Physical changes may come from maturation, illness, disturbances,

injuries, or some other condition resulting from the person’s life pattern
but unrelated to the normal changes in the body structure. The influence
on someone’s depends on how the change in physical is.

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ii.

Changes in Environment
The changes in either the physical or social environment may

affect the personality to develop. However, the changing or development
of the personality depends on how well the person accepts the new
environment and how does the environment fulfill his/her needs.
iii.

Changes in Significant People
When the significant people in the individual’s life changes and

when he tries to adapt his pattern of behavior and his attitudes, beliefs,
values and aspirations to theirs, changes in his personality pattern are
inevitable. The extent of the changes in personality depends on how much
their attitudes, values and so on differ from those of the individual.
iv.

Changes in Social Pressures
Strong social pressures to conform to a socially approved

personality pattern thus encourage changes in certain aspects of
personality. Traits which are likely to lead to social rejection such as
shyness, bossiness, aggressiveness, and greed are more subject to change
than those which are usually admired, such as affection, ambition,
cooperativeness, and generosity.
v.

Changes in Roles
Role changes result in status within a group. Roles may change

because change in an age, economic conditions, or affiliation within a
new group.

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vi.

Strong Motivation
Changes in someone’s personality can be the result of the strong

motivation to improve his/her personality pattern. Children and young
adolescent with a strong motivation to shed their dependence then
become independent and can improve their personality.
vii.

Changes in Self-Concept
Self-Concept is the core of the personality pattern and determines

the kind of adjustment the person will make. A change in the self-concept
will bring about a change in the entire personality pattern.
viii. Psychotherapy
Even though a person is strongly motivated, he may require
professional help in changing his self-concept, learning to think of
himself in a new way, and breaking the destructive habits. Psychotherapy
is based on the assumption that a poorly adjusted person can make better
adjustments if he is helped to develop a more favorable self-concept.
Even though Hurlock mentions eight conditions that may influence
someone’s personality pattern but this study does not use all of them.
Some of the conditions are used because it can be applied for the study.
This is because there are only some conditions that affect the main
character’s personality development. Those conditions are changes in
environmental, changes in significant people, and strong motivation.
In addition, Kalish (1973: 205) states that parents and other
significant figures may give the big influence on the formation of values

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and attitudes toward children. This is because parents have authority in
estimating the children’s attitudes, parents provide models that their
children consciously or unconsciously copy, and parents have live in
such way that the children internalize their values regarding education,
God, humanity, and work. It is also stated, ’later in life other people also
become important, but the parents are the most influential figures in the
first few years and they usually remain so ( Kalish, 1973: 205).
C. Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework contains some theories that are used to
find out the answer of problems formulation. Abrams’s theory is used to
define the character of Jack in the novel. However, Abrams’s theory is not
the only theory used, Murphy’s theory also used to see Jack’s personality
by the way Emma Donoghue characterize Jack.
In order to see Jack’s personality development, some psychological
theories are used. Theory of personality development and the conditions
that are responsible for the changes in personality which are proposed by
Hurlock is used to see the factors that influenced personality development
and how it develops. Furthermore there are still others references that are
used. The writer also uses the book written by Richard A. Kalish The
Psychology of Human Behavior to see the influence of family toward
Jack’s personality development. In addition, the book Child Development
by Elizabeth Hurlock is used to see the development of Jack’s personality.

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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a novel written by Emma Donoghue,
entitled Room. It consists of 5 chapters and 361 pages. This book was
published in 2010 by Back Bay Books Company. This book was listed for
New York Times bestseller (Fiction, 2010), Booker Prize shortlist (2010),
Rogers Writer’s Trust Fiction Prize (2010), Indigo Books Heather’s Pick
(2010), Governor General’s Awards shortlist (2010), Commonwealth
Writer’s Prize (Canada and the Caribbean, 2011),International IMPAC
Dublin Literary Award nomination (2012). The writer of this novel was
born in Dublin, Ireland in October 1969. She has written ten novels and
several short stories. Most of her novels are nominated for the reputable
awards.
This novel tells about a five year old boy who has been isolated in a
single room since he was born. He lived and had communication only with
his mother and they had no chance to go out the room. His mother was the
victim of kidnapping and raping, and the captor, Jack’s father, provided all
their needs in the room such as food, television and books. For Jack, r