The influence of society toward Maria's character development seen in Paulo Coelho's eleven minutes.

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ABSTRACT
YUNI KURNIANINGSIH. The Influence of the Society toward Maria’s
Character Development Seen in Coelho’s Eleven Minutes. Yogyakarta:
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University,
Yogyakarta, 2013.
This thesis analyzes Paulo Coelho’s novel entitled Eleven Minutes. The writer
discusses the character development of Maria, the main character in the novel. Maria
experiences the character changing because of the influence of the society.
In this thesis, there are three problem formulations. The first problem is the
character of Maria as the main character in the novel. The second is the description of
the societies. The last is the influence of the society toward Maria’s character
development.
This study uses library research to gain the data. The primary data of this
research is Paulo Coelho’s novel entitled Eleven Minutes. The other references are the

previous study about this novel and also some theories of character and
characterization, theory of society, and theory of character development. This thesis
uses formalistic approach to analyze the character of Maria, the society, and the
influence of the society toward the character.
The study finds the influence of the society toward Maria’s character
development. Firstly, the writer finds Maria’s character is innocent and highly
motivated that has an unrealistic dream. Maria does not believe in true love because
of her failure in relationship. Her humdrum life in her hometown also becomes the
reason why she desires to leave her town to another place. After finishing her school
she gets the opportunity to work in another country, she eagerly accepts it. In the
other society which is very different from Brazil, Maria gets some experiences in
another country so that at the end it causes character development toward Maria. The
last, the writer finds out that the societies in Switzerland give a significant influence
toward the individual. Indirectly, the society in Switzerland gives a contribution in
shaping the character ’s personality. The main character becomes more mature. From
her meeting with Ralf Hart, Maria also believes in true love. Another development is
that Maria becomes more realistic. After passing her experience to reach happiness,
she finds that happiness is exactly in her hometown.

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ABSTRAK
YUNI KURNIANINGSIH. The Influence of the Society toward Maria’s
Character Development Seen in Coelho’s Eleven Minutes. Yogyakarta: Jurusan
Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2013.
Skripsi ini membahas Novel karya Paulo Coelho yang berjudul Eleven
Minutes. Penulis mendiskusikan perkembangan karakter Maria sebagai tokoh utama
dalam novel. Maria mengalami perubahan watak yang disebabkan oleh pengaruh
lingkungan sosial.
Dalam studi ini terdapat tiga rumusan masalah. Permasalahan pertama
membahas perwatakan Maria sebagai tokoh utama dalam novel tersebut. Kedua
adalah diskripsi mengenai lingkungan sosial. Terakhir mengenai pengaruh
lingkungan sosial terhadap pekembangan karaker terhadap tokoh dalam cerita

tersebut.
Studi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka untuk mendapatkan data-data
yang diperlukan. Data utamanya adalah novel karya Paulo Coelho yang berjudul
Eleven Minutes. Referensi-referesi lainnya adalah studi yang telah ada sebelumnya
mengenai novel tersebut. Selain itu, penulis juga menggunakan referensi tentang
teori perwatakan, lingkungan sosial, dan perkembangan karakter. Dalam skripsi ini,
penulis menggunakan pendekatan formalis untuk menganalisa karakter, lingkungan
sosial, dan perkembangan kerakternya.
Studi ini menemukan perngaruh lingkungan terhadap perkembangan karakter
seseorang. Pertama, penulis menemukan karakteristik Maria adalah lugu dan
ambisius dengan keinginan yang tidak realistis. Kegagalannya dalam menjalin
hubungan asmara dengan beberapa teman laki-lakinya juga membuat dia tidak
percaya akan cinta sejati. Karena kehidupan yang membosankan di kotanya, dia
berkeinginan untuk pergi ke kota lain. Setelah menyelesaikan sekolahnya, dia
mendapatkan kesempatan untuk bekerja di luar negeri, dan dia pun menerimanya. Di
lingkunan sosial yang sangat berbeda dari Brazil, Maria mendapatkan banyak
pengalaman sehingga pada akhirnya lingkungan sosialnya itulah yang menjadi
faktor utama perkembangan karakter. Dengan demikian, penulis menemukan bahwa
lingkunan sosial di Switzerland memberi pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap
seseorang. Secara tidak langsung, lingkungan sosial di Switzerland berkontribusi

dalam pembentukan watak seseorang. Maria sebagai tokoh utama berubah menjadi
lebih dewasa. Dari pertemuannya dengan Ralf Hart, Maria menjadi percaya pada
cinta sejati. Perkembangan yang lain adalah Maria menjadi lebih realistis. Setelah
melewati pengalaman-pengalaman tersebut, dia menemukan kebahagiaan yang
sesungguhnya ada di kota asalnya, Brazil.

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THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIETY TOWARD MARIA’S
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT SEEN IN PAULO COELHO’S
ELEVEN MINUTES
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

BY
YUNI KURNIANINGSIH
Student Number: 094214086

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

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THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIETY TOWARD MARIA’S
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT SEEN IN PAULO COELHO’S
ELEVEN MINUTES
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

BY
YUNI KURNIANINGSIH
Student Number: 094214086

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILIMAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Santa
Dharma:
Nama : Yuni Kurnianingsih
NIM
Demi

: 094214086
pengembangan

ilmu

pengetahuan,

saya

memberikan

kepada

perpusatakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya tang berjudul:
The Influence of the Society toward Maria’s Character Development
Seen in Paulo Coelho’s Eleven Minutes
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan. Demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media
lain, mengelola dalam bentuk pangkalan data, medistribusikan secara terbatas, dan
mempublikasikan di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu
meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tercantum
nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 13 November 2013
Yang menyatakan,

Yuni Kurnianingsih

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been previously
submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that, to the best of
my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously written by
any other person except where due reference is made in the text of the undergraduate
thesis.

Yogyakarta, November 13, 2013

Yuni Kurnianingsih

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"No one can hit their target with their eyes closed."
(Paulo Coelho)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Alhamdulillah. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to
God for giving me His Grace during the process of finishing this thesis because
without His blessing, I would not be able to finish this thesis.
I would like to express my gratitude to Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S, M. Hum for
being my thesis advisor. I thank her for guiding me patiently during writing this thesis.
I also would like to say thanks to P. Sarwoto, S.S., M.A., Ph.D. for being my coadvisor of this thesis who has read and given a lot of corrections to make this thesis
better. I do not forget to thank to Dra. B. Ria Lestari, M. S. for being my academic
advisor. I would also thank to lecturer and staff of English Letters for the best
education and service during my study.
I dedicated this thesis for my family; my beloved mother, Mujiati my father,
Suyanto my grandparents, Bapak/ibu Temu Raharjo and also my little brothers,
Mohamad Andika Dwi Pradana and Ragil Rudi Satria for their prayer. I thank
them for being my supporters. They will always be the best family in my life.
My gratitude also goes to my friends: English Literature “09’ers”, my
boarding house friends “Beo 43” and “Panuluh 71”. I thank them for cheering me up
when I’m down. I also would like to express my gratitude for Ardi Hariyadi, S.Sn. I
thank him for being my best friend in Yogyakarta and for the precious relationship.
No words can perfectly represent my gratefulness for having them in my life.
Yuni Kurnianingsih

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………...
APPROVAL PAGE ………………………………………………………
ACCEPTION PAGE …………………………………………………..….
LEMBAR PENYATAAN PERSTUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA
ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS ………………………..
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ……………………………………….
MOTTO PAGE ……………………………………………………………
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………
TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………
ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………….
ABSTRAK …………………………………………………………………

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

1
3
3
4

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies …………………………………………
B. Review of Related Theories ………………………………………..
1. Theory on Character and Characterization ……………………..
2. Literature and Society ………………………………………….
3. Character Development …………………………………….…..
C. Theoretical Framework …………………………………………….

6
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8
13
14
15

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

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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
A. The Character of Maria …………………………………………….
B. The Description of the Society in the Novel ……………………….
1. The Description of the Society in Brazil ……………………….
2. The Description of the Society in Switzerland …………………
C. How the Society Influence Maria’s Character Development ………

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28
32
35

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION ……………………………………………
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………
APPEDIX ………………………………………………………………….

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ABSTRACT
YUNI KURNIANINGSIH. The Influence of the Society toward Maria’s
Character Development Seen in Coelho’s Eleven Minutes. Yogyakarta:
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University,
Yogyakarta, 2013.
This thesis analyzes Paulo Coelho’s novel entitled Eleven Minutes. The writer
discusses the character development of Maria, the main character in the novel. Maria
experiences the character changing because of the influence of the society.
In this thesis, there are three problem formulations. The first problem is the
character of Maria as the main character in the novel. The second is the description of
the societies. The last is the influence of the society toward Maria’s character
development.
This study uses library research to gain the data. The primary data of this
research is Paulo Coelho’s novel entitled Eleven Minutes. The other references are the
previous study about this novel and also some theories of character and
characterization, theory of society, and theory of character development. This thesis
uses formalistic approach to analyze the character of Maria, the society, and the
influence of the society toward the character.
The study finds the influence of the society toward Maria’s character
development. Firstly, the writer finds Maria’s character is innocent and highly
motivated that has an unrealistic dream. Maria does not believe in true love because
of her failure in relationship. Her humdrum life in her hometown also becomes the
reason why she desires to leave her town to another place. After finishing her school
she gets the opportunity to work in another country, she eagerly accepts it. In the
other society which is very different from Brazil, Maria gets some experiences in
another country so that at the end it causes character development toward Maria. The
last, the writer finds out that the societies in Switzerland give a significant influence
toward the individual. Indirectly, the society in Switzerland gives a contribution in
shaping the character ’s personality. The main character becomes more mature. From
her meeting with Ralf Hart, Maria also believes in true love. Another development is
that Maria becomes more realistic. After passing her experience to reach happiness,
she finds that happiness is exactly in her hometown.

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ABSTRAK
YUNI KURNIANINGSIH. The Influence of the Society toward Maria’s
Character Development Seen in Coelho’s Eleven Minutes. Yogyakarta: Jurusan
Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2013.
Skripsi ini membahas Novel karya Paulo Coelho yang berjudul Eleven
Minutes. Penulis mendiskusikan perkembangan karakter Maria sebagai tokoh utama
dalam novel. Maria mengalami perubahan watak yang disebabkan oleh pengaruh
lingkungan sosial.
Dalam studi ini terdapat tiga rumusan masalah. Permasalahan pertama
membahas perwatakan Maria sebagai tokoh utama dalam novel tersebut. Kedua
adalah diskripsi mengenai lingkungan sosial. Terakhir mengenai pengaruh
lingkungan sosial terhadap pekembangan karaker terhadap tokoh dalam cerita
tersebut.
Studi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka untuk mendapatkan data-data
yang diperlukan. Data utamanya adalah novel karya Paulo Coelho yang berjudul
Eleven Minutes. Referensi-referesi lainnya adalah studi yang telah ada sebelumnya
mengenai novel tersebut. Selain itu, penulis juga menggunakan referensi tentang
teori perwatakan, lingkungan sosial, dan perkembangan karakter. Dalam skripsi ini,
penulis menggunakan pendekatan formalis untuk menganalisa karakter, lingkungan
sosial, dan perkembangan kerakternya.
Studi ini menemukan perngaruh lingkungan terhadap perkembangan karakter
seseorang. Pertama, penulis menemukan karakteristik Maria adalah lugu dan
ambisius dengan keinginan yang tidak realistis. Kegagalannya dalam menjalin
hubungan asmara dengan beberapa teman laki-lakinya juga membuat dia tidak
percaya akan cinta sejati. Karena kehidupan yang membosankan di kotanya, dia
berkeinginan untuk pergi ke kota lain. Setelah menyelesaikan sekolahnya, dia
mendapatkan kesempatan untuk bekerja di luar negeri, dan dia pun menerimanya. Di
lingkunan sosial yang sangat berbeda dari Brazil, Maria mendapatkan banyak
pengalaman sehingga pada akhirnya lingkungan sosialnya itulah yang menjadi
faktor utama perkembangan karakter. Dengan demikian, penulis menemukan bahwa
lingkunan sosial di Switzerland memberi pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap
seseorang. Secara tidak langsung, lingkungan sosial di Switzerland berkontribusi
dalam pembentukan watak seseorang. Maria sebagai tokoh utama berubah menjadi
lebih dewasa. Dari pertemuannya dengan Ralf Hart, Maria menjadi percaya pada
cinta sejati. Perkembangan yang lain adalah Maria menjadi lebih realistis. Setelah
melewati pengalaman-pengalaman tersebut, dia menemukan kebahagiaan yang
sesungguhnya ada di kota asalnya, Brazil.

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of four sub chapters. First is the background of the study
which explains about the description of the topic and the reason why the topic is
chosen and worth studying. Second is how the problem is formulated, which presents
in the form of questions. Third is objective of the study based on the order of the
problem formulation. The last is definition of terms which explain the key terms
mentioned in the title.
A. Background of the Study
Work of literature is the representation of human life. Therefore, by reading
the novel, readers may be brought to a thought about the moral value that the story
tries to deliver. The readers also can learn the knowledge from the story. This is the
result of understanding the story since the story in the novel is the representation of
reality. The author of the novel tries to expose what happen in the real life to the
readers.
The author writes a novel, drama, a poem by using the intrinsic and extrinsic
elements in the work of literature. The goal is to make the works become systematic
and structured. A work of literature gives inspiration to the reader because it reflects
many aspects of life. Character is one of the intrinsic elements in every work of
literature. An author has a certain way of drawing the character in order to build a
story. According to M.J Murphy (1972:161), the author attempt to make the character

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for example using personal description, character as seen by another, description
through the eyes or opinions of another, past life and so on.
A work of literature may have conflicts like what may also happen in human real
life. Like in a novel, it may illustrate a character that has a life journey. The problems
of life which face the characters are different. Human being was created also different
in order to complete each other. Everyone has their own characteristic even though
they are twins. Even twins, they still have something that makes them look different.
The differences influence one's way of thinking. As the result they have different
perspective and point of view. A person was not born with a certain characteristic, but
they grew and developed by the time. We were born and had the process of
development of character. People have their way of thinking based on their
experience. They get their experience from family, friends, and societies.
One's characteristic can develop because of the personal experience for example
from the interaction with other people or with the society. How the society influence
to the character development is illustrated in this novel. Therefore it leads the
researcher to see deeper on the changing of the character. That is what Paulo Coelho
tries to deliver to the readers. He shows the changes of the personality from one
society to another society. Therefore, by reading the novel, readers can see the
process of the development of the character.
Paolo Coelho's Eleven Minutes is a story about a girl named Maria who lives
in a country side of Brazil. Paulo Coelho shows the character of Maria with the

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character that has a good appearance. He focuses on the character of Maria and her
journey of life. Since Maria has a high ambition to be an actress, she gets as many
experiences as possible by moving to some places which she thinks may make her
dreams come true. As the result, it causes the changing toward Maria's character. The
society in her life shows that human being’s character can be influenced by the
condition and the people around her.
How the influence of the society toward the character development of Maria from
the perspective of Paulo Coelho interests the writer to make it as a research. Related
to this study, the writer of this thesis uses formalist criticism approach. This novel is
suitable example for this research because in Eleven Minutes Coelho presents about
characteristic of Maria and the development of her character.
B. Problem Formulations
Based on the background of the study, the writer presents three problem
formulations as follows:
1. How is Maria's character in Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes described?
2. How are the two societies in which Maria lives described?
3. How do those societies influence Maria's character development?
C. Objective of the Study
Based on the problem formulation above, this research has three objectives.
First, the writer wants to analyze the character of Maria who is the main character. It
aims to analyze the character more deeply. Second, the writer wants to analyze the

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two different societies as presented in the novel. Third, the writer wants to find out
how the societies influence Maria's character development.
D. Definition of Terms
In this part there are some definitions of the term to avoid the misunderstanding.
The writer provides three basic terms based on the title and the problem formulations.
1. Character
According to M.H Abrams in his book stated that characters are the persons
presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by 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. (Abrams 1993:23).
2. Society
Society is a particular community of people who share the same customs, laws,
etc. The action of a novel, the plot, must take place somewhere and at some time
(Laar and Schoonderwoerd, 1963: 172).
The background against which action takes place; the geographical location, its
topography, scenery, and such physical arrangements as the location of the windows
and doors in a room (Harmon, Holman 2009: 508).
According to Elizabeth Langland in Society in the Novel In the past, definitions
of society that explicitly or implicitly see society as always as an imitation of an
outside word have tended to obscure the formal variety of social presentations in
novels” (Langland 1984: 4).

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3. Character Development
According to Barbara H Lemme in Development in Adulthood, development is
defined as systematic changes in behavior over time that result from interaction
between the individual and the external environment (Lemme, 1995:8). Moreover,
E.M Forster in An Introduction to Fiction states that character development is the
changing of the character from the beginning until the end of the story. A character is
developed if she or he experiences a change are some aspect of disposition,
personality, or outlook. He is not the same person as he was at the beginning of the
story. He changes into a new character. The changing depends on the condition and
experiences as it is in the story (Foster, 1974: 54).

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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
This chapter consists of three sub-chapters. First is review of related studies. It
shows the readers about some researches of Eleven Minutes previously. Second is
review related theories. It shows the readers about the theories which are used to
analyze the problem formulations. The last is theoretical framework which shows the
readers about the use of the theories.
A. Review of Related Studies
In analyzing the topic, the writer of this thesis looks for some studies related to
the book. It aims to help the writer in developing the idea. Those studies are very
important to get some information about this book.
Some researchers about this novel have been done before. The first has been
done by Chatarina Setyastuti Wiedaninggar entitled An Analysis of Maria's Struggle
for a Better Life as Seen in Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes. The second is done by
Risa Pareka Y entitled Motivation of the Main Character in Becoming A Prostitute: A
Comparative Study of Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes and Nawal El Sadawi's Woman
at Point Zero. The third is studied by Anastasya Triyuni Anggraeni entitled The
Influence of Ralf Hart's Character toward Maria's Character Development as Seen in
Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes.

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The first researcher in her undergraduate thesis, Widaninggar use the novel
Eleven Minutes as the object of her study. She focused on the major character
struggle for a better life. Wiedaninggar says:
Eleven Minutes is very interesting novel to read. It portrays the life of Maria,
an innocent girl who turns to be a high class-prostitute. We can get many
values from Maria (Wiedaninggar, 2008:58).
Eleven Minutes portrays of a real life telling somebody's journey of life.
Widaninggar finds that that this novel inspires the readers and is full of moral values.
We can take it as the lesson from life. This is also the reason why this novel becomes
a best seller novel. People might interest in the positive side of the story since it tells
about a prostitute.
The second analysis which is done by Risa Pareka Y has similarity with what is
done by the previous researcher. She compares the two different novels with the same
context that is Motivation of the Main Character in Becoming A Prostitute: A
Comparative Study of Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes and Nawal El Sadawi's Woman
at Point Zero. This research tried to look for the similarities of the two different
novels with the different background of the society because basically the two novels
came from the different society too.
The third research is different from the first two studies; Anastasya Triyuni
Anggraeni tried to find out the influence of the minor character (Ralf Hart) toward the
main character development. In her undergraduate thesis entitled The Influence of

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Ralf Hart's Character toward Maria's Character Development as Seen in Paulo
Coelho's Eleven Minutes, she analyzed the role of the minor character toward Maria’s
character development.
The difference between this study and the previous studies is this study is going
to analyze the influence of society toward the main character development. This study
is going to see deeper how the character can be developed by the society where she
lived.
B. Review of Related Theories
To answer the problem formulations stated previously, the writer uses some
theories as follows.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Character in a novel is created by the author as the focus of the story. E.M
Forster in his book Aspects of the Novel (1974: 30) said that the characters in a novel
are usually human. Although in some novels, the characters are animals, but they are
pretend to be human. Therefore, the author uses the characteristic like human.
According to Forster (1974: 46-48), there are two kinds of character, flat character
and round character. The flat character can be expressed in one sentence. The
character does not use the actual phrase to show what kind of person he/she is.
However the sentence is already described his/her character. The advantage of flat
characters can be felt by the reader. They can be recognized by the reader’s emotional

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eyes whenever they come in. Therefore, the readers they are easily remembered by
the reader afterward. On the contrary, the round character cannot be summed up in a
single phrase. Meaning to say, round characters are described in a more complete way.
The other definition of the character is explained by M.H. Abrams in his book A
Glossary of Literary Terms, explained that the feelings and experiences of the
character in a work of literature is shown by the author in his/her work of literature.
This will help the reader to understand each character from conversations and
behaviors. Abrams states:
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are
interpreted by 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 (Abrams, 1993: 23).
According to M.H Abrams in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms, the readers can
analyze the characteristic of a person that is presented in a work of literature from the
dialogue and the action. From the interaction of one character to other character also
determines what kind of person he or she is. Therefore, the authors make the dialogue
or the action show the attitude of the character itself. What the character says and
expresses in a dialogue may shows his/her attitude. Robert Stanton also emphasizes
that the most important evidence of all is the character’s own dialogue and behavior
(Stanton, 1965:18). Every dialogue, speech, and action is not only a sequence of the
story, but also a manifestation of the character.

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X.J Kennedy and Dana Giola also explain in their book An Introduction to
Fiction, Poetry, and Drama about character in a story:
A character is presumably an imagined person who inhabits a story although
that simple definition may admit a few expectations. But usually in the main
characters of a story, human personalities become familiar to us. If the story
seems “true of life” we generally find that its characters acts in reasonably
consistent manner, and that the author provided them with motivation
(1998:60).
Those lines can answer the question whether the people in a story and in the real
world are similar or not. According to Kennedy, those are different. People in the real
world are different from the character described in the novel. The author just makes
them similar by providing the characters with motivation.
Robert Stanton explains in his book An Introduction to Fiction the term
“character” is commonly used in two ways: it designates the individuals who appear
in the story, as in “How many character are there?” and it refers to the mixture of
interests, desires, emotions, and moral principles that make up each of these
individuals, as in “How would you describe his character?” (1965:17). In a novel,
characters are divided into two; major character and minor character. The central
character refers to the main character because the author puts the main focus in the
major character. The author’s idea usually can be found trough the major character. It
is relevant to every event in the story; usually the events cause some changes either in
him or in our attitude toward him. The minor character is the character that has a
limited function in the story. The minor character can be their friends or enemies. The

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presence of the minor character is to improve the story in order to influence the major
character. Therefore, at the end of the story, the characteristic of the main character
should have changed.
Hugh Holman and William Harmon in A Handbook of Literature (1986:95),
characterization is the creation of imaginary person so that the characters in the novel
seem lifelike. According to Holman and Harmon, there are three basic techniques of
characterization. First, the author explicitly explains the character through the narrator,
second the character’s presentation in action with little or no explicit comment by the
author, and third the presentation with within the character without the author’s
comment on the character.
Characterization also has an important role in a story. Characterization is how the
author characterizes the character. According to C Hugh Holman and William
Harmon (1986:81), characterization is the creation of imagery person so that they
exist for the reader as life. M.J Murphy (1972: 161-173) in Understanding Unseens:
an Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Student states
that the author has some ways in determining the characters of the novel.
a.

Personal Description
“The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes” (1972:161). The

author portrays the character by describing how the person looks like: her build, her
skin, her hair, her hands, and so on.

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b. Character as seen by another
“The author describes her through the eyes and opinions of another, instead of
describing a character directly. The readers can get, as it were, a reflected image”
(1972:162). The readers may examine the character from the other character’s point
of view about the main character.
c.

Speech
“The author gives the readers an insight into the character of one of the person in

the book trough what that person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever she is in
a conversation with another, whenever she puts forward an opinion, she is giving us
clues to her character” (1972:164). What the character says in the novel is one of the
author’s ways to show what kind of reason he or she is.
d. Past life
By letting the readers learn something about a person’s past life, the author gives
the readers a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character. This can
be done by direct comment by the author, though the person thoughts through her
conversation or through the medium of another person.
e.

Conversation of other
The author also gives the readers clue to a person’s characters through the

conversation of other people or the things that they say about her. People talk about

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other people and the things they say often give the readers a clue to the character of
the person spoken about.
f.

Reaction
The author also gives the readers clue to a person’s character by letting them

know how that person reacts to various situations and events.
g. Direct comment
The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.
h. Thought
The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about.
i.

Mannerisms
The author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies which

may also tell us something about his character.
2.

Literature and Society
Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction says that setting of a story is the

environment which events take place, or the immediate world in which they occur
(Stanton, 1965:18). Moreover, in the literary work, setting has a role as a background
of the story, whether it is time, place, or social setting. The setting of the novel is the
background against which the characters live out their live (Murphy, 1972:141).
Moreover, Murphy states that setting becomes the background of the story which

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affect for the characteristic, the actions, and the way of thinking of the character. The
setting of place is related the place in which the character lives. If the society changed,
the personalities, actions, and the way of thinking of the character will be different. If
the society is A, the characteristic of the characters will be more or less A because of
the influence of the society around the characters.
Another theory of setting is also stated by Hugh Holman and William Harmon.
Setting is the physical and sometimes spiritual background against which the action
of a narrative (novel, drama, short story, poem) take place. The elements of s setting
are: (1) the actual geographical locations, its topography, scenery, and such physical
arrangement as the location of the windows and doors in a room; (2) the occupations
and daily manner of living of the character; (3) the time on period in which the action
take place, for example epoch in history or season of year; (4) the general
environment of the characters, for example, religious, mental, moral, social, and
emotion al condition through which the people in the narrative move (1986: 465).
3.

Character Development
E.M Forster in Aspect of the Novel says that character development is the

changing of the character from the beginning until the end of the story. A character is
developed if she or he experiences a change are some aspect of disposition,
personality, or outlook. He is not the same person as he was at the beginning of the
story. He changes into a new character. The changing depends on the condition and
experiences as it is in the story (Forster, 1974: 54).

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Another theory about character development is from Drs. E Van Laar and Dr. N.
Schoonderwoerd in An Approach to English Literature. It says that action and
incident spring out of character and, having occurred they change it, so that at the end
of a novel a character should have changed, have developed, and i.e. should be
different from what it was in the beginning of the novel (Laar and Schoonderwoerd,
1963:171).
Laurence Perrine in Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense states that the
character in the novel does not change in a sudden way, but changes step by step. The
character must begin the change with smaller change should be sufficiently motivated
by circumstances. One cannot changes his or her characteristics so suddenly without
any reasons, but it must follow sufficiently time and reason of the changes (Perrine,
1974: 71).
C. Theoretical Framework
The focus of this study is the development of the main character. Some theories
which are mentioned before is very useful for the analysis. The theory of character
and characteristic help the writer to explain about the understanding of the character
and characterization in the novel. Those theories will be the basic understanding to
answer the first problem formulation.
Some theories related to literature and societies are also applied. There are two
sources from Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, Murphy in Understanding
Unseens and Hugh Holman and William Harmon in A Handbook to Literature. Those

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theories are useful to help the writer to analyze second problem formulation about the
setting and the society.
Another theory related to development of character is also applied. There are
three sources from E.M Forster entitled Aspect of the Novel, Drs. E Van Laar and Dr.
N. Schoonderwoerd entitled An Approach to English Literature, and Laurence Perrine
in Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Those will be useful to answer the third
problem formulation which is how the society influences Maria’s character
development.

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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Objective of the Study
This research analyzes a novel entitled Eleven Minutes. This novel is written
by Paulo Coelho. Eleven Minutes is categorized as a fiction book. It was published by
An Imprint of Harper Collins Publisher, New York. This novel consists of 273 pages
and is translated from the Portuguese into English by Margaret Jull Costa.
The author of this novel is Paulo Coelho. He is a Brazilian novelist and this
novel is one of his international best-selling novels. He had been resounding
international praise for the best-selling work of Paulo Coelho. Eleven Minutes is his
ninth book. Paulo Coelho’s works are greatly influential because he is one of the
famous authors that have written lots of novels and his novels have been translated
into many languages. His book has been published worldwide and was written in the
lists of best seller in thirty languages (http://biography.coelhopaulo.com).
Eleven minutes tells about the life of the main character starting from the time
when she was still eleven. Maria has a high ambition to go to the big cities and
become an actress. Her weekend in Rio de Janeiro give her a chance to go to
Switzerland. She ends up in her profession as a prostitute. Since the main character
has courage to struggle from her life in the Switzerland, she changes her thought into
a positive way. When, she serves her clients, she also listens to them complaining
about their lives. From those experiments, Maria learns about human emotions. She

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becomes interested in studying about human emotion and psychology. Until one day
at the point of her saturation, she meets a rich young famous painter; Ralf Hart, and
then she finds the meaning of love from him.
B. Approach of the Study
To analyze the novel and answer the problem formulations the writer use
formalistic approach. Based on the topic, this approach is suitable to analyze how the
societies where Maria lives influence her character development. Mary Rohrberger
and Samuel H. Woods Jr. in Reading and Writing about Literature, state the extreme
formalist critic examines the literary piece without reference to facts of the author ’s
life, without reference to the genre of the piece or to its place in the development of
the genre or in literary history, and without reference to its social milieu (Rohrberger
and Wood, 1971: 7)
Wilfred L. Guerin, Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R.
Willingham in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, states that the
formalist approach emphasizes the manner of reading literature that was given its
special dimension and emphases by English and American critic in the first two-third
of the twentieth century. To many students of literature, this approach came to be
called the New Criticism (Guerin, 2011:96).
Formalistic approach is useful to analysis this research because this this approach
focuses on the work of literature itself. In analyzing this research, the writer also
focuses on the novel itself. Therefore the writer applies formalistic approach.

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C. Method of the Study
In analyzing this research, the writer used library research to find the data. In
library research, the primary data was the novel from Paulo Coelho entitled Eleven
Minutes. Since the analysis focused on the influence of the society toward Maria's
character development, therefore, the other sources were the theory of character and
some intrinsic element such as setting. After the intrinsic elements were done, the
research would be continued to the formalist criticism approach. Some theories were
also applied in this study. Those were taken from some references. The writer of this
thesis used some reference books which gave contribution in doing this research. To
relate between the character and the setting, the writer used the book from Hugh
Holman and William Harmon.
The first step that had done in this research was reading the novel. After that was
analyzing the novel based on the topic using some theory. Those theories were theory
of character, characterization, and society in the novel. The charter of Maria could be
described as beautiful, high motivation, curious to something new. The society that
was shown in the novel is Brazil where Maria was born, Rio de Janeiro, Geneva,
Copacabana, and Switzerland. The research is also supported by the previous research
that had been done before as the review of study. Some theories were also applied in
this study. The third was applying the formalist criticism approach to answer the third
problem formulation in order to see the influence of the society toward character
development. Finally, the writer took a conclusion from the whole analysis.

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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer will answer the problem formulations from the first
chapter. Firstly, the writer explains the characteristic of Maria in Paulo Coelho’s
Eleven Minutes. Secondly, the writer also explains the societies in this novel. Finally,
this analysis will connect the character and the societies, how they influence each
other.
A. The Character of Maria
In this chapter the writer will explain the analysis of the novel based on the
problem formulation as mentioned before. Maria is the main character in Coelho's
novel Eleven Minutes. According to Milligan who divides character based on their
importance, a major character is the center of the story and has the most important
role in the story. The main character, Maria has an important role as the main
character in Eleven Minutes. The author describes the main character trough the
narrator and the dialog with the minor character. She is described as a beautiful
woman who is highly-motivated in order to make her dreams and obsessions come
true. She tries to find her identity and personality in her life.
This novel tells about the life of the main character starting from the time when
she was still eleven. She comes from a small family consist the father as a travelling
salesman and the mother is a seamstress. Every day in her journey to school, she pays
attention to a boy. However, Maria does not say anything when she meets that boy.

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Maria is the most beautiful among her friends. In Brazil, she spends her childhood
with her family, friend, her schoolmate boy, and her first boyfriend. She has a simple
dream that she can save up enough money to go and spends her weekend in the city
of her dream, the place where the TV stars live, and the picture postcard image of her
country: Rio de Janeiro. She like to write her complains of her life in her diary book.
What Maria feels is written in her book. This is her way to share her feeling since she
cannot talk to her mother or her friends.
Based on the theory of characterization by Murphy, the characteristic of the
character are presented in nine ways. Some of them are used by the author of the
novel to describe the main character in Eleven Minutes. Maria is a beautiful Brazilian
girl. The description is from the narrator, Maria herself, and the minor character.
1. Physical Appearance
Maria’s physical appearance is beautiful. The narrator also tells, "And so Maria
adolescent years passed. She grew prettier and prettier (2004:15)". There are so many
men who are also attracted to Maria because of her beauty, "She never let him touch,
although she was very coquettish, conscious of the power of her beauty (2004:17)". It
is also stated by her mother, "...there was one thing her mother said that she never
forgot: Beauty, my dear, doesn't last (2004:17)". It is also said in these lines that, "She
was a girl from back-lands of Brazil, with no experience of life apart from a good
school, a vast knowledge of TV soap and the certainty that she was beautiful
(2004:29)".

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Some minor characters look at Maria as a beautiful girl. One of the minor
characters was Roger. When she met Roger in Copacabana, he also said the word in
strange accent:
For some time, they kept up this comfortable, meaningless conversation- a
smile here, smile there-until the man took a small red dictionary out of his
pocket and said in a strange accent: ‘bonita’-‘pretty’ (2004:20).
Milson-the name of the interpreter-cum-officer office also tells to Maria. Milson says,
“Of course, he hasn’t seen you sing or dance, but you could learn all that, whereas
beauty is something you’re born with (2004:23). Another minor character is an Arab
man. He is very charmed to Maria, “You’re very pretty (2004:52)”. The painter also
said that there is a "special light" comes from her inner-beauty, "you've got a special
light about you. Let me at least do a sketch (2004:95)". Ralf treated Maria nicely as a
special woman. It can be seen from Ralf ’s statement as follows:
You have a glow about you. The light that comes from sheer willpower, the
light of someone who has made important sacrifices in the name of the
things she thinks are important. It’s in your eyes-the light is in your eyes
(2004: 105).
From the quotations taken from the novel can be said that Maria is a beautiful
girl. Other characters say that Maria is beauty and they also attract to her. As the
painter said also that there is "a special sketch" comes from Maria which shows