Portrayal Of The Protagonist In Jill Dawson's 'Wild Boy'.
ABSTRACT
Dalam penulisan tugas akhir untuk memenuhi persyaratan memperoleh gelar
sarjana jurusan Sastra Inggris-S1 di Fakultas Sastra Universitas Kristen Maranatha,
saya memutuskan untuk menganalisis sebuah novel karya Jill Dawson yang berjudul
Wild Boy. Fokus yang akan di analisis dari novel ini adalah karakteristik yang
dimiliki oleh tokoh utama serta perubahan yang dialaminya dan tujuan pengarang
dalam menciptakan karakter tersebut.
Novel Wild Boy adalah novel tentang seorang anak lelaki yg telah lama hidup
seorang diri di sebuah hutan di Prancis yang kemudian ditemukan oleh warga desa St
Sernin ketika sebelumnya ditangkap oleh pemburu beberapa tahun sebelumnya dan
berhasil melarikan diri. Anak tersebut dijadikan objek penelitian oleh beberapa orang
karena memiliki karakteristik yg sangat unik. Anak tersebut kemudian diserahkan
kepada Doktor Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard untuk dirawat dan ia kemudian memberi
nama Victor kepada anak tersebut.
Victor sangat berbeda dari anak-anak pada umumnya. Jill Dawson
menggambarkan karakteristik Victor sebagai seorang anak lelaki yang agresif,
kekanak-kanakan, tidak bisa bersosialisasi, tidak beradab, dan mempunyai mental yg
terbelakang
tingkat
‘profound’.
Tapi
kemudian
iii
dalam
hidupnya
Victor
Maranatha Christian University
mengalami perubahan dalam karakteristiknya. Ia berubah menjadi anak lelaki
yang tidak lagi agresif, lebih dewasa, bisa bersosialisasi, beradab, dan juga
mempunyai mental yang terbelakang tingkat ‘severe’.
Perubahan karakteristik yang ditunjukan oleh tokoh utama dalam cerita ini
dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan dan juga orang – orang yang berada disekitarnya.
Viktor yang sebelumnya adalah anak yang liar dan berperilaku seperti binatang,
akhirnya mulai bisa mengontrol emosinya dan bisa menerima kehadiran manusia
lain dalam hidupnya karena sebelumnya ia hidup sendiri tanpa manusia lain
disekitarnya. Adanya lingkungan baru yang beradab dan mempunyai adat-istiadat
serta budaya, mulai mempengaruhi cara berpikir Victor sehingga ia mulai belajar
dan meniru dari apa yang ia lihat sehari-hari. Orang-orang disekitarnya juga
membantu Victor untuk belajar dan memperbaiki diri menjadi manusia yang
sesungguhnya karena Victor telah banyak ketinggalan dalam proses belajar dalam
mengenal diri, sesama dan lingkungan.
Karakteristik yang dipunyai oleh Victor adalah karakteristik dari anak
yang menderita sindrom autisme. Melalui karakter seperti itu, Jill Dawson ingin
menunjukan bahwa pengaruh orang – orang sekitar sangat penting dalam proses
perkembangan jiwa sang anak terutama peran sang ibu dalam merawat dan
menjaga sang anak dari bahaya – bahaya yang bisa mengancam jiwa anak yang
menderita autisme.
iv
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………..……………………………………..... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………...……………………… ii
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………...…………. iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study …………………………………………..........
Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………….
Purpose of the Study ……………………………………………………
Method of Research ……………………………………………………
Organization of the Thesis ………………………………………………
1
3
3
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN JILL DAWSON’S WILD BOY...…………………… 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION …………………………………...........19
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………........... 23
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Wild Boy ……………………………………………........... 25
Biography of the Author …………………………………………........... 27
ii
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF WILD BOY
The novel Wild Boy is about a boy of about twelve years old who is found
by people in the forest near Aveyron. He is naked; his body is full of scars, and he
acts like an animal. He will bite people who try to approach him. He is considered
to be an idiot because of his abnormal behaviour but Doctor Itard, one of the
narrators in the novel, believes that the boy is not an idiot. He is in charge of
educating Victor. He employs Madame Guérin, another narrator in the novel, to
take care of Victor’s daily needs. Victor behaves like a beast and he cannot speak.
Doctor Itard tries to educate and civilize him. Doctor Itard teaches him to spell a
word and eat politely while Madame Guérin and her husband take care of him like
their own child. Julie, Madame Guérin’s daughter often plays with Victor and
Victor is very happy when he is together with her. He is obviously attracted by
her.
Victor becomes the centre of attraction. People want to know about the
boy who has lived in the forest for a long time. Victor is afraid when people
approach him. Later he feels comfortable with the people who are close to him.
He also wants to learn new things. They teach him how to be a ‘human being’.
Nevertheless, Victor is very bad-tempered and stubborn.
25
Maranatha Christian University
Time passes and now Victor has gained a little progress. He can speak a
few words and is not afraid to interact with people any more. Doctor Itard is very
excited to see Victor’s development although he is a little disappointed because
Victor cannot really be a normal child. However, at least he can prove that Victor
can become a better person. After five years, Itard no longer takes care of Victor.
Finally, Victor stays with Madame Guérin until he dies at the age of forty.
26
Maranatha Christian University
BIOGRAPHY JILL DAWSON
Jill Dawson is born in Durham and grows up in Staffordshire, Essex and
Yorkshire. She reads American Studies at the University of Nottingham, and then
takes a series of short-term jobs in London before studying for an MA in Writing
at Sheffield Hallam University. In 1997, she is the British Council Writing Fellow
at
Amherst
College,
Massachusetts.
Her writing life begins as a poet, her poems being published in a variety of
small press magazines, and in one pamphlet collection, White Fish with Painted
Nails (1990). She wins an Eric Gregory Award for her poetry in 1992. She also
writes other five novels: Trick of the Light (1996); Magpie (1998), for which she
wins a London Arts Board New Writers Award; Fred and Edie (2000); Wild Boy
(2003); and most recently, Watch Me Disappear (2006). Fred and Edie is based on
the historic murder trial of Thompson and Bywaters, and is short-listed for the
2000 Whitbread Novel Award and the 2001 Orange Prize for Fiction.
She is married to an architect, Meredith Bowles and lives far from her
former Hackney flat, in a village in the Fens near Ely, in a house that her husband
designs for her. She has two sons, Felix and Lewis, who is diagnosed with
Asperger syndrome – an incurable condition on the autistic spectrum. Dawson has
read an enormous amount about Asperger's and autism since Lewis is diagnosed.
One book in particular, Autism: Explaining the Enigma by Uta Frith, not only
increases Dawson's understanding of the condition, but also prompts her to write
Wild Boy. In her book, Frith claims that the "Wild Boy of Aveyron”, a 12-yearold who is found in 1800 having lived alone in woods in the south of France for
27
Maranatha Christian University
five years, is history's first documented autistic child. Wild Boy is nominated for a
British Academy Book Award.
Jill Dawson has taught Creative Writing for many years and holds many
fellowships, including the Creative Writing Fellowship at UEA in Norwich, where
she has also taught in the MA programme in writing. In 2006, she is honoured
with a Doctorate degree from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, for her
‘significant contribution to writing, and her work in supporting emerging writers.’
28
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
I have chosen novel instead of another literary genre for my thesis. Novel
is more interesting to analyse than drama or poetry. It gives me more pleasure and
curiosity to understand more when reading a novel. Ian Milligan says, “Novels,
then, are exciting machines (Verbal machines) which transport their reader in
space and time…. They offer us a share in the pleasure of making because the
designs they consist of are not simply there to be seen; they have to be
understood, constructed, recreated by the reader out of the material and according
to the patterns which the fabric of their language contains – or conceals.”
(Milligan 7). For me, I think I can explore my own imagination while reading a
novel because not everything is described in it because a novel, “is a strange joint
creation of the reader and the text he holds in his hand…” (Milligan 2).
I have chosen a novel by Jill Dawson, a novelist who has gained several
literary awards including Eric Gregory Award and London Arts Board New
Writer Award; she has also been nominated for Whitbread Novel Award and
1
Maranatha Christian University
Orange Prize for Fiction. Dawson’s contribution to the world of literature is
widely accepted. Since her youth, she has written so many works of literature such
as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories. It is said that Dawson always cares
about every word and every full stop; and she writes lyrical, elegant, stunning, or
surprising prose.
I would like to analyse her novel Wild Boy because this novel is based on
a true story about a boy who lives in a forest of Aveyron alone without his family
around him. When he is about twelve years old, he is found by the people who
make him an object of observation because of his wild behaviour. Based on this
wild boy, the author makes a fascinating story of fiction about his life after being
found by the people.
The focus of the analysis is the portrayal of the protagonist, Victor. It is
interesting to analyse Victor because he has special characteristics that are
different from those of other normal children. Victor is not aware of the existence
of human beings. He lives in his own world, but when he hears the sound of
chestnut shell cracking, he concentrates on hearing it. He also bites people who try
to approach him.
Victor’s behaviour is influenced by some psychological disorders. The
first is what psychologists recognize as autism, which is “a developmental
disorder, primarily affecting social and emotional understanding.” (Behavior
Disorder in Children).
There is also a problem related to intellectual functioning, “mental
retardation, which means that the average intellectual maturity level will probably
never be attained and that intellectual development will proceed at a slower rate
2
Maranatha Christian University
than the average…. Deficits in adaptive behavior must exist concurrently with
reduced intellectual functioning” (Behavior Disorder in Children).
The American Association on Mental Deficiency (AAMD) classifies
Mental Retardation to four groups. IQ 52 to 67 – mild mental retardation, the
educable; IQ 36 to 51 – moderate mental retardation and IQ 20 to 35 – severe
mental retardation, the trainable; IQ 19 or below – profound mental retardation,
the custodial (Understanding children behavior disorders).
The custodial usually unable to achieve even sufficient skills to
care for basic needs, they will usually require nearly total care and supervision for
duration of lifetime. On the other hand, the trainable learns primarily in the areas
of self-help skills, very limited achievement in areas considered academic, and
their social adjustment usually limited to home and closely surrounding area
(Mental Retardation: A Life Cycle Approach). They use Gesture and sign as the
method of communication because most of them have some form of
speech/language disorder; they learn new skill slowly and have difficulty applying
knowledge although the progress may be slow, people with severe mental
retardation do learn (Mental Retardation).
In addition, there is also a problem related to emotional development, such
as “Aggression, which may be expressed through acts or, when the acts are
inhibited, through words or thoughts.” (Behavior Disorder in Children).
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.
How is the protagonist portrayed in the novel?
2.
What is the purpose of the author in portraying such a character?
3
Maranatha Christian University
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
1.
To show how the protagonist is portrayed in the novel.
2.
To show the purpose of the author in portraying such a character.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In analysing the novel for my thesis, first I read the novel entitled Wild
Boy by Jill Dawson as the primary text. I then choose the most appropriate
element to analyse in the novel. Afterwards, I search in the Internet to know more
about the novelist and critics’ ideas about the novel as much as possible. I also
read some books related to the topic. These books provide me with sufficient data
for writing my analysis.
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of
the study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is
the portrayal of the protagonist of the novel. Chapter Three is the Conclusion. The
thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, which contain a short
biography of the author and a brief synopsis of the novel.
4
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CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After reading the novel and analysing the portrayal of the protagonist in
Jill Dawson’s Wild Boy, I finally conclude that Dawson clearly describes that the
characteristics of the protagonist in the novel change. At the beginning of the
novel, the protagonist, named Victor, is portrayed as an aggressive, childish,
unsociable, uncivilized, and profoundly retarded boy. He changes into an
unaggressive, more mature, sociable, civilized, and severely retarded boy.
Dawson’s description of Victor as an aggressive, unsociable, and
uncivilized boy is realistic. Such characteristics were likely to be found in real life
if we were allowed to conduct an experiment in which a baby is deliberately
abandoned in the forest and survives alone without having any contact with
human beings but animals. The protagonist’s inability to use simple tools and to
know manners is also understandable if one is not exposed to civilization. The
description of the protagonist as a profoundly retarded boy at the beginning of the
novel is also realistic since a boy who is never exposed to a language is very
likely to be unable to understand a language let alone speaking the language.
19
Maranatha Christian University
Victor is based on a true story. People who take care of him are Doctor
Itard as his personal doctor and Madame Guérin, a woman who is hired to take
care of Victor. Dawson uses two narrators in the story, Doctor Itard and Madame
Guérin, so that the reader can distinguish between the advantages of having a
male character and the benefits of employing a female character to handle a boy
with unique characteristics. Her portrayal of the protagonist’s characteristics is
also based on her experience in dealing with her own child who is Autistic. Her
description of the protagonist as a child who needs special care and attention must
be very accurate because several characters in the novel are based on people in
real life.
By conveying her idea through Madame Guérin’s point of view, Dawson
wants to reveal that Madame Guérin gives a great deal of contribution in the
improvement of Victor’s characteristics. Dawson wants to emphasize that a
woman’s role in taking care of an autistic child is very significant. Before writing
the novel, Dawson has made an observation. She makes an effort to ask about the
real Madame Guérin, as is stated in Afterword of her Novel Wild Boy:
This remarkable woman cared for the wild boy for twenty-eight years and
yet little is known about her….I was told that although interest in Victor
and Itard has continued in the thirty years since Truffaut’s film, I was the
first person to ask about Madame Guérin.” (Dawson 289)
By portraying Victor as an autistic child, Dawson intends to remind
parents who have autistic children to take care of their children carefully because
sometimes autistic children are not aware of impending dangers. Moreover, she
wants to emphasize that the belief that autistic children never care about other
20
Maranatha Christian University
people’s feelings is wrong. They care about other people’s feelings when they are
in trouble, as is revealed in his attitude towards Madame Guérin, whose husband
has just passed away.
The changes Victor experiences are influenced by some people around
him. They are Doctor Itard, Madame Guérin, the husband of Madame Guérin,
Henri, and her daughter, Julie. Each of them has different positive impacts on the
development of his characteristics. Dawson also has a purpose in creating those
characters. He wants to show that people of different roles are needed in the
process of ‘healing’ an autistic child.
It is apparent that Dawson makes every effort to show that the presence of
Doctor Itard, Madame Guérin and Monsieur Guerin, as well as Julie, is extremely
significant in the protagonist’s improvement. Their togetherness with Victor
eventually makes him feel comfortable; he is no longer afraid to socialize with
other people. Dawson obviously wants to warn parents who have autistic children
to be patient and make consistent efforts to improve their children’s psychological
as well as physical conditions. Even though Victor’s progress is slow and he
cannot really become a normal person, at least he changes into a better person.
21
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Dawson, Jill. Wild Boy. London: Sceptre, 2003.
References
Bakwin, Harry. Behavior Disorder in Children. Philadelphia: WB. Saunders
Company, 1972.
Beirne-Smith, Mary, Richard F. Ittenbach, and James R. Patton. Mental Retardation.
Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall, 2002.
Drew, Clifford J, Donald R. Logan, and Michael L. Hardman. Mental Retardation:
A Life Cycle Approach. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990.
Gelfand, Donna M. Understanding Children Behavior Disorders. New York: CBS
College Publishing, 1982.
Kimble, Gregory A, Norman Garmezy, and Edward Zigler. Principles of General
Psychology. USA: John Wiley and Sons,Inc., 1980.
Internet Sources
“Interview in The Big Issue On Wild Boy”. Jill Dawson Writer. 2008. 13 Oct. 2008
23
Maranatha Christian University
“Jill Dawson”. Contemporary Writers. 2 Oct 2008
“Jill Dawson Interview”. Writewords interview. 2005. 2 Oct. 2008
.
Jill Dawson Writer. 2 Oct. 2008
.
Newton, Michael. “Natural Causes”. Rev. of Wild Boy, by Jill Dawson.
Guardian.co.uk. 27 Sept. 2003. 13 Oct. 2008
.
“The Sight through Memory”. Toxify. Net. 7 Oct. 2008
.
Wands, D C. “Jill Dawson”. Fantastic Fiction. 13 May 2008. 7 Oct. 2008
.
Ward, Andrew. “Victor, the Wild Boy of Aveyron”. FeraldChildren.com: isolated,
confined, wolf, and wild children. 7 Oct. 2008
< http://www.feralchildren.com/en/showchild.php?ch=victor>.
24
Maranatha Christian University
Dalam penulisan tugas akhir untuk memenuhi persyaratan memperoleh gelar
sarjana jurusan Sastra Inggris-S1 di Fakultas Sastra Universitas Kristen Maranatha,
saya memutuskan untuk menganalisis sebuah novel karya Jill Dawson yang berjudul
Wild Boy. Fokus yang akan di analisis dari novel ini adalah karakteristik yang
dimiliki oleh tokoh utama serta perubahan yang dialaminya dan tujuan pengarang
dalam menciptakan karakter tersebut.
Novel Wild Boy adalah novel tentang seorang anak lelaki yg telah lama hidup
seorang diri di sebuah hutan di Prancis yang kemudian ditemukan oleh warga desa St
Sernin ketika sebelumnya ditangkap oleh pemburu beberapa tahun sebelumnya dan
berhasil melarikan diri. Anak tersebut dijadikan objek penelitian oleh beberapa orang
karena memiliki karakteristik yg sangat unik. Anak tersebut kemudian diserahkan
kepada Doktor Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard untuk dirawat dan ia kemudian memberi
nama Victor kepada anak tersebut.
Victor sangat berbeda dari anak-anak pada umumnya. Jill Dawson
menggambarkan karakteristik Victor sebagai seorang anak lelaki yang agresif,
kekanak-kanakan, tidak bisa bersosialisasi, tidak beradab, dan mempunyai mental yg
terbelakang
tingkat
‘profound’.
Tapi
kemudian
iii
dalam
hidupnya
Victor
Maranatha Christian University
mengalami perubahan dalam karakteristiknya. Ia berubah menjadi anak lelaki
yang tidak lagi agresif, lebih dewasa, bisa bersosialisasi, beradab, dan juga
mempunyai mental yang terbelakang tingkat ‘severe’.
Perubahan karakteristik yang ditunjukan oleh tokoh utama dalam cerita ini
dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan dan juga orang – orang yang berada disekitarnya.
Viktor yang sebelumnya adalah anak yang liar dan berperilaku seperti binatang,
akhirnya mulai bisa mengontrol emosinya dan bisa menerima kehadiran manusia
lain dalam hidupnya karena sebelumnya ia hidup sendiri tanpa manusia lain
disekitarnya. Adanya lingkungan baru yang beradab dan mempunyai adat-istiadat
serta budaya, mulai mempengaruhi cara berpikir Victor sehingga ia mulai belajar
dan meniru dari apa yang ia lihat sehari-hari. Orang-orang disekitarnya juga
membantu Victor untuk belajar dan memperbaiki diri menjadi manusia yang
sesungguhnya karena Victor telah banyak ketinggalan dalam proses belajar dalam
mengenal diri, sesama dan lingkungan.
Karakteristik yang dipunyai oleh Victor adalah karakteristik dari anak
yang menderita sindrom autisme. Melalui karakter seperti itu, Jill Dawson ingin
menunjukan bahwa pengaruh orang – orang sekitar sangat penting dalam proses
perkembangan jiwa sang anak terutama peran sang ibu dalam merawat dan
menjaga sang anak dari bahaya – bahaya yang bisa mengancam jiwa anak yang
menderita autisme.
iv
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………..……………………………………..... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………...……………………… ii
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………...…………. iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study …………………………………………..........
Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………….
Purpose of the Study ……………………………………………………
Method of Research ……………………………………………………
Organization of the Thesis ………………………………………………
1
3
3
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN JILL DAWSON’S WILD BOY...…………………… 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION …………………………………...........19
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………........... 23
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Wild Boy ……………………………………………........... 25
Biography of the Author …………………………………………........... 27
ii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF WILD BOY
The novel Wild Boy is about a boy of about twelve years old who is found
by people in the forest near Aveyron. He is naked; his body is full of scars, and he
acts like an animal. He will bite people who try to approach him. He is considered
to be an idiot because of his abnormal behaviour but Doctor Itard, one of the
narrators in the novel, believes that the boy is not an idiot. He is in charge of
educating Victor. He employs Madame Guérin, another narrator in the novel, to
take care of Victor’s daily needs. Victor behaves like a beast and he cannot speak.
Doctor Itard tries to educate and civilize him. Doctor Itard teaches him to spell a
word and eat politely while Madame Guérin and her husband take care of him like
their own child. Julie, Madame Guérin’s daughter often plays with Victor and
Victor is very happy when he is together with her. He is obviously attracted by
her.
Victor becomes the centre of attraction. People want to know about the
boy who has lived in the forest for a long time. Victor is afraid when people
approach him. Later he feels comfortable with the people who are close to him.
He also wants to learn new things. They teach him how to be a ‘human being’.
Nevertheless, Victor is very bad-tempered and stubborn.
25
Maranatha Christian University
Time passes and now Victor has gained a little progress. He can speak a
few words and is not afraid to interact with people any more. Doctor Itard is very
excited to see Victor’s development although he is a little disappointed because
Victor cannot really be a normal child. However, at least he can prove that Victor
can become a better person. After five years, Itard no longer takes care of Victor.
Finally, Victor stays with Madame Guérin until he dies at the age of forty.
26
Maranatha Christian University
BIOGRAPHY JILL DAWSON
Jill Dawson is born in Durham and grows up in Staffordshire, Essex and
Yorkshire. She reads American Studies at the University of Nottingham, and then
takes a series of short-term jobs in London before studying for an MA in Writing
at Sheffield Hallam University. In 1997, she is the British Council Writing Fellow
at
Amherst
College,
Massachusetts.
Her writing life begins as a poet, her poems being published in a variety of
small press magazines, and in one pamphlet collection, White Fish with Painted
Nails (1990). She wins an Eric Gregory Award for her poetry in 1992. She also
writes other five novels: Trick of the Light (1996); Magpie (1998), for which she
wins a London Arts Board New Writers Award; Fred and Edie (2000); Wild Boy
(2003); and most recently, Watch Me Disappear (2006). Fred and Edie is based on
the historic murder trial of Thompson and Bywaters, and is short-listed for the
2000 Whitbread Novel Award and the 2001 Orange Prize for Fiction.
She is married to an architect, Meredith Bowles and lives far from her
former Hackney flat, in a village in the Fens near Ely, in a house that her husband
designs for her. She has two sons, Felix and Lewis, who is diagnosed with
Asperger syndrome – an incurable condition on the autistic spectrum. Dawson has
read an enormous amount about Asperger's and autism since Lewis is diagnosed.
One book in particular, Autism: Explaining the Enigma by Uta Frith, not only
increases Dawson's understanding of the condition, but also prompts her to write
Wild Boy. In her book, Frith claims that the "Wild Boy of Aveyron”, a 12-yearold who is found in 1800 having lived alone in woods in the south of France for
27
Maranatha Christian University
five years, is history's first documented autistic child. Wild Boy is nominated for a
British Academy Book Award.
Jill Dawson has taught Creative Writing for many years and holds many
fellowships, including the Creative Writing Fellowship at UEA in Norwich, where
she has also taught in the MA programme in writing. In 2006, she is honoured
with a Doctorate degree from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, for her
‘significant contribution to writing, and her work in supporting emerging writers.’
28
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
I have chosen novel instead of another literary genre for my thesis. Novel
is more interesting to analyse than drama or poetry. It gives me more pleasure and
curiosity to understand more when reading a novel. Ian Milligan says, “Novels,
then, are exciting machines (Verbal machines) which transport their reader in
space and time…. They offer us a share in the pleasure of making because the
designs they consist of are not simply there to be seen; they have to be
understood, constructed, recreated by the reader out of the material and according
to the patterns which the fabric of their language contains – or conceals.”
(Milligan 7). For me, I think I can explore my own imagination while reading a
novel because not everything is described in it because a novel, “is a strange joint
creation of the reader and the text he holds in his hand…” (Milligan 2).
I have chosen a novel by Jill Dawson, a novelist who has gained several
literary awards including Eric Gregory Award and London Arts Board New
Writer Award; she has also been nominated for Whitbread Novel Award and
1
Maranatha Christian University
Orange Prize for Fiction. Dawson’s contribution to the world of literature is
widely accepted. Since her youth, she has written so many works of literature such
as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories. It is said that Dawson always cares
about every word and every full stop; and she writes lyrical, elegant, stunning, or
surprising prose.
I would like to analyse her novel Wild Boy because this novel is based on
a true story about a boy who lives in a forest of Aveyron alone without his family
around him. When he is about twelve years old, he is found by the people who
make him an object of observation because of his wild behaviour. Based on this
wild boy, the author makes a fascinating story of fiction about his life after being
found by the people.
The focus of the analysis is the portrayal of the protagonist, Victor. It is
interesting to analyse Victor because he has special characteristics that are
different from those of other normal children. Victor is not aware of the existence
of human beings. He lives in his own world, but when he hears the sound of
chestnut shell cracking, he concentrates on hearing it. He also bites people who try
to approach him.
Victor’s behaviour is influenced by some psychological disorders. The
first is what psychologists recognize as autism, which is “a developmental
disorder, primarily affecting social and emotional understanding.” (Behavior
Disorder in Children).
There is also a problem related to intellectual functioning, “mental
retardation, which means that the average intellectual maturity level will probably
never be attained and that intellectual development will proceed at a slower rate
2
Maranatha Christian University
than the average…. Deficits in adaptive behavior must exist concurrently with
reduced intellectual functioning” (Behavior Disorder in Children).
The American Association on Mental Deficiency (AAMD) classifies
Mental Retardation to four groups. IQ 52 to 67 – mild mental retardation, the
educable; IQ 36 to 51 – moderate mental retardation and IQ 20 to 35 – severe
mental retardation, the trainable; IQ 19 or below – profound mental retardation,
the custodial (Understanding children behavior disorders).
The custodial usually unable to achieve even sufficient skills to
care for basic needs, they will usually require nearly total care and supervision for
duration of lifetime. On the other hand, the trainable learns primarily in the areas
of self-help skills, very limited achievement in areas considered academic, and
their social adjustment usually limited to home and closely surrounding area
(Mental Retardation: A Life Cycle Approach). They use Gesture and sign as the
method of communication because most of them have some form of
speech/language disorder; they learn new skill slowly and have difficulty applying
knowledge although the progress may be slow, people with severe mental
retardation do learn (Mental Retardation).
In addition, there is also a problem related to emotional development, such
as “Aggression, which may be expressed through acts or, when the acts are
inhibited, through words or thoughts.” (Behavior Disorder in Children).
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.
How is the protagonist portrayed in the novel?
2.
What is the purpose of the author in portraying such a character?
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PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
1.
To show how the protagonist is portrayed in the novel.
2.
To show the purpose of the author in portraying such a character.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In analysing the novel for my thesis, first I read the novel entitled Wild
Boy by Jill Dawson as the primary text. I then choose the most appropriate
element to analyse in the novel. Afterwards, I search in the Internet to know more
about the novelist and critics’ ideas about the novel as much as possible. I also
read some books related to the topic. These books provide me with sufficient data
for writing my analysis.
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of
the study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is
the portrayal of the protagonist of the novel. Chapter Three is the Conclusion. The
thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, which contain a short
biography of the author and a brief synopsis of the novel.
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CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After reading the novel and analysing the portrayal of the protagonist in
Jill Dawson’s Wild Boy, I finally conclude that Dawson clearly describes that the
characteristics of the protagonist in the novel change. At the beginning of the
novel, the protagonist, named Victor, is portrayed as an aggressive, childish,
unsociable, uncivilized, and profoundly retarded boy. He changes into an
unaggressive, more mature, sociable, civilized, and severely retarded boy.
Dawson’s description of Victor as an aggressive, unsociable, and
uncivilized boy is realistic. Such characteristics were likely to be found in real life
if we were allowed to conduct an experiment in which a baby is deliberately
abandoned in the forest and survives alone without having any contact with
human beings but animals. The protagonist’s inability to use simple tools and to
know manners is also understandable if one is not exposed to civilization. The
description of the protagonist as a profoundly retarded boy at the beginning of the
novel is also realistic since a boy who is never exposed to a language is very
likely to be unable to understand a language let alone speaking the language.
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Victor is based on a true story. People who take care of him are Doctor
Itard as his personal doctor and Madame Guérin, a woman who is hired to take
care of Victor. Dawson uses two narrators in the story, Doctor Itard and Madame
Guérin, so that the reader can distinguish between the advantages of having a
male character and the benefits of employing a female character to handle a boy
with unique characteristics. Her portrayal of the protagonist’s characteristics is
also based on her experience in dealing with her own child who is Autistic. Her
description of the protagonist as a child who needs special care and attention must
be very accurate because several characters in the novel are based on people in
real life.
By conveying her idea through Madame Guérin’s point of view, Dawson
wants to reveal that Madame Guérin gives a great deal of contribution in the
improvement of Victor’s characteristics. Dawson wants to emphasize that a
woman’s role in taking care of an autistic child is very significant. Before writing
the novel, Dawson has made an observation. She makes an effort to ask about the
real Madame Guérin, as is stated in Afterword of her Novel Wild Boy:
This remarkable woman cared for the wild boy for twenty-eight years and
yet little is known about her….I was told that although interest in Victor
and Itard has continued in the thirty years since Truffaut’s film, I was the
first person to ask about Madame Guérin.” (Dawson 289)
By portraying Victor as an autistic child, Dawson intends to remind
parents who have autistic children to take care of their children carefully because
sometimes autistic children are not aware of impending dangers. Moreover, she
wants to emphasize that the belief that autistic children never care about other
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people’s feelings is wrong. They care about other people’s feelings when they are
in trouble, as is revealed in his attitude towards Madame Guérin, whose husband
has just passed away.
The changes Victor experiences are influenced by some people around
him. They are Doctor Itard, Madame Guérin, the husband of Madame Guérin,
Henri, and her daughter, Julie. Each of them has different positive impacts on the
development of his characteristics. Dawson also has a purpose in creating those
characters. He wants to show that people of different roles are needed in the
process of ‘healing’ an autistic child.
It is apparent that Dawson makes every effort to show that the presence of
Doctor Itard, Madame Guérin and Monsieur Guerin, as well as Julie, is extremely
significant in the protagonist’s improvement. Their togetherness with Victor
eventually makes him feel comfortable; he is no longer afraid to socialize with
other people. Dawson obviously wants to warn parents who have autistic children
to be patient and make consistent efforts to improve their children’s psychological
as well as physical conditions. Even though Victor’s progress is slow and he
cannot really become a normal person, at least he changes into a better person.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Dawson, Jill. Wild Boy. London: Sceptre, 2003.
References
Bakwin, Harry. Behavior Disorder in Children. Philadelphia: WB. Saunders
Company, 1972.
Beirne-Smith, Mary, Richard F. Ittenbach, and James R. Patton. Mental Retardation.
Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall, 2002.
Drew, Clifford J, Donald R. Logan, and Michael L. Hardman. Mental Retardation:
A Life Cycle Approach. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990.
Gelfand, Donna M. Understanding Children Behavior Disorders. New York: CBS
College Publishing, 1982.
Kimble, Gregory A, Norman Garmezy, and Edward Zigler. Principles of General
Psychology. USA: John Wiley and Sons,Inc., 1980.
Internet Sources
“Interview in The Big Issue On Wild Boy”. Jill Dawson Writer. 2008. 13 Oct. 2008
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“Jill Dawson”. Contemporary Writers. 2 Oct 2008
“Jill Dawson Interview”. Writewords interview. 2005. 2 Oct. 2008
.
Jill Dawson Writer. 2 Oct. 2008
.
Newton, Michael. “Natural Causes”. Rev. of Wild Boy, by Jill Dawson.
Guardian.co.uk. 27 Sept. 2003. 13 Oct. 2008
.
“The Sight through Memory”. Toxify. Net. 7 Oct. 2008
.
Wands, D C. “Jill Dawson”. Fantastic Fiction. 13 May 2008. 7 Oct. 2008
.
Ward, Andrew. “Victor, the Wild Boy of Aveyron”. FeraldChildren.com: isolated,
confined, wolf, and wild children. 7 Oct. 2008
< http://www.feralchildren.com/en/showchild.php?ch=victor>.
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