Background of the study

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the study

As a human being we can create something entertaining from the event, our experience and even our problems into literature such as poem, novel, movie, short story, and many things as long as it is entertaining other people. We also need literature that makes us develop, enrich our knowledge and challenge our skills. According to Hudson, “Literature is expression of life through medium of language. Literature present some aspects of human life, such as history, social, moral, psychological, and many more” 1958: 10. By reading literature, the readers can enrich their knowledge since literature may contains useful information of life which is worth to learn. The readers may get knowledge and also learn something new that they have not known before. As Wellek and Warren stated, literature is something enjoyable to read and valuable to enrich the reader’s knowledge and experience 1956: 30. As Larry A. Hjelle and Daniel J. Ziegler state that as human beings, we are complex and different from one another. Human beings come in many shapes and sizes and behave in exceedingly complex ways. Of the several billion people who presently inhabit the earth, no two are exactly alike 1981:1. We are absolutely physically and mentally different one another. As the unique creatures, we deal with many conflicts and problems that caused by other people and even our own mind. Nevertheless, we can solved that problems with the help from other people. In this study, the writer prefers to use a novel to be analyzed. A novel is a work of art that is very common in society. The novel is the reflection of human life in, which the stories happened in a novel also happen in real life. It is supported by Perine that “People who read literary works, can learn not only literary itself but also about social issue of human life” 1974:3. From the quotation, by reading literary works the readers can enrich their knowledge. Concerning the human’s personality development in literary works the writer figures out that Quick’s novel, The Silver Linings Playbook also has the same issues. In this study, the writer tries to examine and analyze the personality and conflicts that face by the main character, Pat Solitano as seen in Matthew Quick’s The Silver Linings Playbook who has mental disorder. The Silver Linings Playbook is one of literary works whose theme is about the portrayal of person with mental illness. The story is about an unstable person named Pat Solitano who formulates a theory about silver linings: he believes that his life is a movie produced by God, his mission is to become a good person, positive thinking and emotionally supportive person and his goal will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. Quick’ describes this story clearly. The novel is quite famous because it has become the major film directed by David O. Russell. In this brilliantly written debut novel, Matthew Quick takes us inside Pat’s mind which show the world from his distorted perspective. The author of this novel tries to tell the readers how Pat find his happy ending in his life. The author also describes Pat’s appearance is for physic condition in his social life. This description allows the readers to examine and explore Pat’s judgment towards people around him. The author also pictures the change of his perspective about life after he meets Tiffany Maxwell, a physically fit but clinically depressed widower at a dinner party. Therefore, the issues above make the writer interested in examining the personality of the major character and the minor character as seen Matthew Quick, The Silver Linings Playbook. The writer wants to explore deeper about Pat’s and Tiffany’s personalities from the beginning of their struggle to face their conflicts until they find his silver linings.

B. Problem Formulation