Lonely Cowardly The Desc ription of Wilhelm’s Character

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4.1.4 Lonely

Wilhelm is also characterized as a lonely person. In the novel, Wilhelm is described as a person who lacks of love from his family. Each member in his family is busy with their own business, especially his father, who has no time for Wilhelm. His father is a famous and successful doctor. He loves his job too much until he has no time for his family. Wilhelm feels that he never has a real family during his life because from his childhood, he seems to be a stranger in his family. Bellow 18. In his marriage, Wilhelm also feels lonely because he is separated from his wife and his two children. Wilhelm feels lonelier when his father seems careless of him, even they are living at the same hotel. Why didn’t he? What a selfish old man he was He saw his son’s hardships; he could so easily help him. How little it would mean to him, and how much to Wilhelm Where was the old man’s heart? Maybe, thought Wilhelm, I was sentimental in the past and exaggerated his kindles —warm family life. It may never have been there. Bellow 31 The quotation above shows his bad relationship with his father. His father seems ashamed to have a son like Wilhelm who is uneducated and unemployed. He never wants to help Wilhelm because he does not want him to be a burden in his old age. Contrary, Wilhelm always looks for his father support, both financially and economically. Another evidence which shows Wilhelm is a lonely is that he has no friends, a best friend in his life. Moreover, he feels that he cannot find another person to talk to in the city like New York Bellow 91. Wilhelm is surrounded by a lot of people at hotel Gloriana, but the fact is, he still feels all alone. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 28 Based on Wilhelm ’s speech, Wilhelm can be considered as a lonely man. He thinks that there is no one who cares about him and he has no friend to talk with.

4.1.5 Cowardly

Wilhelm is a cowardly person. In the novel, Wilhelm is described as a man who always blames other to every bad thing happens in his life. When Wilhelm sees his strained relationship with his father, he blames his father as the cause of their bad relationship. He says that his father is never being a friend for him when he is young. His father is always at the office, the hospital, or lecturing. His father wants him to look out himself but he never gives Wilhelm much thought. And now his father looks down on him. Bellow 18. It seems very hard for Wilhelm to admit his mistakes. He does not realize that his condition now is the effect of many wrong decisions he makes in his life. Wilhelm always compares himself with his father. Every time he thinks about that, Wilhelm feels sad because he will never be as successful as his father. Another evidence which shows that Wilhelm is a cowardly person is when Wilhelm invests and trusts all of his saving to Dr. Tamkin and loses all of it. Still, he blames that it is D r. Tamkin’s mistake and he cannot admit that he is the person who should be blame for his own failure. ―…going away?‖ he heard Rowland ask. ―what?‖ ―I thought you might be going away too. Tamkin said he was going to Maine this summer for his vacation.‖ ―Oh, going away?‖ Wilhelm broke off and went to look for Tamkin in the men’s toilet. Across the corridor was the room where the machinery of the board was housed. A couple of businessmen with cigarettes in their fingers were having a conversation in the lavatory. At the top of the closet door sat a gray straw hat with a cocoa- colored band. ―Tamkin,‖ said Wilhelm. He tried to identify the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 29 feet b elow the door. ―Are you in there, Doctor Tamkin?‖ he said with stilled anger. ―Answer me. It’s Wilhelm.‖ Bellow 113. Wilhelm never thinks deeper that he has trusted his last saving to person whom he does not know well. He is too fast to believe about Dr . Tamkin’s optimistic that he will be rich through investing his last saving. Based on Wilhelm ’s speech and thoughts, it can be concluded that Wilhelm is a cowardly person. He never thinks deeper and lacks of self-reflection.

4.2 The Characteristics of a Failed Person Reflected in Wilhelm