After Tiffany tells everything, she offers herself as a liaison between Pat and Nikki. Pat only makes contact through Tiffany and she guarantees there will be no
trouble. If Pat writes a letter to Nikki one every two weeks, she will read the letters to Nikki by phone. She will be able to dictate her response to her, again over the phone,
after that Tiffany will type up on her laptop, print out, and present to Pat. But she will not be the liaison for free, she want to win this year’s Dance Away Depression
Competition and she needs a strong man to do it. Dance Away Depression Competition is an annual competition organized by the Philadelphia Psychiatric
Association that allows women diagnosed with clinical depression to transform their despair into movement Quick, 2012: 183. Tiffany is a good dancer she wins two
years in a row dancing solo championship. Tiffany thinks that Pat is the strongest man she has ever met in her entire life that God sent to her.
“The competition will be held at the Plaza Hotel in center city, on a Saturday night---November 11
th
. Which give us just under a month to practice. I know the routine already, but you’ll be starting from scratch, and we both will have to
practice the lifts. This will take a lot of time” Quick, 2012: 184.
B. The Analysis of Pat Solitano’s Conflict
In this part, the writer finds the conflicts experienced by main character and the writer also explains each conflict in detail. As Robert and Jacobs state that every
human always has conflict in his life. Conflict may also happen between individual or even group, such as natural object, ideas, and the like 1978: 87-88.
a. A struggle fate of Destiny
When he was in Baltimore Mental Illness Hospital he kept thinking about Nikki. He likes reading a book especially on Nikki’s syllabus, he has plan to get back
together with Nikki. He believes in silver linings, that at the end of his recovery, he will be back together with Nikki. That is why he wants to be a better person for Nikki
and be a good husband for her. “Here’s another surprise: I’m going to read all the novels on her American
literature class syllabus, just to make her proud, to let her know that I am really interested in what she loves and I am making a real effort to salvage our marriage,
that’s part of my plan, anyway” Quick, 2012: 10.
“One with a love story if possible, because I really need to study love---so I can be a better husband when Nikki comes back” Quick, 2012: 21.
Pat forces his self to read a lot of book just to make Nikki happy, even Nikki does not know it. He reads A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, which is one of
Nikki syllabus. He reads all the chapters and he mad at Hemingway because the ending is not what he wants to. It was the silver lining these people deserved after
struggling to survive the gloomy war. He cries so hard because he cannot imagine if that tragedy happens between he and Nikki. He makes a promise to himself that when
the apart time ends, he wants to have a baby with Nikki because Nikki wants a baby but Pat is too busy with his work, so that Nikki will love him again.
“I decide that when apart time is done, I will make a daughter with Nikki ASAP, because nothing has made me even close to this happy since apart time began”
Quick, 2012: 91.
“I like throwing the football with Jake and Scott because it makes me feel like a boy, and when I was a boy I was the person Nikki fell in love with” Quick, 2012:
103.
Pat believes that if he can be a better person, losing his weight, being kind, Nikki will love him again like they used to be. From the text above, Pat experiences a
conflict. He does not see the reality that Nikki already has new family. The conflict that is faced by Pat is a struggle against fate of destiny based on Holman and Harmon
in A Handbook to Literature. It is considered as conflict because Pat has to make decision whether he believes in his silver linings or his therapist. Pat’s interest only
happens in Pat’s mind and it does not happen between Pat and Nikki in reality.
b. A struggle against another person
Tiffany is the only woman that is really close with Pat because they become a dance partner on Dance Away Depression Competition. Pat never thinks to find
another woman to replace Nikki. But, when he met Tiffany at Ronnie’s house on dinner party, everything has changed. He admits that Tiffany is beautiful, with
seductive appearance. But once again Pat still thinks about Nikki. Pat is afraid if he keeps thinking of Tiffany, the apart time will never be done and Pat will never back
together with Nikki. “A wave lifts me up, and when I come down over the other side, I am surprised
that our faces are very close. For a second Tiffany reminds me so much of Nikki, I worry we might accidentally kiss, but Tiffany swims a few feet away from me
before this happens, and I am thankful” Quick, 2012: 93.
“Plus, I’m starting to think Tiffany is the only one who might understand, since she seems to have similar problem and is always exploding, like on the beach
when Veronica slipped and mentioned Tiffany’s therapist in front of me” Quick, 2012: 116.
Tiffany’s character makes Pat adore her, even Pat is still thinking about Nikki but Tiffany’s presence gives impact for Pat’s healing. After knowing Tiffany’s character,
Pat does not think to reunite with Nikki, anymore. From the statement above about Pat’s feelings toward Tiffany, Pat wants to have more time with Tiffany, he starts
feeling comfortable with someone. “She has on too much makeup, as usual. She looks sad. She looks angry. She
looks different from everyone else I know she cannot put on that happy face others wear when they know they are being watched. She doesn’t put on a face
for me, which makes me trust her somehow” Quick, 2012: 116.
Pat starts to see Tiffany as a different person. He looks at her appearance, adores her. He thinks that Tiffany is the only person that he could tell her everything. Tiffany
always says what in her mind, and she will say whatever she want to say. That makes Pat feel comfortable with her because he feel that everybody around him tries not to
make Pat angry or sad about any idea. Pat needs someone that being honest, who does no pretend anything.
“I keep wishing Tiffany was running with me so I might talk to her and tell her how I feel, which is a strange desire since she usually never says much in
response, and the last time I tried to talk to her about my problems, she started cursing very loudly in a public place and said some really awful things about
Nikki. Still, I am starting to feel as though Tiffany is my best friend, which is sort of strange and scary” Quick, 2012: 143.
Pat sees Tiffany as a honest person, because only Tiffany who tells Pat about his awful past through letters. It is based on Holman and Harmon, the conflict that is
faced by Pat is a struggle against another person because he should choose between
two alternatives whether he keeps thinking that his silver linings is reunite with his ex-wife or move one and find another and face the reality that he never ever getting
back together with Nikki. Also the conflict can be define as struggle against fate or destiny, because he tries to make his own future without thinking about reality. The
basic problem is because he cannot accept the reality that makes his life different from his dream and imagination.
C. The Influence of Tiffany’s Character
