Review of Related Studies

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CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Studies

Lemony Snicket a.k.a Daniel Handler is a writer who has three identities. He has published two novels for adults, The Basic Eight and Watch Your Mouth http:www.iblist.com 2 October 2012. He has also published eleven of the planned thirteen books in a series for children called A Series of Unfortunate Events under the name of Lemony Snicket. This is the first time for Lemony Snicket in writing children novel, a novel which begins and ends in bad conditions or events, a novel which is very different from other children books which always have happy ending, but not for this novel. The writer used the first novel by Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning. There is a view and opinion about the novel A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Christian Perring in his website, This story acknowledges the existence of terrible events and does not pretend that everything always turns out for the best in the end; that is both refreshing, and might even make this book good for the moral education of children. Children who have themselves suffered the loss of parents might especially find some comfort in the story of the Baudelaire children. Adults whose imaginations have not become completely shriveled should also take great pleasure in this book. http:metapsychology.mentalhelp.net 10 October 2012. In this statement, Perring showed that life is not always end in happiness. Life is not like a story which has happy ending. It is a good book for readers especially for children, because the book gives moral education to readers. This book has a fresh idea in its story while some other books have almost the same idea, which is happy in the end. Peering showed that children who have the real condition like Baudelaire children will feel comfort because someone who has the same story of Baudelaire children will understand how it feels the suffering of losing their parents. There is also an opinion about the novel by Natasha Godeliva in her undergraduate thesis entitled ‘The Message As Revealed by The Characters’ Series of Tragedy in Lem ony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning”. She stated that In conclusion, the children’s struggle to reach their will to be free from Count Olaf’s control reveals some moral values. Although the children are innocent and they are not deserved to experience a series of tragedy, they still struggle to face and solve their problems. The struggle they show reveal some moral values to the reader that misfortune may also befall to anyone else in sudden and even though the situation is very hard to compete, it is better to try to solve it rather than run away and surrender from that problem Godeliva, 2011: 62. In her analysis, Godeliva showed some moral values. There are two messages that Godeliva tries to reveal in her analysis. The first messages she revealed is that misfortune may happen to anyone, even to good people. Everyone in this world may suffer from misfortune like Baudelaire children no matter how kind or bad they are. The second message is that someone should not surrender before they are trying. This message shows that someone needs to struggle to face their problem. There are some people who run away or surrender on their problem because they do not know what to do. The way the children overcome with their problems can be the lesson of life for the readers. Godeliva tried to show the fact that we cannot have everything we want. We need to face and struggle with our condition or problem. This is an opinion on A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Barbara Smith Chalou. She stated that In some respects, these literary characters suffer all the abuses and neglect of the Stuwwelpeter’s character, but the differences are evident. Charlie Bucket, Harry Potter, and the Baudelaire orphans suffer abuse and neglect from truly evil villains and these outside forces are eventually punished from their misdeeds. Justice prevails. Punishing the evil force offers the young reader a satisfying closure that is congruent with Lawrence’s theory of moral development in children. Children in pre-conventional stage of their moral behavior believe that evil behavior is the result of obedience or of avoidance of the evil implicit in disobedience google.book.com Struwwelpeter: Humor Or Horror?: 160 Years Later 10 October 2013. In the preceding quotation, Chalou states that the children, the characters in the story, are suffering all the abuses and negligence, but in the end, the justice will prevail. In this quotation, Chalou states that justice prevails. The readers are being taught some moral lessons about good and bad behavior. The readers will understand which one is good to do and which one must be avoided to do. There is also review from Ana Mardoll in her website about the novel by Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning. She wrote, However, the story is engaging and well-told and its impossible to not be drawn into the drama of the Baudelaire orphans as they struggle to survive in the wake of their parents deaths. The children are wonderfully characterized, and it is such a breath of fresh air to have Violet as an active female character who invents things and scales towers; and brother Klaus is a delightful support character as the brainy bookworm who digs through libraries for answers to help the children out of peril. And, of course, Sunny the biter adds a great deal to the story with her loosely translated shrieks and baby gurgles http:www.anamardoll.com 10 October 2012. In her review, Mardoll explained about the struggling of Baudelaire c hildren. Baudelaire children must struggle in Count Olaf’s house with all his heavy chores. Mardoll also showed the wonderful characteristics of Baudelaire children. In her review, Mardoll tried to show the impressive Baudelaire children’s characteristics struggling in Count Olaf’s house. Mardoll shows how Baudelaire children can move on after the death of their parents and how Baudelaire children can struggle in Count Olaf’s house. In this study, the writer focuses on the different viewpoint, which is the failure of Count Olaf in the story. In the novel, Violet Baudelaire, as the oldest child of the Baudelaire’s family, always get bad treatments from Count Olaf as her guardian because she was the heir of the Baudelaire’s fortune. Count Olaf always tries to capture Baudelaire’s fortune in many ways. The writer tries to look at Count Olaf’s view point and reveals his characteristics. Also, the writer tries to reveal Count Olaf’s failures in this novel.

B. Review of Related Theories