Messages revealed from Anna`s relationships with her family as seen in Jodi Picoult`s My Sister`s Keeper.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
MESSAGES REVEALED FROM ANNA’S
RELATIONSHIPS WITH HER FAMILY AS SEEN IN
JODI PICOULT’S MY SISTER’S KEEPER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING
Student Number: 084214090
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
MESSAGES REVEALED FROM ANNA’S
RELATIONSHIPS WITH HER FAMILY AS SEEN IN
JODI PICOULT’S MY SISTER’S KEEPER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING
Student Number: 084214090
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare honestly that the thesis I wrote does not contain the
works or part of the works of other people, except those cited in the quotations
and the references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, February 04, 2013
The writer,
Pebriani Lumban Tobing
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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIK
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama
: Pebriani Lumban Tobing
Nomor Mahasiswa
: 084214090
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
Messages Revealed from Anna’s Relationships with Her Family as Seen in
Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan
kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,
mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan
data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau
media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya
maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya
sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal : 04 Februari 2013
Yang menyatakan,
(Pebriani Lumban Tobing)
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There is no place like home
-unknown-
Love is more important than law
(Jodi Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:7)
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This undergraduate thesis is dedicated for
my caring parents
and my beloved brother and sister
in the hope for a better future
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ for
His blessings. I believe He never leaves me because I am nothing without Him. I
also thank Mother Mary for her mercies. Without them I would never be able to
face my weaknesses. I thank them for guiding me in finishing my thesis.
I realize that this thesis would not be done without the help of my
advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum., I really thank her for her guidance and
help during my thesis writing. I would like to thank her for being so patient with
my weakness and giving me suggestions. I also thank Linda Valentina Budiman,
S.S., M.Hum., for her guidance and her kindness since I started my study. For all
of my lectures and academic staff in English Letters Department of Sanata
Dharma University, I give my great thanks for their guidance during my study.
Then, I would like to give my big thanks to my family, who cares about
me. I thank my beloved father, Nelson Tobing, and my mother, Marina Sijabat,
for their endless love, attention, support, and prayer. I also thank my brother,
Maruli Tobing, and my sister, Sesilia Tobing, for their attention and
encouragement. I love them so much. I thank my cousins kak Nanik and kak Ully,
thank for the attention and the encouragement.
I thank emak Siska, bang Jefry, Palute crebow, Vita cipit, Riris ndut, jeng
Cicil, and koko Gustin for being my best friends in English Letters. I also thank
‘Argulo 11e’ family, Niken, Tika, Dewi, Dilla, Essy, and mbak Inna for their
friendship and togetherness. I thank kak Dian for her encouragement and her
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kindness since I was in Yogya. Besides, I would also thank my friends in English
Letter ’08 and those whose names I could not mention one by one for the help and
support.
Pebriani Lumban Tobing
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ....................................................................................................
APPROVAL PAGE ..........................................................................................
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ......................................................................................
STATEMENT PAGE ........................................................................................
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PUBLIKASI .........................................................
MOTTO PAGE .................................................................................................
DEDICATION PAGE .......................................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................
ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................
ABSTRAK .........................................................................................................
i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
x
xii
xiii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................
A. Background of the Study ....................................................................
B. Problem Formulation .........................................................................
C. Objectives of the Study ......................................................................
D. Definition of Terms ...........................................................................
1
1
4
4
5
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW .....................................................
A. Review of Related Studies .................................................................
B. Review of Related Theories ...............................................................
1. Theory of Character and characterization .....................................
2. Theory of Family Relationship .....................................................
3. Theory of Message ........................................................................
C. Theoretical Framework ......................................................................
7
7
9
9
12
13
15
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .................................................................
A. Object of the Study ............................................................................
B. Approach of the Study .......................................................................
C. Method of the Study ..........................................................................
16
16
18
19
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ..............................................................................
A. The Description of the Characters ......................................................
1. The Characterization of Anna .......................................................
2. The Characterization of Sara ........................................................
3. The Characterization of Brian ......................................................
4. The Characterization of Kate ........................................................
5. The Characterization of Jesse .......................................................
21
21
21
24
29
32
34
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B. The Relationships between Anna and her family ................................
1. The Relationship between Anna and Sara .....................................
2. The Relationship between Anna and Brian ...................................
3. The Relationship between Anna and Kate ....................................
4. The Relationship between Anna and Jesse ....................................
C. The Moral Messages ...........................................................................
1. Listen to Others ............................................................................
2. Tell the Truth ................................................................................
3. Do not Endanger Others ................................................................
36
36
38
39
40
41
42
44
46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 48
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 53
APPENDIX: Summary of My Sister’s Keeper .................................................... 55
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ABSTRACT
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING. Messages Revealed from Anna’s
Relationships with Her Family as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma
University, 2013.
My Sister’s Keeper is a novel written by Jodi Picoult. This novel tells
about Anna, a thirteen years old girl, who becomes her sister’s keeper for almost
all her life. Her sister, Kate, got acute leukemia. Since Kate was diagnosed of
leukemia, her parents design Anna to save Kate. At the moments after her birth,
she has done a marrow transplant. All treatments she has done were her mother’s
wish and without her agreed. One day, Sara, her mother, asks her to donate her
kidney for Kate. However, Anna does not want to give her kidney. She wants her
rights for her own body so that she sues her parents for medical emancipation.
There are three problems formulated in this thesis. The first problem is
how the characters are characterized. The second is about the Anna’s relationships
with her family, those are between Anna and her mother; Anna and her father;
Anna and her sister; and Anna and her brother. The third is what messages
revealed from Anna’s relationships with her family.
This study uses the library research method. The writer tries to seek all
data and other supported references from the library that can be used for the
analysis. Meanwhile, the approach used in this study is formalist approach
because this study analyzes the literary work based on its intrinsic element.
The result of the study shows that Anna is vigilant, courageous, and
jealous. Sara’s characterizations are stubborn, strong, and selfish. In contrast,
Brian is attentive, fair, and wise. Kate’s characterizations are physically weak,
inferior, and desperate. Jesse is brutal, jealous, and stubborn. Since Anna decides
not to be a donor for Kate any more, the relationship between Anna and Sara
becomes cool. Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation. On the other side,
the relationship between Anna and Brian runs well. Brian gives Anna freedom for
her rights and decision. The reason Anna sued her parents is Kate. Anna and Kate
are close and nobody knows that Kate asks Anna not to give her kidney. Actually,
in the beginning the relationship Anna and Jesse are not really close but they care
each other as because they both need more attention from their mother. However,
the writer finds the messages for the readers to listen to others, tell the truth, and
do not endanger others.
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ABSTRAK
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING. Messages Revealed from Anna’s
Relationships with Her Family as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper.
Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma,
2013.
My Sister’s Keeper adalah sebuah novel karya Jodi Picoult. Novel ini
bercerita tentang Anna, seorang gadis berumur 13 tahun yang hampir selama
hidupnya menjadi penjaga kakak perempuannya. Kakak perempuannya, Kate,
menderita leukemia akut. Sejak Kate didiagnosa leukemia, orang tuanya
merancang Anna untuk menyelamatkan Kate. Beberapa saat setelah dia lahir,
Anna sudah menjalani transplantasi sumsum tulang. Semua pengobatan yang
Anna jalani adalah kehendak ibunya dan tanpa ada persetujuan sebelumnya dari
Anna. Suatu hari, Sara, ibunya, memintanya untuk menyumbangkan salah satu
ginjalnya untuk Kate. Namun, Anna tidak ingin memberikannya. Dia
menginginkan hak atas tubuhnya sendiri sehingga menggugat orang tuanya agar
memperoleh emansipasi medis.
Ada tiga rumusan masalah dalam skripsi ini. Rumusan masalah pertama
ialah bagaimana tokoh-tokoh di deskripsikan. Rumusan masalah kedua ialah
hubungan Anna dengan keluarganya, yaitu hubungan antara Anna dan ibunya;
Anna dan ayahnya; Anna dan kakak perempuannya; dan Anna dan kakak lakilakinya. Rumusan masalah ketiga ialah pesan-pesan apa saja yang diungkapkan
dari hubungan Anna dengan keluarganya.
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Penulis mencoba mencari
data dan referensi pendukung lainnya dari perpustakaan yang dapat digunakan
untuk analisis. Sedangkan, pendekatan yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah
pendekatan formalis karena analisa karya sastra berdasarkan unsur intrinsiknya.
Hasil dari studi ini menunjukkan bahwa Anna adalah seorang yang
waspada, berani, dan pencemburu. Karakeristik Sara yaitu ibu yang keras kepala,
kuat, dan egois. Sebaliknya, Brian adalah ayah yang penuh perhatian, adil, dan
bijaksana. Karakteristik Kate yaitu lemah, rendah diri, dan putus asa. Jesse
memiliki karakteristik yang brutal, pencemburu, dan keras kepala. Sejak Anna
memutuskan untuk tidak menjadi donor bagi kakaknya, hubungan Anna dengan
Sara menjadi dingin, Anna menggugat orang tua atas kebebasan medis. Berbeda
dengan Sara, hubungan Anna dengan Brian tetap berjalan dengan baik, Brian
memberi kebebasan atas hak dan keputusan Anna. Kate adalah alasan Anna
menggugat orang tuanya. Hubungan mereka sangat dekat dan tidak ada yang
mengetahui bahwa Kate-lah yang meminta Anna untuk tidak mendonorkan
ginjalnya. Hubungan Anna dan Jesse awalnya tidak terlalu akrab, namun
kurangnya perhatian yang lebih dari ibunya membuat mereka saling peduli. Oleh
karena itu, penulis menemukan pesan-pesan untuk dipetik oleh pembaca untuk
mendengarkan orang lain, menyatakan kebenaran, dan jangan membahayakan
orang lain.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study
Literature is writings that are valued as works of art. By reading literary
works, the readers can learn literature itself and also about events and issues in it.
In literature, there are several types such as short story, poetry, novel and drama
or play. In this study, the writer wants to analyze the novel. It is a piece of prose
fiction, but its length is greater than the short story so that it deals with more
characters and more situations.
Henkle stated that “reading a novel is also a private experience, in which
one moves at one’s own pace, pausing at times to muse upon the book’s creations,
to daydream about the novel’s people or action, to incorporate what one has read
and thought about into one’s own memory. The process of reading a novel
induces the reader’s imagination to spread out; the act of witnessing a stage play
usually requires the spectator to focus his attention” (1977: 25).
One of the ways people can learn from literature is through the message.
According to Moody in The Teaching of Literature, literary work always offers
moral messages connected with human’s noble behaviors, struggle for the right
and dignity of human being (1971: 48). This study discusses massages from
literary work, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, specifically for the relationship.
In Human Relations: Personal and Professional Development, DeCenzo and
Silhanek stated
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2
Human relations is the composite of interactions that exist between people
in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. Studying human
relations helps us understand ourselves and learn how to interact properly
with others (2002: 2).
In this study, the writer wants to find out what the messages revealed
Anna’s relationships with her family, those are relation Anna with her mother
Sara, Anna with her sister Kate, Anna with her father Brian, and Anna with her
brother Jesse. In this case, people can learn messages from the family relationship.
This study discusses the mother-child, father-child, and sibling relationships. A
family influences each other. Parke and Tinsley (1987) in Noller and Fitzpatrick’s
book, Communication in Family Relationships said that
Fathers can affect the way mothers interact with children through the level
of support they provide for mother. Mothers can affect fathers’ interactions
with children by exerting control over the quantity and quality of fatherchild interaction. Children can also affect the marital relationship between
the parents and the quality of marriage impacts the interaction with the
children (1993: 197-198).
The writer tries to tell the readers how the relationships Anna with her
family revealed. By finding their personality, the writer knows their
characteristics. According to Abrams, “characters are the persons presented in a
dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed
with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say – the
dialogue – and by what they do – the action” (1981: 20).
Furthermore, by knowing the characteristics, the writer can find their
relation, and from those relations the writer concludes the messages. The message
in the work of art deals with the perspective about the good thing. Kenney stated
that when people are talking about message, they are also discussing about moral.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
3
It can be said briefly that generally moral means a teaching of good and bad
(Kenney, 1966: 89). It indirectly can be something that might author wants to
convey to the readers.
My sister’s Keeper told about Anna, the main character, who did not get
her rights for own body because she has to contribute her part of the body
continuously to her elder sister, Kate. Kate was diagnosed a serious disease when
she was two, she has acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). It was difficult to be
cured. Then the doctor suggested Sara and Brian to do genetic planning, that was
creating baby for health purposes. The fact that the only reason Anna was born is
as a harvest crop for Kate.
From those, the writer took conclusion as the message about this
characters relationship. From My Sister’s Keeper, the readers can learn about
messages of relationship. Every lives in family, has relation with other. This study
possibility gives the same relationship that happen around us. This novel is about
family, parenthood and siblinghood. Anna who was thirteen decided to sue her
parents for her rights. She was born for keeper her sister. Whereas, there were
written ‘the only way to save your daughter is to sacrifice her sister’. Although
she sued her parents, she was still live together as usual.
The readers may have different opinion about Anna’s decision. People can
do what they think it is good, but sometimes what we think that is good, it does
not mean that it is also good for the others. Good for one might be bad in society.
There is freedom for the readers to interpret it. It just shows what is good or bad,
what is right or wrong for them.
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4
The reason in doing the research on message is generally giving the
readers lesson about life, even daily relation. The Fitzgeralds is a nuclear family.
The message can be learned from the relationship Anna with her family in this My
Sister’s Keeper novel. It is not only Anna’s relationship with her sister, who need
her donation, but also with her mother, father, and brother.
B. Problem Formulation
In this study, there are three problems to be examined. The first problem is
purposed to examine the intrinsic element of the novel, and the next problems are
purposed to examine the extrinsic element of the novel. The three problems were
formulated as follows.
1.
How are the characters described in the novel?
2.
How are the relationships between Anna and her family revealed in this
novel?
3.
What are the messages revealed from Anna’s relationships with her family in
the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to present the messages of the relationships on
Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper. The objectives of the study presented the
answers of the questions stated in the problem formulation. The first is to describe
the characteristics of the characters in the novel, they are Anna, Sara, Kate, Brian,
and Jesse.
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5
The second objective, the writer tries to explain the relationships between
Anna and her family. Those are relationship between Anna with her parents, Sara
and Brian, and the relationship Anna with her siblings, Kate and Jesse. Finally,
the writer tries to identify the messages revealed from Anna’s relationship with
her family.
D. Definition of Terms
There are some technical terms listed to be clarified to avoid
misunderstanding in this study.
1.
Message
Beaty and Hunter in New World of Literature give the explanation on
messages as the actual meaning or some easy conclusions that can be simply
stated or summarized inside a work of art (1989: 899). While, in Longman
Dictionary of Contemporary English stated that message is the main or most
important idea that someone is trying to tell people about in a book (Gadsby,
2001: 1140).
2.
Relationship
In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English stated that relationship
is the way in which two people or two groups behave towards each other; the way
is which two or more things are connected and affect each other; a situation in
which two people spend time together or live together; the way in which you are
related to someone in your family (Gadsby, 2001: 1521). The term relationship
relates to human relation. In Human Relations: Personal and Professional
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
6
Development, Human relations is the composite of interactions that exist between
people in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. Human relations
helps us understand ourselves and learn how to interact with others (DeCenzo &
Silhanek, 2002: 2). In other word, relationship is a relation or interaction people
with others.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
My sister’s Keeper is written by Jodi Picoult and first published in 2004. It
represented the relationship in a family. The Fitzgeralds, consisting of the father
(Brian), mother (Sara) and 2 their children (Jesse and Kate). The problem
occurred in this family when Kate, who was two, was diagnosed a serious disease.
She always became the only important in this family. The writer tried to find the
message through their relationship.
Kate needed an organ donor for her Leukemia but her brother, Jesse, was
not a suitable donor. The other way was Sara and Brian did the doctor’s advice to
do the genetic planning. That was the reason Anna was born to be a donor for her
sister, Kate. Araujo in his article Bioethical Education on Deliberation: The View
of Novel explained that Anna was born to be another. She did not live as herself.
My Sister’s Keeper, a novel by Jody Picoult, makes us see this process of
building identity through narratives told by the different characters that
attest the Self that states here is where I stand, the Self that remains as time
goes by, the Self that keeps the promise of being Oneself as Another. All
the narratives embedded in Picoult’s novel are thus linked by the
hermeneutical process that created them, that is represented by them and
that they in turn ask from the readers (Araujo: 21 December 2012).
Anna was born for a very specific purpose. She was not the result of a
cheap bottle of wine or a full moon or the heat of the moment. In article Searching
for Otherness: An Ethical View of a Novel, Magalhaes stated that Sara and Brian
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8
have the right to choose whether they would design a baby or let Kate wait for a
suitable donor.
When the Fitzgeralds decide to have another child to save Kate, they act
out of the assumption that they have the right to choose between having
another child or letting Kate wait for a donor and probably die
(Magalhaes: 21 December 2012).
Actually, their decision to do genetic planning was not wrong. They have the
rights and purpose. They wanted to save their dying daughter. However, My
Sister’s Keeper was not only about love and sacrifice but also sisterhood. There
was love in the Fitzgeralds, but it needed to sacrifice someone. Dilemma appeared
when Sara might sacrifice Anna for Kate’s life. Anna was not sick physically but
all her mother did to take her for Kate made Anna felt sick mentally. In fact, for
almost thirteen years Anna has done a lot of treatments for Kate. Besides, she did
not get her rights as a daughter. She needed more attention from her mother, but it
did not because her mother focused on Kate.
Bekti Kristiani in her undergraduate thesis entitled “The Meanings of a
Mother’s Love to Her Dying Daughter as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s My Sister
Keeper” discussed about the relationship.
To know the deep meanings of Sara’s love, it is important to understand
the relationship between Sara and her children. As mother’s love and
mother-children relationship are parts of psychological aspect, it deals with
mind and how it influences behavior (Kristiani: 2010).
Although Kristiani analyzed the relationship in same novel, it is different
from this study. She analyzed the relationship Sara with her children through
psychological point of view, while this study is analyzed through the intrinsic
element.
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9
As Kristiani said in her study, there was love between mother and her
dying daughter, Kate. It is not wrong to love a child but not too much, it is also
not wrong to love all children but equally. She has rights to get attention from
mother as much as her sister get. Children need more care in home, it could be
from their mother and father.
From those criticisms above, My Sister's Keeper showed how to be a good
parent, a good sister, a good person. However, none of those studies found the
messages from the relationships as represented by Anna Fitzgerald and her family.
Therefore, to make this study different from other studies, the writer found the
messages revealed from Anna’s relationships with her family.
B. Review of Related Theories
1.
Theory of Character and Characterization
Character in a literary work is very important. Without a character, the story
will not run. Based on A Glossary of Literary Terms, Abrams said that the
character is a distinctive type of person in prose (1981: 20). He also said
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are
interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional
qualities that are expressed in what they say – he dialogue – and by they do –
the action (1981: 20).
While, in A Handbook to Literature, Holman and Harmon described character
is a complicated term that includes the idea of the human personality and the
presence of creature in art that seem to be human beings of one sort or another,
they are exist in the imagination of the readers (1986: 81).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
10
Character is a term applied to a literary from that flourished in England and
France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is a brief descriptive
SKETCH of a personage who typifies some definite quality. The person is
described not as an individualized personality but as an example of some vice
or virtue or type, such as a busybody, a glutton, a fob, a bumpkin, a garrulous
old man, a happy milkmaid, etc (1986: 81).
According Rohrberger and Woods, characterization is the process by which
an author creates a character, the devices that make us believe a character is the
particular type of person he is (1971: 80). Character comes from the author who
makes kinds of personality are there.
Murphy in Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and
the English Novels for Overseas Students mentioned nine ways in which an author
attempts to make his or her characters understandable to, and come alive for
readers. Those nine ways are.
a. Personal Description
“The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes” (1972: 161). In
the novel, the author usually wrote down the character’s appearance. This is
the characteristic the readers easy to know.
b. Character Seen by another
“Instead of describing a character directly the author can describe him
through the eyes and opinions of another” (1972: 162). By the other
character, the readers will get the characters characteristic, there are some
clues that the reader know by another character.
c. Speech
“The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in
the book through what the person says. Whenever the person speaks,
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
11
whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an
opinion, he is giving us some clue to his character” (1972: 164). The readers
know the characteristic from the attitude of the way the character speech to
the other.
d. Past life
“By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life the author
can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape person’s person
character. This can be done by direct comment by the author, through the
person’s thoughts, through his conversation or through the medium of another
person” (1972: 166). The author gives the readers clue through past
experience that influenced the personality of the characters.
e. Conversation of others
“The author can also give us clue to a person’s character through the
conversation of other people and the things they say about him. People do
talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to the
character of the person spoken about” (1972: 167). The conversation is
important. The readers will know how the character’s characteristic through
the conversation the character spoken about.
f. Reactions
“The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know
how that person reacts to various situations and events” (1972: 168). The
author describes how the characters deal with situation and problem they
faced. The reader will get the characteristic through that reaction.
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g. Direct comment
“The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly” (1972:
170). The author writes the characteristic directly by his opinion or comment,
so the reader is easily to know the characteristic because it is shown in the
novel.
h. Thoughts
“The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about.
In this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell us
what different people are thinking” (1972: 171). The author writes the
character’s mind. The readers know the characteristic through that person’s
thinking of.
i. Mannerisms
“The author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies
which may also tell us something about his character” (Murphy, 1972: 173).
The readers know the character from the behavior, habit and attitude of the
character’s daily life.
2.
Theory of Family Relationships
Family consists of the father, mother and child. The relationship is important
for other. In Marriage and the Family, Leclercq said that “child is a human
person. By bringing him into the world, parents contract toward him the
obligation of rearing him in a manner that will enable him to face life in his turn.
Parents are responsible for their offspring. Upon them rests the complete
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responsibility for a human being who has come into this world only because his
parents brought him into it (1942: 351).
From statement above, the relationship begins from the parents, and the
parents are responsible for their child. Parents teach their children and the children
do what the parents teach. The writer sees the relationship in family is important
for the children. It can influence for children communication and their society.
Ellis in On Life and Sex stated the parents are deeply attached to their
children, who still remain children to them even when they are grown up. The
parents always guide and protect them to enjoy their society and their aid, and
they expect that their children shall continue indefinitely to remain children. On
their side, the children remain and will always remain tenderly attached to their
parents (1957: 18-19). He also said that the relationship between parent and child
is as one of mutual affection and care and the relationship should continue to exist
as a tie (1957: 21).
Furthermore, care shows love. Kelsey said that listening is so important to
love. Loving means giving others the concern, appreciation and understanding
that they need. We need to listen to everyone whom we would care for or love
(Kelsey, 1981: 67-68, 85). It is needed in the family relationship. Without that the
relation might not run well. Love and care are the key in a family.
3.
Theory of Message
Every literary work contains of message, including novel. According to
Hudson in An Introduction to the Study of Literature, he stated that “a good
message is a message that discloses new large possibility by using their work. In
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14
fact, he even tries to create those possibilities themselves. A good message does
not tend to follow general pattern or norm but it creates new pattern based on
human values (1958: 23).
As that statement, a good message based on human values so the readers can
get perspective about what the good is. While, Beaty and Hunter said messages
are as actual meaning or some easy conclusions that can be simply stated or
summarized inside a work of art (1989: 899). Moody in The Teaching of
Literature, literary work always offers moral messages connected with human’s
behavior and the right of human being (1971: 48).
According to Esten (1990: 22) in Kesusastraan: Pengantar Teori dan
Sejarah, there are two ways to reveal a message:
a. Directly (explicitly)
In this method, the author reveals the message (advices, teaching, etc) directly
to the reader through the direct comments which are inserted as part of the
story by the author. The purpose of this method is that readers get the
message easily.
b. Indirectly (implicitly)
In this method, the author does not reveal the message directly. Instead, the
author reveals it through other elements of the literary work, such as the
series of events, conflicts, characters, and the character’s attitude toward
conflicts. The readers interpret and conclude what the story actually tells
them about. The author gives the readers freedom to interpret the story,
without being burdened with the author’s teachings and opinion.
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15
From Esten’s statement it is clear that in the direct method, the message is in
the form of the author’s direct comment and the readers can easily find the
message. While in the indirect method, the message has no visible form and the
readers are interpreted the message through other elements of the story, such as
plot, characters, and conflict. Therefore, one literary work may contain various
messages because the readers can find it by analyzing the elements of that literary
work.
C. Theoretical Framework
There
are
theories
needed,
such
as
theory
of
character
and
characterization, theory relationship, and theory message. The theory of character
and characterization are suitable to answer the first question in problem
formulation. By applying this theory, the writer will be able to describe the
characteristics of the character.
Theory of family relationship is used to answer the second problem
formulation. This theory will help the writer to see the character’s personalities by
their behaviors and attitudes in the family. The writer will able draw how the
relationship that revealed from the Fitzgeralds.
The theory of message is used to answer the third problem formulation. By
knowing the theory, the writer tries to find what the good and bad in which the
novel. This theory will help the writer to find good message in the novel to the
readers by family relationships. All theories that the writer has explained are
related to each other. One theory supports each other and it helps the writer to find
the answer of this analysis.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
This thesis is going to analyse one of Jodi Picoult’s novel entitled My
Sister’s Keeper. Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of twenty novels: Songs of
t he
Humpback
Whale (1992),
Harvesting
the
Heart (1993),
Picture
Perfect (1995), Mercy (1996), The Pact (1998), Keeping Faith (1999), Plain
Truth (2000), Salem Falls (2001), Perfect Match (2002), Second Glance (2003),
My Sister's Keeper (2004), Vanishing Acts (2005), The Tenth Circle (2006),
Nineteen Minutes (2007), Wonder Woman: Love and Murder (2007), Change of
Heart (2008), Handle With Care (2009), House Rules (2010), Sing You
Home (2011), and her newest novel, Lone Wolf (2012).
In 2003, she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction.
She has also been the recipient an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library
Services Association, sponsored by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust and
Booklist, one of ten books written for adults that have special appeal for young
adults; the Book Browse Diamond Award for novel of the year; a lifetime
achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America;
Cosmopolitan magazine’s ‘Fearless Fiction’ Award 2007; Waterstone’s Author of
the Year in the UK, a Vermont Green Mountain Book Award, a Virginia Reader’s
Choice Award, the Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award, and a
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award. She wrote five issues of the Wonder Woman
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
17
comic book series for DC Comics. Her books are translated into thirty four
languages in thirty five countries. She received an honorary Doctor of Letters
degree from Dartmouth College in 2010 and another from the University of New
Haven in 2012 (Picoult: 7 May 2012).
My Sister’s Keeper is her 11th novel of twenty novels. The novel was
taken from London, first published in Great Britain in 2004 by Hodder &
Stoughton, An Hachette Livre UK company, others first published in America in
2004 by Atria, A division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The writer used the second
edition, publishing in 2008. My sister’s Keeper consists of 407 pages.
This novel was adapted to the American drama film by Jeremy Leven in
2009. This film was directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Cameron Diaz,
Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva, and Alec Baldwin. Based on Jodi Picoult’s
novel of the same name My Sister’s Keeper was released in the United Sattes,
Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom on June 26, 2009.
My Sister’s Keeper is about the Fitzgeralds. They have bad relationships
even though they met every day. Anna, the main character, did not get her rights
for own body because she has to contribute her part of the body continuously to
her elder sister, Kate. Kate was diagnosed a serious disease when she was two,
she has acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). It was difficult to be cured. The
doctor suggested Sara and Brian to do the genetic planning, that was creating baby
for health purposes. The fact that the only reason Anna was born is as a harvest
crop for Kate.
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18
B. Approach of the Study
In order to obtain a deep understanding about literary work, the writer
needed a certain approach to analyze it. This study is connected with messages
through the Fitzgeralds so then writer needs an approach to analyze it. To help
analyzing the messages, formalist approach will be appropriate. This approach
was known as the New Criticism. Bressler in Literary Criticism said they concern
an examination of the work itself and not its historical context or biographical
elements, the New Critics belong to a broad classification of literary criticism
called formalism. Being formalists, the new Critics espouse what many call “the
text and text alone” approach to literary analysis (1992: 39).
According to Guerin, formalist approach is the approach of literary
analysis which analyzes a work in a formalist way and look for elements that
contribute to the uniqueness of the work, such as
structure, shape, interplay interrelationships, denotations and connotations,
contexts, images, symbols, repeated details, climax (rising action, falling
action), denouement balances and tensions, rhythms and rhymes that catch
our attention, sounds that do the same, the speaker’s apparent voice, a
single line – or even a word – set off all by itself (2011: 75).
That statement shows that the formalist approach examines the work itself.
Formalist approach is used in this study because this writer will find the messages
revealed from the relationship. It comes from the intrinsic element of the novel.
Through the characterization and the relationship between Anna and her family, it
can conclude the message. Therefore, formalist approach is used to reveal
message in this study.
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19
C. Method of the Study
To answer the research problems, the method that will be used is library
research. Getting the books that needed and researching in internet. It means that
the writer did research based on books and some sources from the internet
browsing.
There were sources of the research that the writer used. The primary
source was the My Sister’s Keeper novel. The second source was the theories.
There were theory of character and characteristic, theory of relationship, and
theory of message. In term of getting data for this study, the writer used the books,
the books that are used are Reading the Novel, The Teaching of Literature, Human
Relations: Personal and Professional Development, Communication in Family
Relationships, New World of Literature, A Handbook to Literature, Reading and
Writing about Literature, A Glossary of Literary Terms, How to Analyze Fiction,
Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English
Novels for Overseas Students, Marriage and the Family, On Life and Sex, Caring:
How We Love One Another, An Introduction to the Study of Literature,
Kesusastraan: Pengantar Teori dan Sejarah, Literary Criticism: An Introduction
to Theory and Practice, and A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature.
In writing this study, there were some steps that the writer had done. The
first step, the writer was read the novel My Sister’s Keeper several times to have
understanding of the story and the elements in it. By reading, the writer found the
focus of this study about messages through the relationship of the characters. The
second step was collected the data that are related to this study describing about
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
20
character, relationship, and messages. The writer read the references from books
and internet and looked for the some theories which deal with it. The next step
was analyzed the study. The writer wrote the analysis to answer the three problem
formulations. By applying the data that was found, the writer analyzed the study
based on those three problems. Finally the writer took a conclusion. The
conclusion was based on the answer to the problems that related to the topic of the
study.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer divided three parts. The first part is to answer the
first problem formulation about the characters and their characteristics in the
story. The second part describes the relationship between the main character and
her family. The last part takes messages that revealed from those relationships.
A. The Description of the Characters
In this part of analysis, the writer explained the characterization of the
characters in this story. The characters are Anna Fitzgerald, Sara Fitzgerald
(mother), Brian Fitzgerald (father), Kate Fitzgerald (sister), and Jesse Fitzgerald
(brother).
1. The Characterization of Anna Fitzgerald
a. Vigilant
Murphy said to describe a character, his/her characteristic can be found
through the opinions of another (Murpy, 1972: 162). The writer found that Anna
was vigilant through character as seen by the other. Julia Romano came to Anna,
she introduced herself and told Anna that Judge DeSalvo asked to be her guardian
ad litem. Anna was not sure what she said.
‘There was a girl in Brockton who got kidnapped by someone who said
they’d been asked by her mom to pick her up and drive her to the place
where her mom worked’ (p. 107).
It did not matter for Julia that Anna did not believe her that she was a
guardian ad litem. Anna was careful and not easily to trust person whom she had
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
22
just met. It shows the Anna’s thought. Anna was carefull if Julia was a kidnapper
like which happened in Brockton that a girl was kidnapped by someone who
claimed he had ordered by her mom to pick her up.
But there is a part of me already giving Anna credit for being wary: this is
not a child who rushes headlong into situations. If she’s thinking long and
hard about going off with me, presumably she must have thought long and
hard about untangling herself from the net of her family (p. 107).
This was from Julia Romano’s opinion. Julia thought Anna was vigiliant
because she was careful and hardly believe Julia, whom she had just met. Anna
was being wary and thinking long and hard about going off with Julia.
Based on Murpy, characteristic can be given from what person is thinking
of. When Anna first met Julia, she was wary, because Julia was strange for her.
She even could have thought that Julia was a kidnapper. These show Anna was
vigiliant, giving careful attention to what was happening.
b. Courageous
Through how character reacts, the writer can describe the character’s
characteristic (Murpy, 1972: 168). Anna was courageous. She has decided that she
did not want to help Kate’s live any more. She was suing her parents for the rights
to her own body. Actually she was thirteen. A little girl who still needed attention
from her parents but decided to sue her parents.
There is way too much to explain – my own blood seeping into my sister’s
veins; ... The fact that the only reason I was born was as a harvest crop for
Kate... There’s way too much to explain, and so I do the best I can. ‘It’s not
God. Just my parents,’ I say. ‘I want to sue them for the rights to my own
body’ (p. 18).
A thirteen-aged little girl was struggling for her own rights. She wanted to
sue her parents for the right to my own body, although Sara asked her to call off
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
23
the lawsuit. This was a big decision, Anna, a thirteen-aged girl, sued for seeking
medical emancipation from her parents. Although she knew that her mother would
angry to her, she has courage.
Suing her parents, Anna was afraid to meet her mother. The day when the
petition was sent to her parents, she did not want to live at home. She decided to
take a rest with her father in his office. A thirteen-aged little girl was making
decision by herself. She was courageous to encounter her difficulty.
c. Jealous
Sara devoted most of her attention to Kate and ignored Anna’s right. Anna
thought that her mother did not really love her. When Coach Urlicht sent Anna a
note containing that she was accepted into camp, she was happy to hear that
because she likes Hoki very much. However, Anna was not allowed to participate
into the Girls in Goal Summer Hokey Camp by her mother. Whereas, Sara
allowed Kate go to that sleep-away camp, the one for kids with leukemia, when
she was Anna’s age (p. 262).
Anna complained about her mother who did not fair. The reaction showed
that she was jealous. Anna compared herself to Kate. She was jealous because her
mother did not give her permission to join the camp, whereas her mother gave
permission to Kate when she was the same age as Anna.
Until that point, going to Minnesota is not an option. Not because I am
afraid of what might happen to Anna there, but because I am afraid of what
might happen to Kate while her sister is gone. If Kate survives this latest
relapse, who knows how long it will be before another crisis happens? And
when it does, we will need Anna – her blood, her stem cells, her tissue –
right here (p. 263).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
24
Anna was feeling angry and unhappy because
MESSAGES REVEALED FROM ANNA’S
RELATIONSHIPS WITH HER FAMILY AS SEEN IN
JODI PICOULT’S MY SISTER’S KEEPER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING
Student Number: 084214090
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
MESSAGES REVEALED FROM ANNA’S
RELATIONSHIPS WITH HER FAMILY AS SEEN IN
JODI PICOULT’S MY SISTER’S KEEPER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING
Student Number: 084214090
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
i
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ii
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
iii
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare honestly that the thesis I wrote does not contain the
works or part of the works of other people, except those cited in the quotations
and the references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, February 04, 2013
The writer,
Pebriani Lumban Tobing
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIK
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama
: Pebriani Lumban Tobing
Nomor Mahasiswa
: 084214090
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
Messages Revealed from Anna’s Relationships with Her Family as Seen in
Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan
kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,
mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan
data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau
media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya
maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya
sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal : 04 Februari 2013
Yang menyatakan,
(Pebriani Lumban Tobing)
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There is no place like home
-unknown-
Love is more important than law
(Jodi Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:7)
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This undergraduate thesis is dedicated for
my caring parents
and my beloved brother and sister
in the hope for a better future
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ for
His blessings. I believe He never leaves me because I am nothing without Him. I
also thank Mother Mary for her mercies. Without them I would never be able to
face my weaknesses. I thank them for guiding me in finishing my thesis.
I realize that this thesis would not be done without the help of my
advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum., I really thank her for her guidance and
help during my thesis writing. I would like to thank her for being so patient with
my weakness and giving me suggestions. I also thank Linda Valentina Budiman,
S.S., M.Hum., for her guidance and her kindness since I started my study. For all
of my lectures and academic staff in English Letters Department of Sanata
Dharma University, I give my great thanks for their guidance during my study.
Then, I would like to give my big thanks to my family, who cares about
me. I thank my beloved father, Nelson Tobing, and my mother, Marina Sijabat,
for their endless love, attention, support, and prayer. I also thank my brother,
Maruli Tobing, and my sister, Sesilia Tobing, for their attention and
encouragement. I love them so much. I thank my cousins kak Nanik and kak Ully,
thank for the attention and the encouragement.
I thank emak Siska, bang Jefry, Palute crebow, Vita cipit, Riris ndut, jeng
Cicil, and koko Gustin for being my best friends in English Letters. I also thank
‘Argulo 11e’ family, Niken, Tika, Dewi, Dilla, Essy, and mbak Inna for their
friendship and togetherness. I thank kak Dian for her encouragement and her
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
kindness since I was in Yogya. Besides, I would also thank my friends in English
Letter ’08 and those whose names I could not mention one by one for the help and
support.
Pebriani Lumban Tobing
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ....................................................................................................
APPROVAL PAGE ..........................................................................................
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ......................................................................................
STATEMENT PAGE ........................................................................................
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PUBLIKASI .........................................................
MOTTO PAGE .................................................................................................
DEDICATION PAGE .......................................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................
ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................
ABSTRAK .........................................................................................................
i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
x
xii
xiii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................
A. Background of the Study ....................................................................
B. Problem Formulation .........................................................................
C. Objectives of the Study ......................................................................
D. Definition of Terms ...........................................................................
1
1
4
4
5
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW .....................................................
A. Review of Related Studies .................................................................
B. Review of Related Theories ...............................................................
1. Theory of Character and characterization .....................................
2. Theory of Family Relationship .....................................................
3. Theory of Message ........................................................................
C. Theoretical Framework ......................................................................
7
7
9
9
12
13
15
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .................................................................
A. Object of the Study ............................................................................
B. Approach of the Study .......................................................................
C. Method of the Study ..........................................................................
16
16
18
19
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ..............................................................................
A. The Description of the Characters ......................................................
1. The Characterization of Anna .......................................................
2. The Characterization of Sara ........................................................
3. The Characterization of Brian ......................................................
4. The Characterization of Kate ........................................................
5. The Characterization of Jesse .......................................................
21
21
21
24
29
32
34
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B. The Relationships between Anna and her family ................................
1. The Relationship between Anna and Sara .....................................
2. The Relationship between Anna and Brian ...................................
3. The Relationship between Anna and Kate ....................................
4. The Relationship between Anna and Jesse ....................................
C. The Moral Messages ...........................................................................
1. Listen to Others ............................................................................
2. Tell the Truth ................................................................................
3. Do not Endanger Others ................................................................
36
36
38
39
40
41
42
44
46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 48
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 53
APPENDIX: Summary of My Sister’s Keeper .................................................... 55
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ABSTRACT
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING. Messages Revealed from Anna’s
Relationships with Her Family as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma
University, 2013.
My Sister’s Keeper is a novel written by Jodi Picoult. This novel tells
about Anna, a thirteen years old girl, who becomes her sister’s keeper for almost
all her life. Her sister, Kate, got acute leukemia. Since Kate was diagnosed of
leukemia, her parents design Anna to save Kate. At the moments after her birth,
she has done a marrow transplant. All treatments she has done were her mother’s
wish and without her agreed. One day, Sara, her mother, asks her to donate her
kidney for Kate. However, Anna does not want to give her kidney. She wants her
rights for her own body so that she sues her parents for medical emancipation.
There are three problems formulated in this thesis. The first problem is
how the characters are characterized. The second is about the Anna’s relationships
with her family, those are between Anna and her mother; Anna and her father;
Anna and her sister; and Anna and her brother. The third is what messages
revealed from Anna’s relationships with her family.
This study uses the library research method. The writer tries to seek all
data and other supported references from the library that can be used for the
analysis. Meanwhile, the approach used in this study is formalist approach
because this study analyzes the literary work based on its intrinsic element.
The result of the study shows that Anna is vigilant, courageous, and
jealous. Sara’s characterizations are stubborn, strong, and selfish. In contrast,
Brian is attentive, fair, and wise. Kate’s characterizations are physically weak,
inferior, and desperate. Jesse is brutal, jealous, and stubborn. Since Anna decides
not to be a donor for Kate any more, the relationship between Anna and Sara
becomes cool. Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation. On the other side,
the relationship between Anna and Brian runs well. Brian gives Anna freedom for
her rights and decision. The reason Anna sued her parents is Kate. Anna and Kate
are close and nobody knows that Kate asks Anna not to give her kidney. Actually,
in the beginning the relationship Anna and Jesse are not really close but they care
each other as because they both need more attention from their mother. However,
the writer finds the messages for the readers to listen to others, tell the truth, and
do not endanger others.
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ABSTRAK
PEBRIANI LUMBAN TOBING. Messages Revealed from Anna’s
Relationships with Her Family as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper.
Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma,
2013.
My Sister’s Keeper adalah sebuah novel karya Jodi Picoult. Novel ini
bercerita tentang Anna, seorang gadis berumur 13 tahun yang hampir selama
hidupnya menjadi penjaga kakak perempuannya. Kakak perempuannya, Kate,
menderita leukemia akut. Sejak Kate didiagnosa leukemia, orang tuanya
merancang Anna untuk menyelamatkan Kate. Beberapa saat setelah dia lahir,
Anna sudah menjalani transplantasi sumsum tulang. Semua pengobatan yang
Anna jalani adalah kehendak ibunya dan tanpa ada persetujuan sebelumnya dari
Anna. Suatu hari, Sara, ibunya, memintanya untuk menyumbangkan salah satu
ginjalnya untuk Kate. Namun, Anna tidak ingin memberikannya. Dia
menginginkan hak atas tubuhnya sendiri sehingga menggugat orang tuanya agar
memperoleh emansipasi medis.
Ada tiga rumusan masalah dalam skripsi ini. Rumusan masalah pertama
ialah bagaimana tokoh-tokoh di deskripsikan. Rumusan masalah kedua ialah
hubungan Anna dengan keluarganya, yaitu hubungan antara Anna dan ibunya;
Anna dan ayahnya; Anna dan kakak perempuannya; dan Anna dan kakak lakilakinya. Rumusan masalah ketiga ialah pesan-pesan apa saja yang diungkapkan
dari hubungan Anna dengan keluarganya.
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Penulis mencoba mencari
data dan referensi pendukung lainnya dari perpustakaan yang dapat digunakan
untuk analisis. Sedangkan, pendekatan yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah
pendekatan formalis karena analisa karya sastra berdasarkan unsur intrinsiknya.
Hasil dari studi ini menunjukkan bahwa Anna adalah seorang yang
waspada, berani, dan pencemburu. Karakeristik Sara yaitu ibu yang keras kepala,
kuat, dan egois. Sebaliknya, Brian adalah ayah yang penuh perhatian, adil, dan
bijaksana. Karakteristik Kate yaitu lemah, rendah diri, dan putus asa. Jesse
memiliki karakteristik yang brutal, pencemburu, dan keras kepala. Sejak Anna
memutuskan untuk tidak menjadi donor bagi kakaknya, hubungan Anna dengan
Sara menjadi dingin, Anna menggugat orang tua atas kebebasan medis. Berbeda
dengan Sara, hubungan Anna dengan Brian tetap berjalan dengan baik, Brian
memberi kebebasan atas hak dan keputusan Anna. Kate adalah alasan Anna
menggugat orang tuanya. Hubungan mereka sangat dekat dan tidak ada yang
mengetahui bahwa Kate-lah yang meminta Anna untuk tidak mendonorkan
ginjalnya. Hubungan Anna dan Jesse awalnya tidak terlalu akrab, namun
kurangnya perhatian yang lebih dari ibunya membuat mereka saling peduli. Oleh
karena itu, penulis menemukan pesan-pesan untuk dipetik oleh pembaca untuk
mendengarkan orang lain, menyatakan kebenaran, dan jangan membahayakan
orang lain.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study
Literature is writings that are valued as works of art. By reading literary
works, the readers can learn literature itself and also about events and issues in it.
In literature, there are several types such as short story, poetry, novel and drama
or play. In this study, the writer wants to analyze the novel. It is a piece of prose
fiction, but its length is greater than the short story so that it deals with more
characters and more situations.
Henkle stated that “reading a novel is also a private experience, in which
one moves at one’s own pace, pausing at times to muse upon the book’s creations,
to daydream about the novel’s people or action, to incorporate what one has read
and thought about into one’s own memory. The process of reading a novel
induces the reader’s imagination to spread out; the act of witnessing a stage play
usually requires the spectator to focus his attention” (1977: 25).
One of the ways people can learn from literature is through the message.
According to Moody in The Teaching of Literature, literary work always offers
moral messages connected with human’s noble behaviors, struggle for the right
and dignity of human being (1971: 48). This study discusses massages from
literary work, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, specifically for the relationship.
In Human Relations: Personal and Professional Development, DeCenzo and
Silhanek stated
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2
Human relations is the composite of interactions that exist between people
in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. Studying human
relations helps us understand ourselves and learn how to interact properly
with others (2002: 2).
In this study, the writer wants to find out what the messages revealed
Anna’s relationships with her family, those are relation Anna with her mother
Sara, Anna with her sister Kate, Anna with her father Brian, and Anna with her
brother Jesse. In this case, people can learn messages from the family relationship.
This study discusses the mother-child, father-child, and sibling relationships. A
family influences each other. Parke and Tinsley (1987) in Noller and Fitzpatrick’s
book, Communication in Family Relationships said that
Fathers can affect the way mothers interact with children through the level
of support they provide for mother. Mothers can affect fathers’ interactions
with children by exerting control over the quantity and quality of fatherchild interaction. Children can also affect the marital relationship between
the parents and the quality of marriage impacts the interaction with the
children (1993: 197-198).
The writer tries to tell the readers how the relationships Anna with her
family revealed. By finding their personality, the writer knows their
characteristics. According to Abrams, “characters are the persons presented in a
dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed
with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say – the
dialogue – and by what they do – the action” (1981: 20).
Furthermore, by knowing the characteristics, the writer can find their
relation, and from those relations the writer concludes the messages. The message
in the work of art deals with the perspective about the good thing. Kenney stated
that when people are talking about message, they are also discussing about moral.
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3
It can be said briefly that generally moral means a teaching of good and bad
(Kenney, 1966: 89). It indirectly can be something that might author wants to
convey to the readers.
My sister’s Keeper told about Anna, the main character, who did not get
her rights for own body because she has to contribute her part of the body
continuously to her elder sister, Kate. Kate was diagnosed a serious disease when
she was two, she has acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). It was difficult to be
cured. Then the doctor suggested Sara and Brian to do genetic planning, that was
creating baby for health purposes. The fact that the only reason Anna was born is
as a harvest crop for Kate.
From those, the writer took conclusion as the message about this
characters relationship. From My Sister’s Keeper, the readers can learn about
messages of relationship. Every lives in family, has relation with other. This study
possibility gives the same relationship that happen around us. This novel is about
family, parenthood and siblinghood. Anna who was thirteen decided to sue her
parents for her rights. She was born for keeper her sister. Whereas, there were
written ‘the only way to save your daughter is to sacrifice her sister’. Although
she sued her parents, she was still live together as usual.
The readers may have different opinion about Anna’s decision. People can
do what they think it is good, but sometimes what we think that is good, it does
not mean that it is also good for the others. Good for one might be bad in society.
There is freedom for the readers to interpret it. It just shows what is good or bad,
what is right or wrong for them.
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4
The reason in doing the research on message is generally giving the
readers lesson about life, even daily relation. The Fitzgeralds is a nuclear family.
The message can be learned from the relationship Anna with her family in this My
Sister’s Keeper novel. It is not only Anna’s relationship with her sister, who need
her donation, but also with her mother, father, and brother.
B. Problem Formulation
In this study, there are three problems to be examined. The first problem is
purposed to examine the intrinsic element of the novel, and the next problems are
purposed to examine the extrinsic element of the novel. The three problems were
formulated as follows.
1.
How are the characters described in the novel?
2.
How are the relationships between Anna and her family revealed in this
novel?
3.
What are the messages revealed from Anna’s relationships with her family in
the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to present the messages of the relationships on
Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper. The objectives of the study presented the
answers of the questions stated in the problem formulation. The first is to describe
the characteristics of the characters in the novel, they are Anna, Sara, Kate, Brian,
and Jesse.
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5
The second objective, the writer tries to explain the relationships between
Anna and her family. Those are relationship between Anna with her parents, Sara
and Brian, and the relationship Anna with her siblings, Kate and Jesse. Finally,
the writer tries to identify the messages revealed from Anna’s relationship with
her family.
D. Definition of Terms
There are some technical terms listed to be clarified to avoid
misunderstanding in this study.
1.
Message
Beaty and Hunter in New World of Literature give the explanation on
messages as the actual meaning or some easy conclusions that can be simply
stated or summarized inside a work of art (1989: 899). While, in Longman
Dictionary of Contemporary English stated that message is the main or most
important idea that someone is trying to tell people about in a book (Gadsby,
2001: 1140).
2.
Relationship
In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English stated that relationship
is the way in which two people or two groups behave towards each other; the way
is which two or more things are connected and affect each other; a situation in
which two people spend time together or live together; the way in which you are
related to someone in your family (Gadsby, 2001: 1521). The term relationship
relates to human relation. In Human Relations: Personal and Professional
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6
Development, Human relations is the composite of interactions that exist between
people in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. Human relations
helps us understand ourselves and learn how to interact with others (DeCenzo &
Silhanek, 2002: 2). In other word, relationship is a relation or interaction people
with others.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
My sister’s Keeper is written by Jodi Picoult and first published in 2004. It
represented the relationship in a family. The Fitzgeralds, consisting of the father
(Brian), mother (Sara) and 2 their children (Jesse and Kate). The problem
occurred in this family when Kate, who was two, was diagnosed a serious disease.
She always became the only important in this family. The writer tried to find the
message through their relationship.
Kate needed an organ donor for her Leukemia but her brother, Jesse, was
not a suitable donor. The other way was Sara and Brian did the doctor’s advice to
do the genetic planning. That was the reason Anna was born to be a donor for her
sister, Kate. Araujo in his article Bioethical Education on Deliberation: The View
of Novel explained that Anna was born to be another. She did not live as herself.
My Sister’s Keeper, a novel by Jody Picoult, makes us see this process of
building identity through narratives told by the different characters that
attest the Self that states here is where I stand, the Self that remains as time
goes by, the Self that keeps the promise of being Oneself as Another. All
the narratives embedded in Picoult’s novel are thus linked by the
hermeneutical process that created them, that is represented by them and
that they in turn ask from the readers (Araujo: 21 December 2012).
Anna was born for a very specific purpose. She was not the result of a
cheap bottle of wine or a full moon or the heat of the moment. In article Searching
for Otherness: An Ethical View of a Novel, Magalhaes stated that Sara and Brian
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8
have the right to choose whether they would design a baby or let Kate wait for a
suitable donor.
When the Fitzgeralds decide to have another child to save Kate, they act
out of the assumption that they have the right to choose between having
another child or letting Kate wait for a donor and probably die
(Magalhaes: 21 December 2012).
Actually, their decision to do genetic planning was not wrong. They have the
rights and purpose. They wanted to save their dying daughter. However, My
Sister’s Keeper was not only about love and sacrifice but also sisterhood. There
was love in the Fitzgeralds, but it needed to sacrifice someone. Dilemma appeared
when Sara might sacrifice Anna for Kate’s life. Anna was not sick physically but
all her mother did to take her for Kate made Anna felt sick mentally. In fact, for
almost thirteen years Anna has done a lot of treatments for Kate. Besides, she did
not get her rights as a daughter. She needed more attention from her mother, but it
did not because her mother focused on Kate.
Bekti Kristiani in her undergraduate thesis entitled “The Meanings of a
Mother’s Love to Her Dying Daughter as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s My Sister
Keeper” discussed about the relationship.
To know the deep meanings of Sara’s love, it is important to understand
the relationship between Sara and her children. As mother’s love and
mother-children relationship are parts of psychological aspect, it deals with
mind and how it influences behavior (Kristiani: 2010).
Although Kristiani analyzed the relationship in same novel, it is different
from this study. She analyzed the relationship Sara with her children through
psychological point of view, while this study is analyzed through the intrinsic
element.
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9
As Kristiani said in her study, there was love between mother and her
dying daughter, Kate. It is not wrong to love a child but not too much, it is also
not wrong to love all children but equally. She has rights to get attention from
mother as much as her sister get. Children need more care in home, it could be
from their mother and father.
From those criticisms above, My Sister's Keeper showed how to be a good
parent, a good sister, a good person. However, none of those studies found the
messages from the relationships as represented by Anna Fitzgerald and her family.
Therefore, to make this study different from other studies, the writer found the
messages revealed from Anna’s relationships with her family.
B. Review of Related Theories
1.
Theory of Character and Characterization
Character in a literary work is very important. Without a character, the story
will not run. Based on A Glossary of Literary Terms, Abrams said that the
character is a distinctive type of person in prose (1981: 20). He also said
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are
interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional
qualities that are expressed in what they say – he dialogue – and by they do –
the action (1981: 20).
While, in A Handbook to Literature, Holman and Harmon described character
is a complicated term that includes the idea of the human personality and the
presence of creature in art that seem to be human beings of one sort or another,
they are exist in the imagination of the readers (1986: 81).
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10
Character is a term applied to a literary from that flourished in England and
France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is a brief descriptive
SKETCH of a personage who typifies some definite quality. The person is
described not as an individualized personality but as an example of some vice
or virtue or type, such as a busybody, a glutton, a fob, a bumpkin, a garrulous
old man, a happy milkmaid, etc (1986: 81).
According Rohrberger and Woods, characterization is the process by which
an author creates a character, the devices that make us believe a character is the
particular type of person he is (1971: 80). Character comes from the author who
makes kinds of personality are there.
Murphy in Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and
the English Novels for Overseas Students mentioned nine ways in which an author
attempts to make his or her characters understandable to, and come alive for
readers. Those nine ways are.
a. Personal Description
“The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes” (1972: 161). In
the novel, the author usually wrote down the character’s appearance. This is
the characteristic the readers easy to know.
b. Character Seen by another
“Instead of describing a character directly the author can describe him
through the eyes and opinions of another” (1972: 162). By the other
character, the readers will get the characters characteristic, there are some
clues that the reader know by another character.
c. Speech
“The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in
the book through what the person says. Whenever the person speaks,
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11
whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an
opinion, he is giving us some clue to his character” (1972: 164). The readers
know the characteristic from the attitude of the way the character speech to
the other.
d. Past life
“By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life the author
can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape person’s person
character. This can be done by direct comment by the author, through the
person’s thoughts, through his conversation or through the medium of another
person” (1972: 166). The author gives the readers clue through past
experience that influenced the personality of the characters.
e. Conversation of others
“The author can also give us clue to a person’s character through the
conversation of other people and the things they say about him. People do
talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to the
character of the person spoken about” (1972: 167). The conversation is
important. The readers will know how the character’s characteristic through
the conversation the character spoken about.
f. Reactions
“The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know
how that person reacts to various situations and events” (1972: 168). The
author describes how the characters deal with situation and problem they
faced. The reader will get the characteristic through that reaction.
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12
g. Direct comment
“The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly” (1972:
170). The author writes the characteristic directly by his opinion or comment,
so the reader is easily to know the characteristic because it is shown in the
novel.
h. Thoughts
“The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about.
In this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell us
what different people are thinking” (1972: 171). The author writes the
character’s mind. The readers know the characteristic through that person’s
thinking of.
i. Mannerisms
“The author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies
which may also tell us something about his character” (Murphy, 1972: 173).
The readers know the character from the behavior, habit and attitude of the
character’s daily life.
2.
Theory of Family Relationships
Family consists of the father, mother and child. The relationship is important
for other. In Marriage and the Family, Leclercq said that “child is a human
person. By bringing him into the world, parents contract toward him the
obligation of rearing him in a manner that will enable him to face life in his turn.
Parents are responsible for their offspring. Upon them rests the complete
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13
responsibility for a human being who has come into this world only because his
parents brought him into it (1942: 351).
From statement above, the relationship begins from the parents, and the
parents are responsible for their child. Parents teach their children and the children
do what the parents teach. The writer sees the relationship in family is important
for the children. It can influence for children communication and their society.
Ellis in On Life and Sex stated the parents are deeply attached to their
children, who still remain children to them even when they are grown up. The
parents always guide and protect them to enjoy their society and their aid, and
they expect that their children shall continue indefinitely to remain children. On
their side, the children remain and will always remain tenderly attached to their
parents (1957: 18-19). He also said that the relationship between parent and child
is as one of mutual affection and care and the relationship should continue to exist
as a tie (1957: 21).
Furthermore, care shows love. Kelsey said that listening is so important to
love. Loving means giving others the concern, appreciation and understanding
that they need. We need to listen to everyone whom we would care for or love
(Kelsey, 1981: 67-68, 85). It is needed in the family relationship. Without that the
relation might not run well. Love and care are the key in a family.
3.
Theory of Message
Every literary work contains of message, including novel. According to
Hudson in An Introduction to the Study of Literature, he stated that “a good
message is a message that discloses new large possibility by using their work. In
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14
fact, he even tries to create those possibilities themselves. A good message does
not tend to follow general pattern or norm but it creates new pattern based on
human values (1958: 23).
As that statement, a good message based on human values so the readers can
get perspective about what the good is. While, Beaty and Hunter said messages
are as actual meaning or some easy conclusions that can be simply stated or
summarized inside a work of art (1989: 899). Moody in The Teaching of
Literature, literary work always offers moral messages connected with human’s
behavior and the right of human being (1971: 48).
According to Esten (1990: 22) in Kesusastraan: Pengantar Teori dan
Sejarah, there are two ways to reveal a message:
a. Directly (explicitly)
In this method, the author reveals the message (advices, teaching, etc) directly
to the reader through the direct comments which are inserted as part of the
story by the author. The purpose of this method is that readers get the
message easily.
b. Indirectly (implicitly)
In this method, the author does not reveal the message directly. Instead, the
author reveals it through other elements of the literary work, such as the
series of events, conflicts, characters, and the character’s attitude toward
conflicts. The readers interpret and conclude what the story actually tells
them about. The author gives the readers freedom to interpret the story,
without being burdened with the author’s teachings and opinion.
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15
From Esten’s statement it is clear that in the direct method, the message is in
the form of the author’s direct comment and the readers can easily find the
message. While in the indirect method, the message has no visible form and the
readers are interpreted the message through other elements of the story, such as
plot, characters, and conflict. Therefore, one literary work may contain various
messages because the readers can find it by analyzing the elements of that literary
work.
C. Theoretical Framework
There
are
theories
needed,
such
as
theory
of
character
and
characterization, theory relationship, and theory message. The theory of character
and characterization are suitable to answer the first question in problem
formulation. By applying this theory, the writer will be able to describe the
characteristics of the character.
Theory of family relationship is used to answer the second problem
formulation. This theory will help the writer to see the character’s personalities by
their behaviors and attitudes in the family. The writer will able draw how the
relationship that revealed from the Fitzgeralds.
The theory of message is used to answer the third problem formulation. By
knowing the theory, the writer tries to find what the good and bad in which the
novel. This theory will help the writer to find good message in the novel to the
readers by family relationships. All theories that the writer has explained are
related to each other. One theory supports each other and it helps the writer to find
the answer of this analysis.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
This thesis is going to analyse one of Jodi Picoult’s novel entitled My
Sister’s Keeper. Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of twenty novels: Songs of
t he
Humpback
Whale (1992),
Harvesting
the
Heart (1993),
Picture
Perfect (1995), Mercy (1996), The Pact (1998), Keeping Faith (1999), Plain
Truth (2000), Salem Falls (2001), Perfect Match (2002), Second Glance (2003),
My Sister's Keeper (2004), Vanishing Acts (2005), The Tenth Circle (2006),
Nineteen Minutes (2007), Wonder Woman: Love and Murder (2007), Change of
Heart (2008), Handle With Care (2009), House Rules (2010), Sing You
Home (2011), and her newest novel, Lone Wolf (2012).
In 2003, she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction.
She has also been the recipient an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library
Services Association, sponsored by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust and
Booklist, one of ten books written for adults that have special appeal for young
adults; the Book Browse Diamond Award for novel of the year; a lifetime
achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America;
Cosmopolitan magazine’s ‘Fearless Fiction’ Award 2007; Waterstone’s Author of
the Year in the UK, a Vermont Green Mountain Book Award, a Virginia Reader’s
Choice Award, the Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award, and a
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award. She wrote five issues of the Wonder Woman
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17
comic book series for DC Comics. Her books are translated into thirty four
languages in thirty five countries. She received an honorary Doctor of Letters
degree from Dartmouth College in 2010 and another from the University of New
Haven in 2012 (Picoult: 7 May 2012).
My Sister’s Keeper is her 11th novel of twenty novels. The novel was
taken from London, first published in Great Britain in 2004 by Hodder &
Stoughton, An Hachette Livre UK company, others first published in America in
2004 by Atria, A division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The writer used the second
edition, publishing in 2008. My sister’s Keeper consists of 407 pages.
This novel was adapted to the American drama film by Jeremy Leven in
2009. This film was directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Cameron Diaz,
Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva, and Alec Baldwin. Based on Jodi Picoult’s
novel of the same name My Sister’s Keeper was released in the United Sattes,
Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom on June 26, 2009.
My Sister’s Keeper is about the Fitzgeralds. They have bad relationships
even though they met every day. Anna, the main character, did not get her rights
for own body because she has to contribute her part of the body continuously to
her elder sister, Kate. Kate was diagnosed a serious disease when she was two,
she has acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). It was difficult to be cured. The
doctor suggested Sara and Brian to do the genetic planning, that was creating baby
for health purposes. The fact that the only reason Anna was born is as a harvest
crop for Kate.
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18
B. Approach of the Study
In order to obtain a deep understanding about literary work, the writer
needed a certain approach to analyze it. This study is connected with messages
through the Fitzgeralds so then writer needs an approach to analyze it. To help
analyzing the messages, formalist approach will be appropriate. This approach
was known as the New Criticism. Bressler in Literary Criticism said they concern
an examination of the work itself and not its historical context or biographical
elements, the New Critics belong to a broad classification of literary criticism
called formalism. Being formalists, the new Critics espouse what many call “the
text and text alone” approach to literary analysis (1992: 39).
According to Guerin, formalist approach is the approach of literary
analysis which analyzes a work in a formalist way and look for elements that
contribute to the uniqueness of the work, such as
structure, shape, interplay interrelationships, denotations and connotations,
contexts, images, symbols, repeated details, climax (rising action, falling
action), denouement balances and tensions, rhythms and rhymes that catch
our attention, sounds that do the same, the speaker’s apparent voice, a
single line – or even a word – set off all by itself (2011: 75).
That statement shows that the formalist approach examines the work itself.
Formalist approach is used in this study because this writer will find the messages
revealed from the relationship. It comes from the intrinsic element of the novel.
Through the characterization and the relationship between Anna and her family, it
can conclude the message. Therefore, formalist approach is used to reveal
message in this study.
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19
C. Method of the Study
To answer the research problems, the method that will be used is library
research. Getting the books that needed and researching in internet. It means that
the writer did research based on books and some sources from the internet
browsing.
There were sources of the research that the writer used. The primary
source was the My Sister’s Keeper novel. The second source was the theories.
There were theory of character and characteristic, theory of relationship, and
theory of message. In term of getting data for this study, the writer used the books,
the books that are used are Reading the Novel, The Teaching of Literature, Human
Relations: Personal and Professional Development, Communication in Family
Relationships, New World of Literature, A Handbook to Literature, Reading and
Writing about Literature, A Glossary of Literary Terms, How to Analyze Fiction,
Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English
Novels for Overseas Students, Marriage and the Family, On Life and Sex, Caring:
How We Love One Another, An Introduction to the Study of Literature,
Kesusastraan: Pengantar Teori dan Sejarah, Literary Criticism: An Introduction
to Theory and Practice, and A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature.
In writing this study, there were some steps that the writer had done. The
first step, the writer was read the novel My Sister’s Keeper several times to have
understanding of the story and the elements in it. By reading, the writer found the
focus of this study about messages through the relationship of the characters. The
second step was collected the data that are related to this study describing about
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character, relationship, and messages. The writer read the references from books
and internet and looked for the some theories which deal with it. The next step
was analyzed the study. The writer wrote the analysis to answer the three problem
formulations. By applying the data that was found, the writer analyzed the study
based on those three problems. Finally the writer took a conclusion. The
conclusion was based on the answer to the problems that related to the topic of the
study.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer divided three parts. The first part is to answer the
first problem formulation about the characters and their characteristics in the
story. The second part describes the relationship between the main character and
her family. The last part takes messages that revealed from those relationships.
A. The Description of the Characters
In this part of analysis, the writer explained the characterization of the
characters in this story. The characters are Anna Fitzgerald, Sara Fitzgerald
(mother), Brian Fitzgerald (father), Kate Fitzgerald (sister), and Jesse Fitzgerald
(brother).
1. The Characterization of Anna Fitzgerald
a. Vigilant
Murphy said to describe a character, his/her characteristic can be found
through the opinions of another (Murpy, 1972: 162). The writer found that Anna
was vigilant through character as seen by the other. Julia Romano came to Anna,
she introduced herself and told Anna that Judge DeSalvo asked to be her guardian
ad litem. Anna was not sure what she said.
‘There was a girl in Brockton who got kidnapped by someone who said
they’d been asked by her mom to pick her up and drive her to the place
where her mom worked’ (p. 107).
It did not matter for Julia that Anna did not believe her that she was a
guardian ad litem. Anna was careful and not easily to trust person whom she had
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just met. It shows the Anna’s thought. Anna was carefull if Julia was a kidnapper
like which happened in Brockton that a girl was kidnapped by someone who
claimed he had ordered by her mom to pick her up.
But there is a part of me already giving Anna credit for being wary: this is
not a child who rushes headlong into situations. If she’s thinking long and
hard about going off with me, presumably she must have thought long and
hard about untangling herself from the net of her family (p. 107).
This was from Julia Romano’s opinion. Julia thought Anna was vigiliant
because she was careful and hardly believe Julia, whom she had just met. Anna
was being wary and thinking long and hard about going off with Julia.
Based on Murpy, characteristic can be given from what person is thinking
of. When Anna first met Julia, she was wary, because Julia was strange for her.
She even could have thought that Julia was a kidnapper. These show Anna was
vigiliant, giving careful attention to what was happening.
b. Courageous
Through how character reacts, the writer can describe the character’s
characteristic (Murpy, 1972: 168). Anna was courageous. She has decided that she
did not want to help Kate’s live any more. She was suing her parents for the rights
to her own body. Actually she was thirteen. A little girl who still needed attention
from her parents but decided to sue her parents.
There is way too much to explain – my own blood seeping into my sister’s
veins; ... The fact that the only reason I was born was as a harvest crop for
Kate... There’s way too much to explain, and so I do the best I can. ‘It’s not
God. Just my parents,’ I say. ‘I want to sue them for the rights to my own
body’ (p. 18).
A thirteen-aged little girl was struggling for her own rights. She wanted to
sue her parents for the right to my own body, although Sara asked her to call off
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the lawsuit. This was a big decision, Anna, a thirteen-aged girl, sued for seeking
medical emancipation from her parents. Although she knew that her mother would
angry to her, she has courage.
Suing her parents, Anna was afraid to meet her mother. The day when the
petition was sent to her parents, she did not want to live at home. She decided to
take a rest with her father in his office. A thirteen-aged little girl was making
decision by herself. She was courageous to encounter her difficulty.
c. Jealous
Sara devoted most of her attention to Kate and ignored Anna’s right. Anna
thought that her mother did not really love her. When Coach Urlicht sent Anna a
note containing that she was accepted into camp, she was happy to hear that
because she likes Hoki very much. However, Anna was not allowed to participate
into the Girls in Goal Summer Hokey Camp by her mother. Whereas, Sara
allowed Kate go to that sleep-away camp, the one for kids with leukemia, when
she was Anna’s age (p. 262).
Anna complained about her mother who did not fair. The reaction showed
that she was jealous. Anna compared herself to Kate. She was jealous because her
mother did not give her permission to join the camp, whereas her mother gave
permission to Kate when she was the same age as Anna.
Until that point, going to Minnesota is not an option. Not because I am
afraid of what might happen to Anna there, but because I am afraid of what
might happen to Kate while her sister is gone. If Kate survives this latest
relapse, who knows how long it will be before another crisis happens? And
when it does, we will need Anna – her blood, her stem cells, her tissue –
right here (p. 263).
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Anna was feeling angry and unhappy because