The Contribution of conflicts toward Jamal Hicks personality development in water dean Myers` Scorpions - USD Repository
THE CONTRIBUTION OF CONFLICTS
TOWARD JAMAL HICKS’ PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
IN WALTER DEAN MYERS’ SCORPIONS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
HERIBERTUS VENDYKURNIAWAN PUTRA
Student Number: 034214074
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2011
THE CONTRIBUTION OF CONFLICTS
TOWARD JAMAL HICKS’ PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
IN WALTER DEAN MYERS’ SCORPIONS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
HERIBERTUS VENDYKURNIAWAN PUTRA
Student Number: 034214074
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2011
Yesterday is a history…
Tomorrow is a mystery…
And today…?
Today is a gift…
That's why they call it present.
(ANONYMOUS ) For my beloved mother
…the greatest woman in the universe…
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................ i
APPROVAL PAGE ...................................................................................... ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ................................................................................. iii
MOTTO PAGE ............................................................................................. iv
DEDICATION PAGE ................................................................................... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PUBLIKASI ................................................... vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................ vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................. viii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... x
ABSTRAK ..................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................18 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ............................................................
41 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ....................................................................
36 C. The Personality Development of Jamal Hicks ..............................
32 2. The External Conflicts of Jamal Hicks ............................
31 1. The Internal Conflicts of Jamal Hicks .............................
25 B. The Internal and the External Conflicts of Jamal Hicks ................
25 A. The Characteristics of Jamal Hicks ...............................................
22 CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ........................................................................
21 C. Method of the Study .......................................................................
20 B. Approach of the Study ....................................................................
20 A. Object of the Study .........................................................................
17 C. Theoretical Framework .................................................................
1 A. Background of the Study ................................................................
14 4. The Relation between Literature and Psychology .............
12 3. Theory of Personality Development ..................................
9 2. Theory of Conflict ..............................................................
9 1. Theory of Character and Characterization .........................
7 B. Review of Related Theories ..........................................................
7 A. Review of Related Studies ............................................................
5 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ..............................................
5 D. Definition of Terms ........................................................................
4 C. Objectives of the Study .................................................................
1 B. Problem Formulation .....................................................................
55
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................
59
ABSTRACT
HERIBERTUS VENDYKURNIAWAN PUTRA. The Contribution of Conflicts
toward Jamal Hicks’ Personality Development in Walter Dean Myers’s
Scorpions . Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata
Dharma University, 2011.Scorpions is a novel written by Walter Dean Myers, an African-American
author, in 1988. The first edition was published in 1990 by Harper Trophy. The writer intends to discuss Scorpions because it describes the example of reality in our common life in easy language that makes the story easy to understand and this novel tells how a character may change his attitude toward something. Later, this change leads him to his personality development. Besides, the writer believes that one's personality development can be gained through the conflicts as the reaction of adjustment process of someone toward new facts or realities in his life.
The analysis in this thesis is based on three problems formulation. First is to know how the main character, Jamal Hicks, is characterized, second is to know the internal and the external conflicts of the main character and how these conflicts relate to each other, and the third is to know the influence of the conflicts to develop the personality of the main character in the story.
In answering the problems and collecting the information, the primary sources were the novel itself and some supporting books. Therefore, the method used was the library research. The writer also used internet research to gain some additional information about the novel.
The writer has found three answers to the problems. In the beginning, the writer finds that Jamal Hicks is faithful, lack of confident, courageous, and sympathetic. Then, the writer studies the internal and the external conflicts of Jamal. Basically, the conflicts occur after Jamal joins the gang and he is given a gun by one of the gang member. He faces many conflicts since then, whether it is internal or external. The writer afterward indicates that Jamal's personality develops after he experiences many conflicts. In the beginning, Jamal has loyal, lack of confidence, courageous, and sympathetic characteristics; but after he experiences many conflicts, his characteristics develop into responsible loyal, confident, considerate and responsible courageous, and responsible sympathetic. In the last part of the thesis, the writer concludes that Jamal’s personality development happens with the influences of conflicts as the reaction of adjustment process of Jamal toward new facts or realities in his life.
ABSTRAK
HERIBERTUS VENDYKURNIAWAN PUTRA. The Contribution of Conflicts
toward Jamal Hicks’ Personality Development in Walter Dean Myers’s
Scorpions . Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2011.Scorpions adalah sebuah novel yang ditulis oleh Walter Dean Myers, seorang
pengarang berdarah Afrika-Amerika, di tahun 1988. Edisi pertama novel ini diterbitkan di tahun 1990 oleh Harper Trophy. Penulis ingin membahas Scorpions karena novel ini mencontohkan realita seperti dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari dengan menggunakan bahasa yang sederhana sehingga ceritanya mudah dimengerti, dan novel ini bercerita tentang bagaimana seseorang merubah sikapnya terhadap sesuatu yang kemudian membawanya ke dalam perkembangan kepribadian. Di samping itu, penulis yakin bahwa perkembangan kepribadian seseorang dapat diperoleh melalui konflik- konflik yang dialaminya sebagai suatu reaksi dari proses penyesuaian dirinya terhadap fakta atau kenyataan yang baru yang ada di dalam kehidupannya sehari-hari.
Analisa dalam tesis ini didasari oleh tiga rumusan masalah. Pertama adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana tokoh utama, Jamal Hicks, digambarkan; kedua adalah untuk mengetahui konflik internal dan eksternal apa sajakah yang dialami oleh tokoh utama dan bagaimana konflik-konflik ini saling berkaitan satu sama lain; dan ketiga adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh dari konflik-konflik tersebut terhadap perkembangan kepribadian tokoh utama di dalam cerita.
Sumber data primer yang digunakan oleh penulis dalam menjawab rumusan- rumusan masalah di atas dan dalam pengumpulan informasi-informasi terkait adalah novel itu sendiri dan beberapa buku acuan yang mendukung. Oleh karena itu, metode yang digunakan penulis dalam penyusunan tesis ini adalah metode kepustakaan. Penulis juga menggunakan beberapa sumber dari internet dalam mencari informasi- informasi tambahan mengenai novel tersebut.
Penulis telah menemukan tiga jawaban yang berhubungan dengan rumusan- rumusan masalah tersebut. Penulis mengetahui bahwa pada awalnya Jamal Hicks mempunyai sifat setia, kurang percaya diri, pemberani, dan bersimpati terhadap orang lain. Setelah itu, penulis mempelajari konflik internal dan eksternal yang terjadi pada Jamal. Pada dasarnya konflik-konflik ini terjadi setelah Jamal bergabung dalam sebuah geng dan setelah dia diberi pistol oleh salah satu anggota geng tersebut. Sejak saat itulah dia mulai mengalami banyak konflik, baik itu internal maupun eksternal. Penulis kemudian melihat bahwa kepribadian Jamal berubah setelah dia mengalami banyak konflik. Pada awalnya, Jamal mempunyai kepribadian setia, kurang percaya diri, pemberani, dan bersimpati terhadap orang lain; tetapi setelah dia mengalami banyak konflik, kepribadiannya itu berkembang menjadi setia yang disertai dengan rasa tanggung jawab, percaya diri, pemberani disertai dengan penuh pertimbangan dan rasa tanggung jawab, serta bersimpati disertai dengan rasa tanggung jawab. Pada bagian akhir dari tesis ini, penulis menarik kesimpulan bahwa perkembangan kepribadian Jamal dipengaruhi oleh konflik-konflik yang dialaminya sebagai suatu reaksi dari proses penyesuaian dirinya terhadap fakta atau kenyataan yang baru yang ada di dalam kehidupannya sehari-hari.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Before the writer step further into the analysis of the object of this study that
will describe one main thing considered necessary in modern environment of human being, which is conflict, we should realize first the existence of art as the main point of human emotion. Art shall be an imitation of life. It means that even if we try to create for instance a poem without considering the rules of poem writing, still it is an art as far as it depicts certain emotion in human life that the writer wants to lift up. Therefore, art is an imitation of life while life itself, as Aristotle had explained that the making of epics and of tragedies, and also comedy, and the art of dithyramb, and most flute and lyre art, all have common, that they are imitations (Alssid, 1964: 94).
Art is not a pure and simple self-expression; it is not a reflection of personal feelings and experiences. The work of art is not merely a copy of life, although there is a close relationship between the work of art and the author’s life. A work of art may contain the author’s dreams or imaginations rather than his real life, or it may be the mask that the real person is hiding, or it may be the image of life that the author wants to escape. The author may experience life differently in terms of his art. Although the author’s work may be a mask, a dramatized conventionalization, it
2 is frequently a conventionalization of his own experiences, his own daily life (Wellek and Warren, 1956: 78-79).
We know that literature is the part of art. In literary works, life itself is imitated in the written form of drama, poems, novels, ballads, and so on. The deeper the writer understands his life and all moments that happen, the more the writer can bring our emotions and thoughts toward what actually lies behind his words.
Literature itself is divided into two types. Francis Zavier Connoly says in his book, as being quoted by Koesnosoebroto in The Anatomy of Prose Fiction, that there are two sorts of literature (1988: 3). The first one is literature of knowledge that presents or interprets facts, ideas, or happenings. It could be a description of a place, an explanation of scientific process, an account of war, or a discussion of political issues. Autobiography and personal narrative, biography, and history, various forms of essays are included to this type of literature for its appeals to the sense of intelligence. The second one is literature of imagination. It interprets experience by fictitious presentation of persons, ideas, and events. Furthermore, he says that a creative writer is not primarily concerned with the actual truth of particular events, as is a historian, or with the abstract reality and ideas, as is a philosopher. Therefore, Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions can be included to the literature of imagination for events a lifelike image or stories that embodies truth of human nature.
Scorpions , which is discussed in this thesis, is a novel written by Walter
Dean Myers. Walter Dean Myers is a writer of children and young adult literature.3 Walter Dean Myers was born in West Virginia in 1937 but spent most of his childhood and young adult life in Harlem. He was raised by foster parents. Suffering from a speech impediment, he cultivated a habit of writing poetry and short stories and acquired an early love of reading (http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/professional- development/ childlit/myers.html).
Myers has consistently focused most of his energy on young adult novels. This genre has garnered him awards such as the Margaret A. Edwards Award, two Newberry Honor Medals, four Coretta Scott King Awards, the Caldecott Medal Honor, the Parents' Choice Award, and awards by the American Library Association. Myers deals very specifically with issues of importance to contemporary youth, especially urban African-American youths who are often seen as at-risk by society (http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID= 3280). Since then, he has continued to write children's and young adult novels, poems, and non-fictions. Monster, published in 1999, gave Myers the first Michael L. Printz Award, for the best young adult book, as well as being a National Book Award finalist and the Coretto Scott King Award. Myers, like so many other authors, has been asked where he gets his ideas for books. He gets his idea from his life and his interests (http://www.teenspoint.org/reading_matters/columns2.asp? column_id=1140&column_type=tpauthprofile).
The main idea of this novel is about the conflict of a young boy. Myers has observed that conflict is a crucial matter in society. He picks up realities that he finds in society, which relates to our daily life. He deals with the struggling urban
4 teen, often depicting gang life, drug use, violence, and dealing with peers and peer pressure when one has found a way out. Myers generally writes about what he knows and has experienced (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Walter_ Dean_Myers). The problem presented by Myers is domestic and social problem that he takes from the society. Myers elevates the personal to the universal, speaking plainly and honestly. Therefore, this story is useful for the readers because this kind of problem is also faced in our daily life.
The writer intends to discuss Scorpions because the novel describes the example of reality in our common life in easy language that makes the story easy to understand, and the novel tells how a character may change his attitude toward something. Later, this change leads him to his character development. Besides, the writer believes that one's personality development can be gained through conflicts as the result of interaction and learning process in the family and in the
There are some findings that relate to conflicts and its implications. environment.
By analyzing this novel, the writer hopes that it can be realized that every conflict someone faces will always give contribution in his or her personality development.
B. Problem Formulation Based on the explanations above, three questions are discussed in this thesis.
1. How is Jamal Hicks characterized in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions?
2. What are the internal and the external conflicts of the main character, Jamal Hicks?
5 3.
How do these conflicts develop the personality of the main character, Jamal Hicks?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problem formulation, this thesis has three aims. First is to know how the main character, Jamal Hicks, is characterized in Walter Dean Myers’
Scorpions ; and later, it will help the writer to identify the personality development.
Second is to know the internal and the external conflicts of the main character, Jamal; and there are some explanations on how these conflicts relate to each other.
Third is to know the contribution of the conflicts to the personality development of the main character, Jamal Hicks, in the story.
D. Definition of Terms
1. Character
According to A Handbook to Literature, character is a complicated term that applied in literary form. It includes the idea of the moral constitution of the human personality, the presence of moral uprightness, and the simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one short or another.
Character 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 (Harmon, 2009: 95).
6
2. Personality Personality Theories explains that personality has many meanings. It is
reasonably distinct subfield of psychology that comprises theory, research, and assessment. Personality has also been viewed as the individual’s most dominant characteristics. A person may be said to have an “aggressive personality” or “shy personality,” meaning that his or her most distinctive attribute appears to be aggressiveness or shyness. From this sense, it means that personality refers to the overall impression that an individual makes on others, that is, a sum total or constellation of characteristics that are typical of the individual and thus observable in various social settings. Unfortunately, such usage of the term neglects the possibility that the individual may be either aggressive or shy, depending on situational circumstances (Hjelle, 1981: 6).
3. Development
According to Human Development, An Emergent Science, the word “development” is a term that refers to all processes of change by which an individual's potentialities unfold and appear as new qualities, abilities, traits, and related characteristics. It may include the long-term and relatively irreversible gains from growth, maturation, learning, and achievement (Pikunas, 1969: 54).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies As mentioned in the previous chapter; that is Walter Dean Myers is direct
and to the point, not overly complicated; encourages the writer to analyze Scorpions in this thesis. The books of Walter Dean Myers have shown the lasting ability to speak to the young adult experience and to help readers become more aware of themselves and the world around them (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/ booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/1994awardwinner.cfm). From the previous statement, we can say that Myers’ books are not only interesting but also teach the readers some valuable lessons.
In this thesis, the writer tries to analyze Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions. This novel deals with the problems that are faced by some African-American adolescents living in urban areas. Scorpions is set in Harlem; and in this novel, the setting is integral to the plot. Myers, who grew up in Harlem during the 40s and early 50s, has set many of his books in this community, and in some of his books, he has portrayed Harlem in a positive side. In Scorpions, he provides a miserable depiction of this place. Harlem is depicted, in Scorpions, as a decaying community where gang violence and drug selling are so common, and where the hopes and
8 dreams of many young people are dashed by the forces of poverty, prejudice, and lawlessness (http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter99/ west.html).
The plot of the novel is about the imprisonment of a family member that causes a chain of events that ultimately leads to many conflicts for the central character. In Scorpions, the central character is Jamal Hicks, a 12-year-old African- American boy. His father has abandoned his family and only shows up when he needs money. His older brother, Randy, is jailed for killing a man during a robbery attempt. Randy wants Jamal to be the new leader of the gang. On the other hand, the mother tries to make Jamal away from gang life, but for some reasons Jamal feels he must take his brother's place, at least for a moment. As part of the deal, Jamal is given a gun by Mack, who is Randy’s friend. The gun functions as a symbol of power and self-destruction. Many conflicts happen after Jamal has the gun. He eventually tries to give back the gun and withdraw himself from the gang but not before tragedy happens (http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter99/ west.html).
From the statement above, the writer feels the need to discuss the relation between conflict and personality development of the major character, Jamal Hicks, in the novel. The writer tries to analyze the personality development which is influenced by the conflicts happened in the story. In analyzing this novel, the writer uses the theory of character and characterization, theory of conflict, theory of personality development; and for the approach, the writer uses psychological approach.
9 B. Review of Related Theories In this part will be described some related theories that are considered important in the analysis.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Characters are the person presented in a dramatic and narrative work that are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say and by what they do. The grounds in characters’ temperament and moral nature for his speech and actions constitute his motivations (Abrams, 1981: 20). The previous statement means that characters in literary works are understood by the readers as persons whose attitude and personality can be observed through their speeches and actions. Later, these speeches and actions can motivate them to commit some particular events.
According to Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, characters can be the actors in the story and the characteristics of the characters. The characters also have the relationship with the characteristics that they have. It can be assumed that persons appearing in a story with their behavior and thoughts are the characters.
They relate to each other and they have the main characteristics to be the focus (1965: 17).
Based on the characteristics, E.M. Forster divides character into two. They are flat or simple character and round or complex character. The flat character has a single idea or quality and can be easily understood by the readers because he seems to have fewer or simple characteristics; while the round character has various
10 characteristics or motivations and difficult to understand because of his complexity.
This complexity sometimes can give surprise effects to the readers (Forster, 1974: 75).
In Character and the Novel , W.J. Harvey says that the protagonists, who are the most important character in the novel, most of the time change as the story goes.
They experience the change through many things, including conflicts that they deal in the story (1965: 56).
There are nine ways, according to M.J. Murphy, that author can apply to characterize the characters in a literary work. They are: a. Personal Description The author can describe a character appearance and clothes directly so that the readers can easily imagine the characters.
b. Character as Seen by Another Sometimes the author describes a character through the other characters’ point of view and opinions. This thing will make the readers get a reflection image of a character.
c. Speech The author describes a character through their dialogues. Here, the readers can interpret the characteristics of a character by judging of what they say.
11
d. Past Life The author lets the readers shape the image of a character by giving the past life of the character. The past life can be given through the direct comment of the author, the character’s thoughts, the character’s speeches, or through the other characters.
e. Conversation of Other Characters The author can also provide the characteristics of a character through the conversation of other characters.
f. Reactions The author can describe the image of a character by showing how the character responds toward various situations and events.
g. Direct Comment The author may describe the characteristics of a character by giving direct comment to the character. This is the best way for the readers to find out the characteristics of a character because they know what the author actually wants to reveal.
h. Thoughts The author gives the readers direct information of what a character is thinking about so that the readers can understand the characteristics of a character by knowing his way of thinking. i. Mannerism The author can also describe a character’s mannerism, habits, or peculiarity; and it can make the readers know the characteristics of a character (1972: 161-173).
12
2. Theory of Conflict
Conflict can also be seen through a psychological point of view. In psychology, conflict means the arousal of two or more strong motives, in someone’s mind, that cannot be solved together. This kind of conflict is called internal conflict. There are three major types of internal conflict described by psychologist Kurt Lewin, in A Dynamic Theory Of Personality, namely: approach- approach conflict, avoidance-avoidance conflict, and approach-avoidance conflict.
a. Approach-approach conflict It happens when a person has to choose between two desirable outcomes.
For example, a person has to choose between finishing college or a full-time job offer, but only one option that can be chosen. This conflict is often the easier to resolve than the two other conflicts.
b. Avoidance-avoidance conflict This conflict involves choosing between undesirable or unattractive alternatives in which a person tends to avoid. For instance, a person does not like his job, but he fears on quitting and unemployment.
c. Approach-avoidance conflict It happens when an individual is indecisive in pursuing a desirable goal that has an undesirable outcome; there is an attractive and unattractive part to both sides. For example, a person wants to do something, but he fears the consequence that entails. This conflict is often the more difficult to resolve (http://www.biology- online.org/dictionary/approach-avoidance_conflict). Another example is a
13 youngster may want to go to a dance to feel that he belongs to a group and does what his friends do. However, the youth may be a very bad dancer and his fellows consider him as a naive person. Therefore, he also has a motive to avoid the dance to escape humiliation. He is in a dilemma; whether he goes or stays, he will experience distress. This type of situation is called an approach-avoidance conflict.
Psychologically, a conflict exists when the reduction of one motivating stimulus involves an increase in another, so that a new adjustment is demanded (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132060/ conflict).
Besides, there is also social conflict, or it also called as external conflict. External conflict is a state of opposition, disagreement, or incompatibility between two or more people or groups of people, which is sometimes characterized by physical violence (http://epatamsyte.blogspot.com/2007/04/conflict-of-psychology. html). There are many types of external conflict, namely: interpersonal conflict, intergroup conflict, individual vs. group conflict, and intragroup conflict.
a.
Interpersonal conflict It happens when a person faces a problem with other person. For example, me against you.
b.
Intergoup conflict This kind of conflict involves two or more particular groups. For instance, my group against your group.
14 c.
Individual vs. group conflict It happens when an individual faces a problem with one or more particular group; and so the opposite. For example, me against them or them against me.
d.
Intragroup conflict This conflict happens when there is a dispute between each member of one particular group. For instance, members of a group all against each other
(http://webhome.idirect.com/~kehamilt/ipsyconf.html).
According to Peter Barry, in Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary
and Cultural Theory , conflicts can cause problems in someone’s mind. This thing
happens because conflicts affect the relation between conscious and unconscious mind of someone (2002: 96). The conflicts cause problems in the unconscious mind and these problems, then, affect the conscious mind. In other words, the conflicts affect someone’s ways of thinking; and it will lead someone to change his or her ways of behaving. It means that conflict can directly influence someone’s personality or attitude.
3. Theory of Personality Development
Justin Pikunas explains that someone’s personality development is influenced by hereditary influence and environmental influence. The hereditary influence is concerned with DNA and RNA molecules, and influences personality biologically. Environmental influences include physical environment, family, education for life, peers as models, and community (1969: 54).
15
a. Physical Environment Physical environment is concerned with environmental ecology, food, and chemicals. The bad physical environment is not the potential place to result the good personality. The worse and unhealthy physical environment will cause the more complicated problems that will be resulted in bad personality (Pikunas, 1969: 56).
b. Family Family is the starting point of one’s personality. Therefore, it cannot be denied that a family is main factor of one's personality development. The family introduces a child into society and locates the child to be in social map.
The emotional condition and social development of the children are also influenced by the mother's attitude. The psychosocial development and emotional security of the child are based on the mother's reasonably consistent, patient, and tender care (Pikunas, 1969: 61). It is believed that the child who gets much more times with his mother will grow up as a loving and caring person, also patient although he will be more emotional. This will lead to a good personality as well.
Meanwhile, the role of the father tends to give the protection and the discipline for the children (Pikunas, 1969: 62). The father teaches the children to view everything as a reality. The father usually shoulders a major part of discipline and arbitration as children grow. By his authority and discipline, he stimulates their reality orientation. The children will have the rational thinking in lives.
16
c. Education for Life The conditions of the family influence children's education (Pikunas, 1969:
63). Children from a rich family will have a better education than children from a poor family because children from rich family are financially more supported to get the best in lives including high quality education. This kind of situation will lead these children to have different personality.
d. Peers as Model Most of people enjoy associating with those who are similar in age, maturity, and status. They have the same needs because they are at the same age and maturity (Pikunas, 1969: 65). It cannot be denied that people feel more comfortable when associating with peers. For instance, a teenager will be more comfortable to associate with other teenage boys or girls and go to parties with them than to associate with people of his parent's age and attend the adult party.
e. Community The community also influences someone’s development. The community has its own cultures. The culture conveys a set of values to each of its members.
The values or ethics in the community can influence a person to cultivate the traits he desires by considering the appropriate norms or values in the community. In adolescence, the young person will develop his own personal values. They can change to fit in new conditions (Pikunas, 1969: 66).
Duane Schultz and Sydney Ellen Schultz, in Theories on Personality, also strengthen Pikunas’ theory. They explain that some of person’s behaviors are
17 spontaneous or under control, and the other behaviors can be determined by past events. They also say that someone’s personality is not only shaped by the genetic inheritances of his parents but also by the environments surround him. The early experiences of a person in his childhood also shape the personality but not firmly. It will be modified by the later experiences (Schultz, 2004: 32-33).
Donn Byrne and Katherine Kelly describe someone’s personality as a dynamic process that can change throughout life. They also say that personality can change when there is a condition that leads to the new emotional or informational responses. The earliest years of life are important to form the basic of an adult personality. However, there is no final personality. It is because later experiences can modify the effects of the early experiences. In the process of development, a person will frequently face new conditions. As the result, he will find new facts or realities in his life. This thing will cause changes in his into-belief system, new expectancies, and perhaps new emotional responses and attitudes as well (1981: 87).
4. The Relation between Literature and Psychology Literary works certainly can be analyzed by using psychological theories.
Rene Wellek and Austin Warren explain that there is relation between literature and psychology. They state that characters in plays and novels are judged to be psychologically true (1956: 91). This thing implies that sometimes an author uses psychological theory to set a figure or a situation.
In Psychology and Its Allied Disciplines: Humanities , March H. Bornstein says that literature is best at describing the human condition in a dramatic form
18 while psychology has the strength to investigate human's character or behavior in systematic ways (Bornstein, 1984: 144). It means that literature depicts the condition of human in a dramatic way and psychology will continue to study the characteristics systematically.
Richard A. Kalish also elaborates another explanation about literature and psychology. He said that literature holds the mirror up to the man (1973: 8). It means that an author make the characters seem more life-like than the real people. The authors can use the understanding provided by psychologist to enrich the characteristics of the characters while psychologist can gain in their understanding of human behavior by drawing from the deep sensitivity of good authors.
C. Theoretical Framework
First, the writer uses the theory of character and characterization in this thesis because it is considered important to answer the first question of problem formulation. By applying this theory, the writer can understand how the main character of the story is characterized. This theory also helps the writer in describing the characteristics of the main character of the novel, Jamal Hicks. Later, these answers are used as information to find out the personality development.
Second is the theory of conflict. This theory is used in answering the second question of problem formulation. This theory helps the writer in order to find out the internal and the external conflicts of the main character. By knowing these conflicts,
19 the writer can understand the relation between each conflict, which later will lead to the personality development of the main character.
Last is the theory of personality development. This theory is applied to answer the last question in problem formulation. By using this theory, the writer tries to search the significant relation between the first two questions with the last question of problem formulation so that the problem of this thesis can be solved.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study In this thesis, the writer will try to analyze a young adult novel entitled Scorpions . This novel is written by Walter Dean Myers, an African-American
author, in 1988. In analyzing the novel, the writer uses the first edition of the novel itself. This edition was published in 1990 by Harper Trophy. This novel consists of 216 pages and it is divided into 20 chapters. In 1994, Scorpions has won Margaret A. Edwards Award. This award honors an author whose work for young adults over a period of years has provided an authentic voice that illuminates their experiences and emotions and gives insight into their lives. The Young Adult Library Services Association recognizes that this book authentically reflects African-American youth, but its appeal is not limited to any particular ethnic group. The writing of Walter Dean Myers illustrates the universality of the teenage experience in urban area, especially in America (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maepre vious/1994awardwinner.cfm).
The novel Scorpions tells a story about Jamal Hicks, a 12-year-old African- American boy. He is the main character of the novel and he comes from a poor family. In the story, he lives with his mother and his little sister, Sassy. His father
21 has abandoned his family and only shows up when he needs money. Jamal has a best friend named Tito. He seems to find trouble wherever he goes. He is harassed and bullied by an older, bigger boy at school and labeled as a troublemaker by his school principal. Someday, he is forced by his older brother, Randy, to become the leader of the Scorpion gang because Randy, who is the leader of the Scorpions, is in prison for murder. On the other hand, this decision is not supported by other members of the gang. After all, Jamal becomes the leader of the gang and he is given a gun. A lot of tragedies and conflicts happen after Jamal has the gun and his life changes forever.
B. Approach of the Study
In this thesis, the writer uses psychological approach in finding the answers to the problems. Wilfred Guerin, in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to
Literature , states that psychological interpretations and criticisms give some ideas
that may lead the readers to a deep understanding of a character and sometimes themes or symbols in a literary work. Guerin also says that psychological approach is the approach that has important limitation in its aesthetics inadequacy (1999: 126). From this statement, we can say that the psychological approach gives more attention to the psychological side of a literary work rather than to the aesthetic side.
The focus of this thesis is on the protagonist character. The psychological approach helps the writer in interpreting and in understanding the psychological
22 aspects of the protagonist character, Jamal Hicks, in the novel. Besides, this approach helps the writer in showing the personality development of the main character in the novel. By applying the psychological approach, some theories of psychology are considered useful in answering the three problems in this thesis.
C. Method of the Study
The method of the study that the writer applied in analyzing this novel was the library research. The collected source consisted of the primary source and the secondary source. The primary source was the novel itself, Scorpions, written by Walter Dean Myers. The secondary sources were from some books on theory and from some supporting books. Besides, some of the secondary sources also taken from some sources in the internet. Some of the most important sources that were used in analyzing the novel namely: M.H. Abrams’ A Glossary of Literary Terms (1981), Robert Stanton’s An Introduction to Fiction (1965), E.M. Forster’s Aspects
of the Novel and Related Writings (1974), W.J. Harvey’s Character and the Novel
(1965), M.J. Murphy’s Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry
and English Novel for Overseas Students (1972), Peter Barry’s Beginning Theory:
An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory (2002), Justin Pikunas’ Human
Development, An Emergent Science (1969), Duane Schultz and Sydney Ellen
Schultz’s Theories on Personality (2004), Donn Byrne and Katherine Kelly’s An
Introduction to Personality (1981), March H. Bornstein’s Psychology and Its Allied
Disciplines: Humanities (1984), Richard A. Kalish’s The Psychology of Human Behavior
23 (1973), Rene Wellek and Austin Warren’s Theory of Literature (1956); and some sources taken from the internet namely: http:// www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious /1994awardwinner.cfm, http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter99/west. html, http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/approach-avoidance_conflict, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132060/conflict, http://epatamsyte. blogspot.com/2007/04/conflict-of-psychology.html, and http://webhome.idirect. com/~kehamilt/ipsyconf.html.
There were four main steps used in analyzing this novel. The first step was reading the novel for several times in order to get deeper understanding about the story, the characters and the characteristics, and about the subject that was going to analyze. In this first step, the writer also made some notes of points and quotations that considered helpful in answering the problems of this thesis.
The second step was finding the problems of this thesis, which were how Jamal Hicks was characterized in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions, what were the internal and the external conflicts that happen in the main character, Jamal Hicks; and how did these conflicts develop the personality of the main character, Jamal Hicks.
The third step was choosing the appropriate theories and approach, which later would help the writer in answering the problems of this thesis. The writer used theory of character and characterization, theory of conflict, and theory of personality development. For the approach, the writer used the psychological
24 approach. Besides, the writer also found some additional information in the internet about the author and the novel.
The last step of this thesis was answering the formulated problems supported by the appropriate theories and approach. Later, the writer would draw a conclusion on the analysis at the last chapter of this thesis.
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS In this chapter, the writer tries to analyze the novel Scorpions by answering
three main questions stated in problem formulation part. In the first part, the analysis focuses on the characterization of the main character, Jamal Hicks. It will be found how the author characterizes the main character in the novel.