THE ANTIHERO IN CHBOSKY’S THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER MOVIE.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamiin. The researcher delivers her best gratitude for
Allah SWT who always grants and blesses her with health, chances, and time so
that the researcher could accomplish her thesis. The researcher also would like to
express her sincerest gratitude to:
1. Prof. Dr. Syawal Gultom, M.Pd. as the Rector of State University of Medan.
2. Dr. Isda Pramuniati, M.Hum. as the Dean of Faculty of Languages and Arts
of State University of Medan.
3. Prof. Dr. Hj. Sumarsih, M.Pd. as the Head of English Department, Dra.
Meisuri, M.A. as the Secretary of English Department, and Syamsul Bahri,
S.S., M.Hum. as the Head English Literature Department.
4. Dr. Sri Minda Murni, M.S. as her Thesis Advisor who had given her time
with patience, guidance, and advice for helping her during the process of
accomplishing this thesis.
5. Drs. Muhammad Natsir, M.Hum. as her Academic Advisor who always gave
academic advice and valuable suggestions to her research outline. Prof. Dr.
Busmin Gurning, M.Pd. and Dra. Masitowarni Siregar, M.Ed. as her
Thesis Reviewers who gave support, comments, and suggestions for this thesis.
The researcher also wants to thank all lecturers who always guided her during
academic years.
6. Her beloved incredible family, Bob Alrasyid Pane, S.H. (Papa) and Erlina
Eva Yanti Lubis (Mama). They are the greatest blessings from God who are
never tired of uplifting her even in the hardest moments ever in her life. Her
love is always for them and also for her pretty sister Bebi Aisyah Alridha
Pane who amazingly suggested The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie as the
object of her thesis. Mumut and the gang. A million thanks will never be
enough for them all.
ii
7. Eis Sri Wahyuni, M.Pd. for her time and patience in administrative assistance
during the accomplishment of this thesis.
8. Her friends in English Literature A and B 2011 that always help her create
memories into unforgettable stories. She cannot mention the names one by one
but their continued support, sincerity, care, and help always make her stronger
and love college even more. Thanks to the sharing and chitchatting moments.
Years have made us family.
No shortcut to graduation day; one day what makes us cry will make us smile.
What makes us fall will help us fly higher. Because every moment will be
worth histories that always remind us how great life is and how blessed we are.
Medan, July 2015
The researcher
Dinda Siti Rodiyanti Pane
iii
ABSTRACT
Pane, Dinda Siti Rodiyanti. 2113220007. The Antihero in Chbosky’s The
Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie. A Thesis. Faculty of Languages and Arts,
State University of Medan. 2015.
This study deals with the antihero in Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower
movie. The objectives of this study are to find out antihero characterizations of the
main character and to describe the author’s ways to present antihero
characterizations. Descriptive qualitative method was applied in analyzing the
data and documentary technique was used in order to help collect the data related
to the topic. The analysis shows that Charlie Kelmeckis as the main character of
the movie is considered as an antihero as he owns four antihero characterizations;
(a) Passive, (b) Dishonest, (c) Lonely, (d) Fragile. In presenting those
characterizations, the author used telling method and showing method.
Keywords: Antihero, Antihero Characterizations, Characterization Methods,
Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... iv
LIST OF APPENDICES .............................................................................. vi
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 1
A. The Background of the Study .................................................................1
B. The Problems of the Study ......................................................................4
C. The Objectives of the Study ....................................................................5
D. The Scope of the Study ...........................................................................5
E. The Significance of the Study .................................................................5
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..............................................6
A. Movies in Literature ................................................................................6
B. Character..................................................................................................8
1. Types of Characters......................................................................9
2. Characterization in Fictions .......................................................11
a. Telling Method ......................................................................12
b. Showing Method ...................................................................13
C. Antihero .................................................................................................15
1. Characterizations of Antihero ....................................................16
2. The Brief History of Antihero ....................................................18
D. Synopsis of The Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie ...........................20
E. Relevant Studies ....................................................................................23
F. Conceptual Framework ..........................................................................24
CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHOD ....................................................26
A. Research Design ....................................................................................26
iv
B. The Source of Data ................................................................................26
C. The Technique of Data Collection ........................................................27
D. The Technique of Data Analysis ...........................................................27
CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................28
A. Data .......................................................................................................28
B. Data Analysis ........................................................................................28
C. Research Findings .................................................................................52
D. Discussion .............................................................................................53
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...............................57
A. Conclusion.............................................................................................57
B. Suggestion .............................................................................................58
REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 59
v
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................. 61
APPENDIX 2 ................................................................................................. 75
vi
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion
After analyzing the antihero in Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a
Wallflower movie, the researcher found that there are four dominant antihero
characterizations shown by the main character in the movie, Charlie Kelmeckis.
Those are passive, dishonest, lonely, and fragile. The analysis also shows that
passivity is Charlie’s most dominant antihero characterization. He is a good
character but he does good things in non heroic ways as the author symbolizes the
main character as a wallflower. He is also dishonest to his family and his friends
but he does not intend to hurt their feelings. Because of Charlie’s disability to
reveal the truth, he sometimes lies to them. He is also a lonely and fragile
character because he always feels guilty and is estranged by his past about the
death of his Aunt Helen who ever abused him sexually when he was a child. He
represses those bad memories and tends to be fragile when he feels lonely.
In presenting the antihero in his movie, the author used both telling and
showing method. The use of telling method is shown by the title of the movie.
The term wallflower portrays that the movie is about the story of a passive and
lonely person. To describe other antihero characterizations of Charlie, the author
dominantly used showing method through characters’ statements and characters’
thoughts and feelings while the use of character’s action and stream of
consciosness only appears a few. Yet, during the movie, Charlie often used
57
58
soliloquies to express his feelings and thoughts as he is never open with what he
feels to others.
B. Suggestion
In studying literature, character should be considered important as it can
bring the readers to the theme of the story. It is also useful for the readers to know
the characterization methods used by the author in order to deepen the
understanding about characters. Especially in studying the character of an
antihero, the readers should consider that antihero is not the antagonist and the
antihero is not always described as the portrayal of a villain in the story.
More researches and references in different kinds of antihero are also
needed in order to get deeper understanding about the antihero. The researcher
also expects that the readers will be interested in discussing other young-adult
literature or coming-of-age stories to gain more sources to conduct further
researches in literary characters especially in modern literature.
59
REFERENCES
Abrams, M.H. 1999. A Glossary of Literary Terms (Seventh edition).Massachusetts:
Heinle&Heinle.
Albrecht, C. Milton. “The Relationship of Literature and Society”: pp. 425-236 in
Chicago Journals (Feb. 2012) Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Bennett, Andrew, and Royle, Nicholas. 2004. An Introduction to Literature,
Criticism, and Theory (3rd edition). Edinburgh: Pearson Longman.
Casetti, Fransesco. 2004. ”Adaptation and Mis-adaptations: Film, Literature, and
Social Discourses”. A Companion to Literature and Film. Robert Stam and
Alessandra Raengo (ed). Victoria: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Childs, Peter and Fowler, Roger (Ed.). (2006). The Routledge Dictionary of
Literary Terms. Based on A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms.
[Electronic Version]: Taylor & Francis e-Library.
Defining and Developing Your Anti-Hero. (April 2008). Retrieved on February 1,
2015
from
http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migrationbooks/bullies_excerpt.
Evans, Dylan. 1996. An Introductory to Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis.
London: Routledge.
Hornby, A.S. et al (ed). 2010. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (7th ed.).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kadiroğlu, Murat. (n.d.). A Genealogy of Antihero. Retrieved on January 07,
2015 from http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/26/.../18584.pdf.
Kinnaird, A. Brian. (September 2013). “Anti Heroes: Is There a Goodness of
Purpose? The Hero in You”. Retrieved on January 21, 2015, from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-hero-in-you/201309/anti-heroesis-there-goodness-purpose.
Kothari, C. S. 2004. Research Methodology (Second Revised Edition). New Delhi:
New Age International Publishers.
Liddy-Judge, Chloe. 2013. The Television Anti-Hero. Dissertation. Mary Imaculate
Collage.
Mikulakova , Radka . 2009. The Picture of an Anti-hero in a Clockwork Orange.
Bachelor thesis. Masaryk University.
60
Nurgiyantoro, Burhan. 2000. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada
University Press.
Press, Skip. 2001. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Screenwriting. Indianapolis: Alpha
Books.
Sternbergh, Adam. (December 2013). “'Pity the Antihero,' an essay by 'Shovel
Ready' author Adam Sternbergh”. Retrieved on February 20th, 2015 from
http://www.ew.com/article/2013/12/10/pity-the-antihero-an-essay-byshovel-ready-author-adam-sternbergh
Sangianglili, Ribka. 2012. Dekonstruksi dan Rekonstruksi Konsep Hero dalam Film
Megamind. Undergraduate Thesis. University of Indonesia.
Tought Economics: The Role of Film in the Society. (June 2011). Retrieved on
January 23, 2015 from http://thoughteconomics.blogspot.com/2011/06
/role-of-film-in-society.html.
http://www.wwnorton.com/ (2015). Retrieved on April 14, 2015
http://study.com/academy/lesson/methods-of-characterization-in-literature.html.
Retrieved on June 3, 2015
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower,-The.html.
Retrieved on June 3, 2015
Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamiin. The researcher delivers her best gratitude for
Allah SWT who always grants and blesses her with health, chances, and time so
that the researcher could accomplish her thesis. The researcher also would like to
express her sincerest gratitude to:
1. Prof. Dr. Syawal Gultom, M.Pd. as the Rector of State University of Medan.
2. Dr. Isda Pramuniati, M.Hum. as the Dean of Faculty of Languages and Arts
of State University of Medan.
3. Prof. Dr. Hj. Sumarsih, M.Pd. as the Head of English Department, Dra.
Meisuri, M.A. as the Secretary of English Department, and Syamsul Bahri,
S.S., M.Hum. as the Head English Literature Department.
4. Dr. Sri Minda Murni, M.S. as her Thesis Advisor who had given her time
with patience, guidance, and advice for helping her during the process of
accomplishing this thesis.
5. Drs. Muhammad Natsir, M.Hum. as her Academic Advisor who always gave
academic advice and valuable suggestions to her research outline. Prof. Dr.
Busmin Gurning, M.Pd. and Dra. Masitowarni Siregar, M.Ed. as her
Thesis Reviewers who gave support, comments, and suggestions for this thesis.
The researcher also wants to thank all lecturers who always guided her during
academic years.
6. Her beloved incredible family, Bob Alrasyid Pane, S.H. (Papa) and Erlina
Eva Yanti Lubis (Mama). They are the greatest blessings from God who are
never tired of uplifting her even in the hardest moments ever in her life. Her
love is always for them and also for her pretty sister Bebi Aisyah Alridha
Pane who amazingly suggested The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie as the
object of her thesis. Mumut and the gang. A million thanks will never be
enough for them all.
ii
7. Eis Sri Wahyuni, M.Pd. for her time and patience in administrative assistance
during the accomplishment of this thesis.
8. Her friends in English Literature A and B 2011 that always help her create
memories into unforgettable stories. She cannot mention the names one by one
but their continued support, sincerity, care, and help always make her stronger
and love college even more. Thanks to the sharing and chitchatting moments.
Years have made us family.
No shortcut to graduation day; one day what makes us cry will make us smile.
What makes us fall will help us fly higher. Because every moment will be
worth histories that always remind us how great life is and how blessed we are.
Medan, July 2015
The researcher
Dinda Siti Rodiyanti Pane
iii
ABSTRACT
Pane, Dinda Siti Rodiyanti. 2113220007. The Antihero in Chbosky’s The
Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie. A Thesis. Faculty of Languages and Arts,
State University of Medan. 2015.
This study deals with the antihero in Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower
movie. The objectives of this study are to find out antihero characterizations of the
main character and to describe the author’s ways to present antihero
characterizations. Descriptive qualitative method was applied in analyzing the
data and documentary technique was used in order to help collect the data related
to the topic. The analysis shows that Charlie Kelmeckis as the main character of
the movie is considered as an antihero as he owns four antihero characterizations;
(a) Passive, (b) Dishonest, (c) Lonely, (d) Fragile. In presenting those
characterizations, the author used telling method and showing method.
Keywords: Antihero, Antihero Characterizations, Characterization Methods,
Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... iv
LIST OF APPENDICES .............................................................................. vi
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 1
A. The Background of the Study .................................................................1
B. The Problems of the Study ......................................................................4
C. The Objectives of the Study ....................................................................5
D. The Scope of the Study ...........................................................................5
E. The Significance of the Study .................................................................5
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..............................................6
A. Movies in Literature ................................................................................6
B. Character..................................................................................................8
1. Types of Characters......................................................................9
2. Characterization in Fictions .......................................................11
a. Telling Method ......................................................................12
b. Showing Method ...................................................................13
C. Antihero .................................................................................................15
1. Characterizations of Antihero ....................................................16
2. The Brief History of Antihero ....................................................18
D. Synopsis of The Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie ...........................20
E. Relevant Studies ....................................................................................23
F. Conceptual Framework ..........................................................................24
CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHOD ....................................................26
A. Research Design ....................................................................................26
iv
B. The Source of Data ................................................................................26
C. The Technique of Data Collection ........................................................27
D. The Technique of Data Analysis ...........................................................27
CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................28
A. Data .......................................................................................................28
B. Data Analysis ........................................................................................28
C. Research Findings .................................................................................52
D. Discussion .............................................................................................53
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...............................57
A. Conclusion.............................................................................................57
B. Suggestion .............................................................................................58
REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 59
v
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................. 61
APPENDIX 2 ................................................................................................. 75
vi
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion
After analyzing the antihero in Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a
Wallflower movie, the researcher found that there are four dominant antihero
characterizations shown by the main character in the movie, Charlie Kelmeckis.
Those are passive, dishonest, lonely, and fragile. The analysis also shows that
passivity is Charlie’s most dominant antihero characterization. He is a good
character but he does good things in non heroic ways as the author symbolizes the
main character as a wallflower. He is also dishonest to his family and his friends
but he does not intend to hurt their feelings. Because of Charlie’s disability to
reveal the truth, he sometimes lies to them. He is also a lonely and fragile
character because he always feels guilty and is estranged by his past about the
death of his Aunt Helen who ever abused him sexually when he was a child. He
represses those bad memories and tends to be fragile when he feels lonely.
In presenting the antihero in his movie, the author used both telling and
showing method. The use of telling method is shown by the title of the movie.
The term wallflower portrays that the movie is about the story of a passive and
lonely person. To describe other antihero characterizations of Charlie, the author
dominantly used showing method through characters’ statements and characters’
thoughts and feelings while the use of character’s action and stream of
consciosness only appears a few. Yet, during the movie, Charlie often used
57
58
soliloquies to express his feelings and thoughts as he is never open with what he
feels to others.
B. Suggestion
In studying literature, character should be considered important as it can
bring the readers to the theme of the story. It is also useful for the readers to know
the characterization methods used by the author in order to deepen the
understanding about characters. Especially in studying the character of an
antihero, the readers should consider that antihero is not the antagonist and the
antihero is not always described as the portrayal of a villain in the story.
More researches and references in different kinds of antihero are also
needed in order to get deeper understanding about the antihero. The researcher
also expects that the readers will be interested in discussing other young-adult
literature or coming-of-age stories to gain more sources to conduct further
researches in literary characters especially in modern literature.
59
REFERENCES
Abrams, M.H. 1999. A Glossary of Literary Terms (Seventh edition).Massachusetts:
Heinle&Heinle.
Albrecht, C. Milton. “The Relationship of Literature and Society”: pp. 425-236 in
Chicago Journals (Feb. 2012) Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Bennett, Andrew, and Royle, Nicholas. 2004. An Introduction to Literature,
Criticism, and Theory (3rd edition). Edinburgh: Pearson Longman.
Casetti, Fransesco. 2004. ”Adaptation and Mis-adaptations: Film, Literature, and
Social Discourses”. A Companion to Literature and Film. Robert Stam and
Alessandra Raengo (ed). Victoria: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Childs, Peter and Fowler, Roger (Ed.). (2006). The Routledge Dictionary of
Literary Terms. Based on A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms.
[Electronic Version]: Taylor & Francis e-Library.
Defining and Developing Your Anti-Hero. (April 2008). Retrieved on February 1,
2015
from
http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migrationbooks/bullies_excerpt.
Evans, Dylan. 1996. An Introductory to Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis.
London: Routledge.
Hornby, A.S. et al (ed). 2010. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (7th ed.).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kadiroğlu, Murat. (n.d.). A Genealogy of Antihero. Retrieved on January 07,
2015 from http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/26/.../18584.pdf.
Kinnaird, A. Brian. (September 2013). “Anti Heroes: Is There a Goodness of
Purpose? The Hero in You”. Retrieved on January 21, 2015, from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-hero-in-you/201309/anti-heroesis-there-goodness-purpose.
Kothari, C. S. 2004. Research Methodology (Second Revised Edition). New Delhi:
New Age International Publishers.
Liddy-Judge, Chloe. 2013. The Television Anti-Hero. Dissertation. Mary Imaculate
Collage.
Mikulakova , Radka . 2009. The Picture of an Anti-hero in a Clockwork Orange.
Bachelor thesis. Masaryk University.
60
Nurgiyantoro, Burhan. 2000. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada
University Press.
Press, Skip. 2001. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Screenwriting. Indianapolis: Alpha
Books.
Sternbergh, Adam. (December 2013). “'Pity the Antihero,' an essay by 'Shovel
Ready' author Adam Sternbergh”. Retrieved on February 20th, 2015 from
http://www.ew.com/article/2013/12/10/pity-the-antihero-an-essay-byshovel-ready-author-adam-sternbergh
Sangianglili, Ribka. 2012. Dekonstruksi dan Rekonstruksi Konsep Hero dalam Film
Megamind. Undergraduate Thesis. University of Indonesia.
Tought Economics: The Role of Film in the Society. (June 2011). Retrieved on
January 23, 2015 from http://thoughteconomics.blogspot.com/2011/06
/role-of-film-in-society.html.
http://www.wwnorton.com/ (2015). Retrieved on April 14, 2015
http://study.com/academy/lesson/methods-of-characterization-in-literature.html.
Retrieved on June 3, 2015
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower,-The.html.
Retrieved on June 3, 2015