The influence of minor characters on lilly`s personality development in sue monk kidd`s the mermaid chair - USD Repository

  

THE INFLUENCE OF MINOR CHARACTERS

ON JESSIE’S PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN SUE MONK KIDD’S

THE MERMAID CHAIR

  A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

  

By:

Rantika Praditya

Student Number: 021214117

  

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2008

  

THE INFLUENCE OF MINOR CHARACTERS

ON JESSIE’S PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN SUE MONK KIDD’S

THE MERMAID CHAIR

  A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

  

By:

Rantika Praditya

Student Number: 021214117

  

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2008

  

Go confidently in the direction of your dream! Live the

life you’ve imagined.

  

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe

will be simpler.

  

(Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)

This thesis is dedicated to:

My beloved parents, my grandparents, my three sisters, and

my best friends

  v

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  First, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to ALLAH SWT for the great blessing to finish this thesis. Thank him for this wonderful life, friends and opportunities.

  I would also like to express profound gratitude to my sponsor, Dr.Wigati Y. Modouw., M.Hum., for her invaluable support, encouragement, supervision and useful suggestions throughout this thesis. Her moral support and continuous guidance enabled me to complete my work successfully. I am also highly thankful to Mrs. Laurentina Sumarni, S.Pd., my second sponsor, for her valuable suggestions and corrections to my grammar throughout this thesis. I thank her so much for the time and for helping me and my friend in every debate activity. It was an unforgettable moment that we spent with her. I would also extend my sincere thank to lecturers who have guided me during my study, especially Pak Prast, Pak Purba, Pak Gun,

  

Pak Budi, Bu Lanny, Bu Mita, Bu Henny, Bu Frida, Bu Dwina. Also I would thank to

Bu Yuseva, who help me to improve my English although it is only through e-mail.

  I would also like to thank PBI’s administration staff (Mbak Tari and Mbak Dani) for their kindness.

  I am as ever, especially indebted to my parents, my father and my mother for their love, prayer and support throughout my life. I also wish to thank my sister, Ian for her support, prayer and understanding during my study. I am also thankful to my two sisters, Audy and Dida, for their cute smiles and love. Furthermore, I would always thank my Grandmothers and fathers for their pray and love. I also thank Nicko who helps me adjusting the page set up.

  Moreover, my sincere thanks go to my friends, who shared their love and experiences with me. I thank my beloved college best friend Esta, Ike, Bekti for the wonderful friendship. I thank Ike for being there every time I need, for listening my happy stories and sad stories. I thank My SPD teammates (Hastri, Wawan, Bekti, Ike and Esta) for the ultimate coorporation. My deepest thank is also addressed to Mas Joko who teaches me a lot about accepting things the way they are. I thank him for making me to learn to “thank”. I thank him for the life lesson.

  I thank Wawan for always supporting me through phone calls and sms. I would also grateful to my Play Performance teammates for their coorporation, time and friendship. I would also thank Nana, Chrisrian, Amri, Miko, Mbak Adis, Ardi, Gugun, Siro for always keeping in touch with me.

  Meanwhile, this work would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of my colleagues and friends, therefore; I would like thank to Angela, Dian, Nizar, Ifa, Saras, Adit, Isti, Lia, Dee for their support. I would like to thank to Odjo and Nizar for songs. Thank you for my students for their prayer and surprises. A great thank is addressed to Lala for lending me the USB.

  I thank my debate teammates and my seniors (Mbak Wiwik, Mbak Deta, Mas Guntur) without their willingness to share with me, I would never have been brave enough to speak in front of people.

  My special appreciation also goes to all my classmates in PBI especially, Reni, Galih, Wida, Adesti, Ruri, Niken, Ila, Emen, Metty, Udjo, Miko, Dedi, Sasha, Ita, Echi, Mawar, O’ok, Bunga, Cecil and, Vivi.

  I thank Inna Garuda’s HRD (Pak Edi and Bu Eko) for the opportunity to work as an English trainer in Inna. Also, I would like to thank my students who will go to the State for their prayer and wonderful moments (Rizal, Ismail, Rahmat Pak Nur, Bu Nur Pak Bekti, Pak Hanung). I would also thank to Bu Ani for her kindness.

  For my lovely computer, without it I would not have been able to work this out. I thank Jamie Cullum, Maliq & de essentials, Damien Rice, Radiohead and Sufjan Steven who inspire me.

  Last but not least, I thank Fery Pramudya Novada for the love and for reminding me to finish my study. I thank him for the tender loving and care as well as for the calls and the support.

  Finally, yet importantly, I would like to thank to those who have helped me and prayed for me during the process of writing this thesis whose names I cannot mention one by one. I thank them so much for the support.

  Yogyakarta, January 10, 2008 Rantika Praditya

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Page

  

TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………… i

APPROVAL PAGE…………………………………………………......... ii PAGE OF ACCEPTANCE………………………………………………. iii STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY…………………………. iv

PAGE OF DEDICATION…………………………………………………. v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………. vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………….. ix

ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………. xii

ABSTRAK.…………………………………………………………………… xiii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

  1

  8 2.1.1.1 Theories of Character ………………………………….

  13 ix

  2.1.2 Theories of Psychology……………………………………………

  11

  10 2.11.3 Critical Approach……………………………………….

  2.1.1.2 Theories of Characterization……………………………

  8

  8 2.1.1 Theory of Literature ……………………………………………..

  1.2 Objective of the Study……………………………………………………

  2.1 Theoretical Review…………………………………………………………

  1.1 Background of the Study…………………………………………………

  1.5 Definition of Terms………………………………………………………

  5

  1.4 Benefit of the Study………………………………………………………

  5

  4 1.3 Problem Formulation…………………………………………………….

  6 CHAPTER 2 : REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

  2.1.2.1 Personality Development………………………………

  4.1.1.2 Reclusive …………………………………………… 27

  4.1.3.3 Decisive ……………………………………………. 36 4.2 How Jessie’s Personality Develops………...…………………………….

  4.1.3.2 Persistent …………………………………………… 35

  34

  34 4.1.3.1 Tough……………………………………………….

  33 4.1.3 Whit (The Monk)…………………………………………….

  4.1.2.4 Patient………………………………………………

  32

  4.1.2.3 Merciful………………………………………………

  30

  29 4.1.2.2 Caring………………………………………………. .

  29 4.1.2.1 Responsible………………………………………….

  4.1.2 Hugh (Jessie’s Husband)………………………………………

  4.1.1.3 Silent………………………………………………… 28

  4.1.1.1 Sensitive…………………………………………….. 25

  13 2.1.2.2 Theory of Mid-life Transition………………………….

  25

  23 4.1.1 Nelle (Jessie’s Mother)………………………………………….

  4.1 The Minor Characters’ Personalities……………………………………

  21 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS

  21 3.3 Procedures……………………………………………………………….

  3.2 Approaches………………………………………………………………

  20

  3.1 Subject Matter……………………………………………………………

  19 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

  17 2.3 Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………….

  2.2 Criticism……………………………………………………………………

  16

  2.1.2.3 Factors Influencing Middle Age Woman’s Personality Development………………………………

  15

  36 x

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

  5.1 Conclusions………………………………………………………………

  50

  5.2 Suggestions ………………………………………………………………

  52 5.2.1 Suggestion for Future Researcher……………………………..

  53 5.2.2 Suggestion for English Teacher………………………………..

  54

  5.2.3 The Teaching Extensive Reading by Using The Mermaid Chair………………………… 55

  

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………… 56

APPENDICES

  1. Appendix 1 The Summary of The Mermaid Chair…………………… 58 2. Appendix 2 The Biography of Sue Monk Kidd……………………….

  63

  3. Appendix 3 Syllabus for Extensive Reading…………..………………

  66 4. Appendix 4 Implementation of Teaching Extensive Reading.………..

  67 xi

  

ABSTRACT

  Praditya, Rantika. 2008. The Influence of Minor Characters on Jessie’s

  Personality Development in Sue Monk Kidd’s The Mermaid Chair

  Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

  This thesis discussed Sue Monk Kidd’s novel entitled The Mermaid Chair. The novel was interesting because it tells about a wife who tries to deal with her idle marriage life, her relationship with her husband and her existence as a woman and how others influence her personality to deal with her life. This thesis discussed the main character’s personality and how the minor characters influence her personality development. There were two main problems which were discussed: (1) What are the minor characters’ personalities described in the novel? (2) How is Jessie’s personality development described?

  This study applied a library research method as the methodology. There were two kinds of data resources used in this study: primary and secondary sources. The primary source was the novel The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. The secondary sources were books of literature, psychology and some sources from the internet. This study employed three main theories. The theories were theory of character, theory of characterization, and theory of psychology. Furthermore, this study used the psychological approach in analyzing the main character’s personality development. This approach was used to analyze the psychology of the main character who was influenced by the minor characters.

  There were three minor characters who influenced her personality. Those persons were her mother, her husband and the monk. These persons played their role to influence Jessie’s personality. First, her mother, the silent, sensitive and reclusive person, changes her to be a mature person. Second, her husband who was very responsible, care, patient and, merciful, changed her to be a patient person and a person who can thank everything that she had got. At last, the monk who was very tough, decisive and persistent. He changed her personality from an unconfident person to a confident one. Because of the influence of those people, she finally understood her existence and starts a new life with her husband.

  It can be concluded from the analysis that Jessie Sullivan was an egoistic, worried, spoiled, unconfident person. Because of the minor characters’ influence she became a confident, patient and caring person. It showed that minor characters give a strong influence to the main character’s personality development. This thesis provided suggestions for the future researchers who would conduct studies on other topics in The Mermaid Chair. This study also gave suggestions for the English teaching learning activities. Furthermore, this thesis provided lesson plan in teaching English especially on reading class. The lesson plan was focused on the extensive reading class and it used some chapters from The Mermaid Chair as the reading materials.

  

ABSTRAK

  Praditya, Rantika. 2008. The Influence of Minor Characters on Jessie’s Personality Development in Sue Monk Kidd’s The Mermaid Chair.

  Yogyakarta: Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma. Skripsi ini membahas novel Sue Monk Kidd yang berjudul The Mermaid

  

Chair . Novel tersebut menarik karena bercerita tentang kehidupan seorang istri yang

  berusaha mengatasi persoalan rumah tangganya yang membosankan, hubunganya dengan suaminya dan keberadaanya sebagai seorang wanita. Serta bagaimana karakter lain mempengaruhi watak dalam menjalani hidupnya. Skripsi ini membahas karakter tokoh utama dan bagaimana keberadaaan tokoh pendukung mempengaruhi kepribadiannya. Ada dua pokok masalah pada tokoh utama: (1) Bagaimana karakteristik tokoh pendukung digambarkan di dalam novel. (2) Bagaimana perubahan kepribadian Jessie digambarkan?.

  Studi ini menerapkan metode studi pustaka. Ada dua macam sumber data yang digunakan: sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber utama adalah novel The

  

Mermaid Chair . Sumber kedua adalah buku-buku kesusastraan, psikologi dan

  beberapa sumber dari internet. Studi ini mengunakan tiga teori pokok. Teori tersebut adalah teori tokoh, teori penokohan, dan teori psikologi. Selanjutnya, studi ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologi sebagai pendekatan dalam menganalisa karakteristik tokoh utama dalam perubahan watak. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk menganalisa keadaan psikologi tokoh utama yang mengalami perubahan dikarenakan pengaruh karakter pendukung.

  Terdapat tiga tokoh yang mempengaruhi perubahan karakter Jessie. Tokoh tersebut adalah, suaminya, ibunya, dan seorang pendeta. Ketiga tokoh tersebut berpengaruh terhadap perubahan watak Jessie. Yang pertama adalah ibunya, seorang yang pendiam, perasa dan tertutup, ia mengubah Jessie menjadi seorang wanita yang dewasa. Yang kedua adalah suaminya, seorang yang bertanggung jawab, peduli, sabar dan pemaaf. Ia yang mengubah Jessie menjadi wanita yang sabar dan mensyukuri apa yang telah dia dapat. Yang terakhir adalah pendeta, seorang yang kuat, tegas dan berprinsip. Ia yang mengubah Jessie menjadi wanita yang percaya diri. Karena pengaruh ketiga tokoh tersebut akhirnya Jessie menyadari keberadaannya dan memulai kehidupan barunya bersama suaminya.

  Berdasarkan analisis, dapat disimpulkan bahwa Jessie Sullivian adalah seorang yang egois, pencemas, manja, dan tidak percaya diri. Karena pengaruh dari karakter pendukung, Jessie menjadi seorang yang percaya diri, sabar,tidak egois dan penyayang. Berdasarkan pembahasan tersebut, menunjukan bahwa tokoh pendukung mempunyai peran yang kuat terhadap perubahan watak tokoh utama. Skripsi ini memberikan beberapa saran untuk peneliti-peneliti dimasa mendatang yang akan mengadakan studi pada topik-topik lain dalam The Mermaid Chair. Skripsi ini juga memberikan saran untuk kegiatan belajar mengajar Bahasa Inggris. Sebagai tambahan, skripsi ini memberikan rencana pembelajaran kelas Extensive Reading mengunakan beberapa bab dari novel The Mermaid Chair.

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION There are five parts that are discussed in this chapter. The first part is Background of the Study, the second part is Objective of the Study, the third part is Problem Formulation, the fourth part is Benefit of the Study, and the fifth part is Definition of Terms.

1.1 Background of the Study

  Reading literary work means gaining knowledge and experiences from the characters. Furthermore, it might also open our mind to a new life lesson that is experienced by the characters. The most important thing is how the experience influences the readers and contributes new knowledge to the reader. In reading a novel, there is always a new topic with a new value that we can learn from it. We can put those values into our life. Furthermore, Reading a novel always brings a new portrait of life and characters that can be discussed.

  Sue Monk Kidd’s work The Mermaid Chair (2005) is such an incredible novel. I choose this novel because it is an interesting novel. It is about a middle age woman who has a problem in her happy marriage. Mostly, a woman feels satisfied when she is in a happy marriage but this novel gives different idea about middle age women in her perfect marriage. It shows the readers the portrait of an unhappy woman in her perfect marriage. In the real life, it is a common matter when a wife feels satisfied if her needs are fulfilled by her husband. However, the need to be admitted as an important person in the family is also an important matter. The novel tries to make the readers aware that sometimes a portrait of a perfect marriage does not always guarantee happiness. The most interesting thing to discuss is the main character is influence by some characters when she faces her marriage problem. Furthermore, this novel also tells the readers about the main character’s effort to face her problems.

  In the story, Jessie, the main character interacts with Nelle, Hugh and Whit who give influence on her personality development. In a real life, we also interact with other people who live around us in our environment. Usually, these people give influence to our life. Actually, the strongest influence toward someone personality development is people close to us, for example, the influence of a parents’ attitude on their child’s attitude. When parents always curse and shout when angry to their child, their child will do the same thing when he is angry to other people. Unconsciously, the parents are forming a bad habit in their child’s personality. Another example is, when a husband always trusts her wife to handle the family, her wife will feel exist in the family. From the example it is clear that people around us give a great influence on one’s personality.

  Jessie is a middle age married woman who faces problems in her happy marriage. She realizes that the problems come from inside her. In facing the problems, Jessie is influenced by Nelle, Hugh and Whit. These people are considered as the minor characters that influence her personality. Since the influence of minor character on one’s personality is an interesting subject to discuss, this study is going to analyze Jessie’s personality development and its relation with other characters who close to her. According to Milligan (1983: 195), the second characters or minor characters are those who appear as the complement of the story.

  Personality development according to Hurlock (1974: 19) is the product of learning during the course of social relationship with people both within and outside his home. In the story, Jessie develops her personality along with her relation with people who close to her. Furthermore, it shows to the readers the process of Jessie’s personality development.

  This novel establishes some interesting situations that bring Jessie closer to some people around her. Those situations are her coming to her hometown to take care of her mother, her forbidden relationship with a monk and her marriage relationship with her husband. Through these situations, Jessie establishes a relationship with three people who influence her personality. These people are her mother, her husband and the monk. From these people also she changes into someone better.

  Jessie lives with her family. Her husband, Hugh, is a person who gives big influence in her personality. Basically, her husband is a portrait of a perfect husband who gives a perfect marriage. However, Jessie still feels inconvenience with her marriage. For Jessie, being a wife in a perfect family is not enough. She thinks that her life is just a chain of monotonous activities. For that reason she needs to step out from that situation and to be away from her husband for a while.

  In the real life, a condition in which a wife is getting bored with her activities is a common thing. For Jessie, it becomes a serious problem. Furthermore, her visit to her hometown will not solve her problem. Jessie is asked to take care of her mother who suffers from strange illness. However, her coming to visit her mother is another problem, she never has a good relationship with her mother since her father’s death. At the same time, she meets Whit, a monk who is about to take his vow. She falls in love with him.

  Many unpredictable things happen in this life beyond our control, which we call it mistakes. Making mistakes is part of life. However, there is always responsibility after making mistakes. Jessie realizes that she makes big mistakes by betraying her husband. However, Jessie takes her responsibility on her mistakes. She also learns something from those people and develops herself become well.

  This novel is interesting to discuss since it teaches the reader about value in a relationship. Furthermore, this novel would like to show how people close to us can give a great influence toward one’s personality. This novel also leads the reader to believe that the existence of people near us may have a power to change a person becomes better or worse.

1.2 Objective of the Study

  The objective of this study is to show how a woman faces a problem in her middle age marriage and how the minor characters give strong influences to develop one’s personality. In the story, Jessie’s personality is strongly influenced by the minor characters. There are three minor characters that change Jessie’s personality.

  Those are Nelle, Hugh and Whit. Nelle is her mother, Hugh is her husband and Whit is the monk. Each character has its own characteristic. Jessie learns many things from the minor characters. Furthermore, there are problems she faces that influence her personality development. The minor characters play an important role to help Jessie to solve her problem. In a real life, parents, friends and the family member have a strong role to change’s one’s personality. Therefore, this study also figures out how Jessie’s personality is developed due to the influence of people close to her.

  1.3 Problem Formulation This study is focused on two problems.

  1. What are the minor characters’ personalities described in the novel?

  2. How is Jessie’s personality development described?

  1.4 Benefit of the Study

  This study offers benefit for myself, the readers and the researchers. For me, by analyzing this novel, I get more knowledge about the personality development of the main character. This study also strengthens my thought that the existence of people who close to us can give a great influence to our personality.

  Moreover, I learn to appreciate what we have got, to be able to get along with what God gives us and to love it. I also obtain some beneficial values by knowing one’s personality. Furthermore, it gives me a new thought about how one’s personality is developed.

  This study will be beneficial for the readers to implement new value to their life and to get the beneficial messages from the main character’s experience.

  Moreover, this study can be used as pre –reading before reading the novel. I hope the reader can get more knowledge about what minor character is and its influence toward one’s personality.

  Moreover, I expect this study to be beneficial for the future researchers. The future researchers can analyze the reason why this novel is written or why minor character can give big influence toward one’s life. They can explore more about the author’s life by using biographical approach. They can use the theory of minor character if they want to explore more about the minor character.

1.5 Definition of Terms

  1.5.1 Personality Development

  The word personality, according to Personality Theories, second edition ( 1981: 7) , personality represent an evolving process subject to a variety of internal and external influences, including genetic and biological propensities, social experiences and changing environmental circumstances. According to George Kelly (Chapter 9), personality is individual’s unique way of “making sense” out of life experience.

  Furthermore, the word development according to Schiambang and Smith, development means the changes happening to human being during their lifetimes (1982: 5).

  According to Allyn & Bacon, 2002 on www.healthofchildren.com, personality development is the development of the organized pattern of behaviors and attitudes that makes a person distinctive. Personality development occurs by the ongoing interaction of temperament, character, and environment.

  1.5.2 Minor Character

  Milligan describes Minor Character as Characters who appear as the complement of the story (1983: 195). According to www.Humanitiesweb.org by Gilfford, Katya (9 November 2004), Minor Character is those figures who fill out the story but who do not figure prominently in it. 8:05 pm, 06,07,07

  1.5.3 Influence

  According to As Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, the word influence is the power to affect somebody’s actions, characters or beliefs, especially by providing an example for them to follow, winning their admiration, or making them afraid to disagree. (1995: 611).

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is Theoretical Review,

  second part is Criticism, and the last part is Theoretical Framework. The Theoretical Review includes the theory of Literature and the Review of Related Theory.

  Furthermore, Theory of Literature includes Character, Characterization and Critical Approach. The review of Related Theory includes the Theory of Psychology and the Theory of personality. Meanwhile the Criticism presents some critics about the novel and the author. The last part is Theoretical Framework, it talks about how theories are used to analyze the novel.

2.1 Theoretical Review

2.1.1 Theory of Literature

  A novel is a form of literature; therefore, I support the analysis by using the theory of literature. This part presents the theories of literature, which are divided into two, the theory of character and theory of characterization.

2.1.1.1 Theories of Character

  Character is one of the most important elements in a novel. A novel may contain many characters that are presented by the author. A character can be recognized by describing his physical and psychological appearance. According to Abrams (1993: 23), “Characters are persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work who are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral, dispositional and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say- the dialogue and what they do- the action”. Therefore, a character is usually easily analyzed from his dialog or action.

   Abrams (1993: 24) classifies a character into two types: flat character and

  round character. A flat character is a single idea and is presented in outline and without much individualizing detail. It means flat character has dominant traits and has no desires motivation, or conflict. Therefore, flat character is easy to remember because it does not undergo a change and will have the same character from the beginning until the end of the story. Furthermore, it can be described in a single phrase or sentence.

  On the other hand, round character has many dominant traits and complex desire, motivation and conflicts. Therefore, a round character tends to change from the beginning of the story until the end of the story and tends to be complex. Thus, round character is difficult to describe. Round characters can also called as developing characters.

  Furthermore, Foster (1947: 47) describes the advantages of flat character and round character. Flat characters are easily known by the readers’ emotionally eye, not by the visual eye. Emotionally eye means, it can be described by using feeling. The reader can also easily remember the characters because they do not change.

  On the other hand, round characters cannot be identified directly and quickly because there are some life aspects that influence them to develop. Because of those aspects the readers cannot easily memorize the characters as in the flat characters.

  In addition, Perrine (1947: 48) divides characters into two parts. The main character, who appears more often in the story than other characters. It appears from the beginning to the end of the story. Furthermore, the content of the story is focused on the main character. The minor character appears in certain circumstances and times. His role is less important than the main character because the total roles and focus are on the main character.

2.1.1.2 Theories of Characterization

  According to (Holman and Harmon, 1968: 81) characterization is the way to create of imaginary persons, so they exist for the reader as life like. Therefore, the author always points out what the character is, how he lives, what he like and dislike. Those traits are called character while the technique to make the traits known is characterization.

  According to M.J Murphy (1972: 161-173) there are nine ways to make the characters understandable to and alive for the readers. The first one is personal description, it deals with the physical appearance. The readers will recognize the character from the clothes they wear and the facial expression from the character in the novel. The second is character as seen by another. The character can also be recognized from another character’s opinion in the novel. The third is speech, the author describes the character through what the character says and what style the character uses. It is an important way to describe the character, because through the way he speaks and responds and gives opinion will make the reader more easily to describe the character in the novel. The forth way is past life. The reader will understand more easily about the character from his past story or experience. It will help the reader to know how the character is shaped. It can be figured out by a direct comment, through the person’s thought or through his or her conversation. The fifth one is conversation of others. The readers can have clues about the character from other character in the novel. Reader can get clue from other characters’ conversation about the character. The sixth characterization is reaction. The readers will be able to have clues about the characters by analyzing the character’s reaction when he is facing a problem.

  The seventh is direct comment. In the direct comment, the author directly gives his personal reception and comment to the character he creates. The eighth way is thought. The author gives a clue to the reader from the character’s thought. By knowing what the character is thinking, the reader will simply describe the character through the thought. The last way is mannerism. Describing the mannerisms or habit gives the reader clues about the character.

  This study will focus on the influence of the Minor Character on the main character’s personality. The Minor Character here is including the main characters’ the family’s influence and her peer.

  According to Milligan, the second character or the minor characters are those who appear as the complement of the story. While major character appears more often in the story. (1983: 195)

  According to www.Humanitiesweb.org that is contributed by Gilfford, Katya (9 November 2004), Minor Character is those figures who fill out the story but who do not figure prominently in it.

2.11.3 Critical Approach

  In order to understand a literary work the need of using an approach is important. It will help the researcher to have an easier understanding to analyze the literary work. Therefore, a researcher should choose an appropriate approach in order to help him to have better understanding in analyzing a literary work.

  Rohrberger and Woods (1971: 613) present five approaches to analyze a novel. Those approaches are the Formalist approach, the Biographical approach, the Sociocultural-Historical approach, the Mythopoeic approach and the Psychological approach. Each approach has its own characteristic. Each approach will be defined and explained according to its usage.

  The Formalist approach is an approach that judges the esthetic values of a novel from the harmonious involvement of all parts of the novel to the whole and how meaning is derived from structure and how matters of technique determine structure. The Biographical approach leads the readers to try to learn as much as they can about the author’s life and the development of the author. The proponent of this approach demands that a work of art is a reflection of a personality. The third approach is Sociocultural-historical approach. This approach leads us to analyze the novel based on the civilization that produces the novel. It will help us to analyze the people’s life in society at the time the novel was written. The fourth is Mythopoeic approach. It emphasizes on the universally patterns of human thought such as myths and folk rites. The myth or folk rites of certain societies may affect the author’s behavior and his motivation in writing the literary work. The last approach is Psychological approach. It takes us to the psychological point of view of the character to analyze the novel. It may include human thought, behavior and other psychological aspects that give the influence to the literary work. Each approach has its own value and limitation. Therefore, the researcher should be able to choose the best approaches that are suitable to his literary work analysis.

  In this study, I would like to choose the Psychological approach to analyze Jessie’s personality development. Furthermore, this study will focus on the influence of the minor characters on the main character’s personality development.

2.1.2 Theories of Psychology The theory of personality development is part of the theory of psychology.

  Therefore, it is important to apply the psychology theory to analyze one’s personality development.

  According to Floyd L. Ruch (1963: 8), literarily the word “psychology” means “the science of mind”. Unfortunately, psychologists have never been satisfied with that definition. Therefore, most psychologists would agree on a definition of psychology as the science of the behavior of organism.

  Behavior is including internal processes –thinking, emotional reactions and the like-which one person cannot observe directly in another but which can be inferred from observation of external behavior.

  Theories of psychology are used to help analyze Jessie’s personality development. I use the theory of psychology, since personality has a close relationship with human psychology.

2.1.2.1 Theory of Personality Development

  According to Allport in Hjelle and Ziegle, the word personality is originally derives from the Latin word “persona”, which means a mask (1981: 6). Furthermore, personality is “The dynamic organization within individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought.”

  According to Hurlock (1976: 108), people change throughout their lifetime. It is so because they are not completely satisfied with their personality. Therefore, they always have a desire to change their personality. Change here means that they alter or vary their personality. The changing of personality can be better or worse. If the environment gives a good influence, he will improve his personality. If it gives bad influence he may be influenced by the bad influence Therefore, the change in one’s personality is not always synonymous with improvement.

  Hurlock (1974: 19), an individual’s personality pattern is in the product of learning during the course of social relationship with people both within and outside his home. Moreover, socialization and every value during one’s life will influence the personality.

  According to Murray (1981: 165), person’s personality develops against the background of both their history and their future goals. On the other hand, an individual must understand where he has been and where he intends to go as a person. Murray also employed four sets of determinants to describe how personality develops (1981: 168). The first is Constitutional determinants. It includes, individual body, age, sex, physical strength, disability etc. it play an important role in the environment. For example, how an individual’s precise effects upon his interaction with the environment. The second is Group membership determinants. These determinants are such groupings as familial, ethnic, religious, racial, political, etc. the grouping will determine the social environment and the value system. It determines in which group an individual Belongs to. The third determinant is Role determinants. In this determinant, an individual is treated separately in the environment based on their role. For example: sex and occupation. The last determinant is Situational determinants. Situational determinants may include things that have happened a thousand times as well as those that happen only once. It plays important part in helping shape the kind of person one become.

  On the other hand, Pikunas (1961: 22) states that development is a series of sequential changes in an organism leading to its maturity. Development occurs as new kinds and levels of differentiation and integration, learning and maturation, emerge.

2.1.2.2 Theory of Mid-life Transition

  According to Daniel J. Levinson (1978: 191-192), the mid-life transition ordinary has its onset at age 40 or 41 and last about 5 years. The average age at termination was 45.5, the range 44 to 47. The Mid-life Transition is a bridge between early adulthood and middle adulthood. There are three major tasks that must be worked on.

  The first is to terminate the early adulthood. He has to review his life in this era and reappraise what he has done with it. The initial focus in the Mid-life transition is on the past. The major task is to reappraise the life structure of the settling down period.