Soroku Okamoto`s personality changes as a result of self-defence in Jiro Osaragi`s the Journey - USD Repository
SOROKU OKAMOTO’S PERSONALITY CHANGES AS A RESULT OF SELF-DEFENCE IN JIRO OSARAGI’S THE JOURNEY AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
DIAN CHRISTINE FITRIASARI
Student Number: 034214096
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2008
BE POSITIVE THINKING WHEN YOU BELIEVE YOU WILL GET IT THERE IS A MIRACLE WHEN YOU BELIEVE
I DEDI CATED THI S THESI S TO MY BELOVED PAREN TS AN D ALSO MY LI TTLE BROTHER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In this occasion, I would like to give my biggest gratitude to Jesus Christ.Without His help, I would never finish my thesis. My knowledge comes from Him. He always helps me in any situation. He always fulfills me with His blessings.
I would give my special gratitude to my family, especially my mother and
my father. They are the greatest parent s that Jesus gave me. They always give me
spirit to finish my thesis. They always take care of me and give me their love in all of my life. I will never forget to mention my brother, Imanuel, he is the laughter, the joy in my life. You are the best brother I have ever had.
I would give my deepest gratitude to Dra. Th. Enny Anggraini, M.A. and
Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd.,M.Hum. They have supported me on finishing my thesis. I
really thank for their patience, their time, their suggestion and attention that they have given to me.
Last but not the least; My special thanks go to all of my friends. Especially for Icha, Ana, Rindu, Dita, Lia, Dewi, and everyone who could not mentioned one by one. I really thank for their supports and also their prayers until I have finished my thesis. They have given me a special moment during my study in Sanata Dharma University. My special thank also go to Ricky for his attention, patience and love in my studies and my life.
Dian Christine Fitriasari
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………………………… i APPROVAL…………………………………………………………………….. ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ………………………………………………………… iii MOTTO PAGE ………………………………………………………………… iv DEDICATION PAGE………………………………………………………….. v LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI……………….... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………. viii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………... ix AKSTRAK………………………………………………………………………. x
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… 1 A. Background of the Study…………………………………………….
1 B. Proble m Formulation………………………………………………..
2 C. Objectives of the Study………………………………………………
3 D. Definition of Terms………………………………………………….. 3
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW…………………………………… 5 A. Review of Related Studies…………………………………………… 5 B. Review of Related Theories………………………………………….
7 1. Theory of Character………………………………………….
7 2. Theory of Characterization…………………………………..
8 3. Theory of Personality and Personality Change……………..
10 C. Theoretical Framework………………………………………….…..
14 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………… 16
A. Object of the Study …………………………………………………. 16
B. Approach of the Study………………………………………………. 18
C. Method of the Study ………………………………………………… 20
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS……………………………………………………. 24 A. The Characteristic of Soroku Okamoto…………………………….
24 B. Soroku Okamoto Personality Change……………………………… 31
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION………………………………………………… 53 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………. 55 APPENDIX: SUMMARY……………..……………………………………….. 57
ABSTRACT
DIAN CHRISTINE FITRIASARI. Soroku Okamoto’s Personality Changes as a
result of Self-Defense in Jiro Osaragi’s The Journey. Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2008.Learning about personality of character in the novel is interesting. Since the novel usually made a little bit similar with the condition in reality, we can indirectly learn to understand the personality of the people surrounding us.
A lot of things could give an opportunity toward people’s personality to change. In the novel of Jiro Osaragi, The Journey, Soroku Okamoto represents a person whose personality changes get some influences from his family and his environment.
There are two problems that are made for two aims. The first is to find out about Soroku Okamoto’s characteristics and the second is to find out the changes of his personality.
The method that is used to do the analysis is library research. The data are Jiro Osaragi’s novel, The Journey, and also other sources related with this study. This study used the theories of character and characterization, personality and theory of personality changes. The approach used in this study is psychological approach.
From the study, the writer found that Soroku was a kind of person who loved to make sure that everything is exactly as he wanted to be. He was very careful using money. According to him, money was very important in life. Soroku was also kno wn as a conservative man and did not like to have a journey. Later, the writer found that his personalities had changed. Suddenly he loved to have some journeys. His point of view about money also had changed. He even became gentler and not too conservative anymore. However his personality changes were influenced by the other characters in the story. Prof. Segi and Sutekichi were the people who had helped him putting back his consciousness. Through his meeting with those people and also with the others, suc h as Taeko and a young prostitute girl, his personality changed. Those people had showed him a new way on facing life which always changes from time to time. He learned about how to adapt himself in a new condition in his life. However, his personality changes were his effort to protect himself from the changes condition in surrounding him. At the end, he could handle it.
ABSTRAK
DIAN CHRISTINE FITRIASARI. Soroku Okamoto’s Personality Changes as a
Result of Self-Defense in Jiro Osaragi’s The Journey. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Satra
Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2008.Mempelajari kepribadian suatu tokoh dalam sebuah novel merupakan hal yang menarik. Dengan membaca novel, secara tidak langsung kita juga bisa belajar untuk mengenal kepribadian orang-orang yang ada disekitar kita. Hal tersebut dapat dilakukan karena biasanya novel dibuat hampir sama dengan kenyataan yang ada di dunia nyata.
Ada banyak hal yang dapat mempengaruhi kepribadian seseorang. Dalam novel The Journey karya Jiro Osaragi, Soroku Okamoto mewakili seseorang yang kepribadiannya dipengaruhi oleh keluarga dan lingkungannya. Ada dua rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini yang dibuat dengan dua tujuan. Tujuan yang pertama adalah untuk mengetahui gambaran Soroku Okamoto dan yang kedua adalah untuk mengetahui perubahan kepribadian dalam diri Soroku Okamoto.
Metode yang digunakan dalam analisis ini adalah metode pustaka. Data yang dipergunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah novel yang di tulis oleh Jiro Osaragi berjudul The Journey dan sumber-sumber lain yang berkaitan dengan penelitian ini.beberapa theory yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teori karakter, teory pembentukam karakter, teory kepribadian dan perubahan kepribadian. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan psikologi.
Berdasarkan penelitian yang telah dilakukan, diketahui bahwa Soroku merupakan tipe orang yang selalu menginginkan segala sesuatunya berjalan seperti yang ia inginkan. Dia sangat berhati- hati dalam menggunakan uang. Menurutnya, uang merupakan hal yang sangat penting dalam hidup. Soroku juga dikenal sebagai orang yang kaku dan juga tidak suka berpergian. pada akhirnya kepribadiannya berubah. Tiba-tiba ia senang berpergian ke berbagai tempat.pandangannya mengenai uang juga berubah. Dia bahkan terlihat lebih lembut dan tidak terlalu kaku lagi. Bagaimanapun perubahan yang terjadi dalam dirinya dipengaruhi oleh beberapa orang. Professor Segi and Sutekichi adalah orang-orang yang telah berperan memulihkan kesadarannya. Melalui perjumpaannya dengan mereka serta Taeko dan gadis muda yang berprofesi sebagai wanita penghibur, kepribadiannya berubah. orang-orang tersebut telah menjukkan kepada dirinya suatu cara pandang yang baru dalam menghadapi hidup yang selalu berubah dari waktu ke waktu. Dia belajar untuk beradaptasi dengan kondisi yang baru dalam hidupnya. Perubahan kepribadian yang dialaminya merupakan usahanya untuk melindungi dirinya sendiri dari perubahan kondisi yang terjadi disekitarnya. Pada akhirnya dia berhasil melalui semuanya itu.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Studying a novel is very interesting. It is interesting because literature
especially novel sometimes can reflect the condition of society and people that live in certain place and time based on what are told in the novel itself.
A novel is interconnected with human relationships. We can see in a novel, a story about family relationship, friendship, love affairs, etc. Those kinds of story are made almost similar like what usually happened in the real world. Sometimes, we can also feel the emotions of the characters presented in a novel.
By knowing and learning the personality of the character in the novel, we can also indirectly understand the personality of the people surrounding us. It happened because like what is told before a novel is made not far away from the condition in reality.
Since the writer has seen that learning the personality of the character in the novel is interesting, therefore, the writer has decided to analyse the personality changes with a novel as the object of the study. The writer realizes that in our daily life, many things can give influence and give an opportunity toward our own personality to change.
The novel that one of its characters would be analysed is The Journey written by Jiro Osaragi. The Journey told about the life of Okamoto’s family after World War
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II in Japan. There are two major conflicts in that story. The first is the conflict of Taeko and her relationship with Tsugawa as her lover. The second is about her uncle, Soroku Okamoto, whose life had changed because of the changing situation in his surrounding as the result after the World war was ended and also American Occupation.
The story began when the major character, Taeko Okamoto wanted to visit her uncle Soroku Okamoto in Kamakura. Unfortunately, she did not meet with her uncle.
According to his uncle’s maid, Soroku was doing a vacation at that time. Taeko thought that it was not her uncle’s behavior to do a journey far away from his house (p.18). Later, beginning from his journey, it can be seen some changes in his personality which were later can create a new image for Soroku.
After reading the novel, the writer is interested with Soroku Okamoto’s character. The writer wants to know more deeply about the character of Soroku Okamoto, the cause of his personality changes and what contributions given by the other characters toward his personality changes. Because of the above reasons, the writer had decided to make an analysis toward the personality changes in Soroku Okamoto. Some theories related with character and psychology would be used in this analysis.
B. Problem Formulation
There are two problems formulated that are made to help the writer on doing the study about the changes of Soroku Okamoto’s personality. Those two problems are:
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1. What sort of character is Soroku?
2. How does Soroku’s personality change?
C. Objectives of the study
There are two problems related to the topic of this study. The first problem is how Soroku Okamoto’s personality is described. It is to find out about Soroku Okamoto’s personality and the second problem is how Soroku Okamoto’s personality is changed on The Journey. It is to find out the changes of Soroku Okamoto’s personality.
D. Definition of terms
1. Character
Abrams in Glossary of Literary terms defines the term character as a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work that the moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities of this person are expressed in the dialogue and action (1981: 20).
2. Characterization
Holman and Harmon in A handbook of Literature define the term
characterization as the ways the author reveals the characters of imaginary person in
the story (1986: 81). It shows that characterization is the way the author presents the . According to Baldick, characterization is “the representation of persons
characters
in narrative or dramatic works” (1991: 34). In the other hand, Kenney defines the
4 characterization as “the method by which characters will be presented to the readers” (1988: 34).
3. Personality
Pervin in Personality Theory and Research define the term personality as the representation of person’s characteristics that account for consistent patterns of felling, thinking, and behaving (Pervin, 1984: 4).
Kalish in The Psychology of Human Behaviour said that personality is a dynamic organization of characteristic attitudes leading to behaviour and distinguish one individual from other individual. It refers the total individual and includes needs, motives, methods of adjusting, temperament qualities, self-concepts, role behaviours, attitudes, values, and abilities (1971: 52)
CHAPTER II THORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies Jiro Osagiri as the author of The Journey is a good Japanese writer. A lot of
his works were published in Japan as bestseller such as: Kuruma Tengu (Black- Masked Reformer Devil Kurama) which became his most popular novel, Teru Hi
Kumoru Hi (Sunny Days, Cloudy Days), The Journey, etc. American people also
appreciate him as a good writer. They make a novel prize using his name, Jiro Osaragi’s prize that is used to appreciate some good novel’s writer in America <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0651519/bio>(19 May 2006).
Almost the same from the other author in literature, Jiro Osaragi also got some influence from some cultures in the way of his writing style. It can be seen from “The Biography of Jiro Osaragi”: Osaragi was deeply influenced by French literature and culture, and wrote non-fiction pieces displaying his deep understanding of controversial events in Europe: "Doreifas jiken" (The Dreyfus Affair), "Buraunje Shogun no Higeki" (The Tragedy of General Boulanger), and "Pari wa Moyu" (Paris is Burning). <http://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/osaragi_e.htm> (19 may 2006).
Although he was influenced by French literature and culture, he still absolutely loves his nation, Japan. This can be seen also in “The Biography of Jiro Osaragi”:
6 When he died in 1973 at the age of 75, he was still writing "Tenno no Seiki" (Century of Emperors), a historical chronicle based on the spiritual history of the Japanese people.<http://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa/osaragi_e.htm>(19 May 2006).
Some people have done the research on The Journey by looking at some aspects. Patrick Smith in his book, Among Themselves the Invisible Japanese that is published by Alfred A. Knopf and shared on- line in www.newyorktimes.com talks that: Osaragi ends in ascending chords. People pressed together by well-worn social conventions diverge along separate paths, so embracing society's multiplicity. But The Journey is no bedtime story. Other characters, seduced by post war materialism and superficial notions of American ideals, fail to connect freedom with responsibility and end up submerged in the very morass of self- centered getting and spending that Tokyo encouraged after the anti-AMPO protests of 1960.
It means that he prefer to talk about The Journey in general. He did not discuss The Journey in specific aspect.
In this study, the writer tries to analyse a topic that is different from others. The writer will not analyze the author of The Journey or the culture inside of the story in a deeper view. In the other hand, the writer will only focuses on one of the character in the novel named Soroku Okamoto. Since his personality has changed, the writer will try to analyze his personality change. Anything that is discussed in this thesis will be merely made in order to support the writer on doing an analysis toward Soroku Okamoto’s personality changes.
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B. Review of Related Theories
This part contains the theories related to the study. Those theories are the theory of character and characterization, theory of personality, and theory of personality changes.
1. Theory on Character
In A Glossary of Literary Terms, M.H. Abrams says that characters are people that are presented in a dramatic or narrative work. It is also said that characters are distinctive type of person that the moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities of them are expressed in the dialogue and action. He states that the character’s temperament and moral nature for his speech and his action build the motivation of the character. Abrams also states that a character may remain unchanged in his outlook and his dispositions from beginning to end of a work or he may undergo a change.
A character may remain essentially “stable,” or unchanged in his outlook and dispositions, from beginning to end of a work (Prospero in The Tempest, Micawber in Dickens’ David Copperfield), or he may undergo a radical change, either through a gradual development or as the result of an extreme crisis (Shakespeare’s King Lear, Pip in Dickens’ Great Expectations) (1981: 20).
In A Handbook to Literature, C. Hugh Holman and William Harmon state that character is the form of human personality. Character is a description of a personage and the person is described as some vice or virtue or type.
8 The person is described not as an individualized personality but as an example of some vice or virtue or type, such as a busybody, a glutton, a fop, a bumpkin, a garrulous old man, a happy milkmaid, etc. (1986: 81). It is also stated that there are a static character and a dynamic character. A static character is one who changes little. A dynamic character is one who is changed by actions and experiences (1986: 83).
While Forster in the book entitled Aspects of the Novel, divided characters into flat and round characters. Round characters are usually the major figures in a story. They have many realistic traits and are relatively fully developed by the author. For this reason, they are often given names hero and heroine while the flat characters are essentially undistinguishable from their group or class. Therefore, they are not individual, but representative. They are usually minor characters, although not all minor characters are flat. Usually they stay the same; they are static, and not dynamic like round characters (1974: 46).
Theory of character is needed to support the writer on doing an analysis toward Soroku Okamoto. This theory is useful to help the writer to answer the problem formulation about what sort of character Soroku is.
2. Theory of Characterization
Characterization according to Holman and Harmon in A handbook of
Literature is the ways the author reveals the characters of imaginary person in the
story (1986: 81). In another words, characterization is the way the author presents the
9 in the story. In the other hands, according to Rohrberger and Woods,
characters
characterization is “the process by which an author creates a character, the devices
by which he make us believe a character is like particular person he is” (1971: 20) According to Murphy, (1972: 161-173), there are nine ways how the author reveals the personalities of the characters to the reader.
a. Personal Description It is the way on how the author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes.
b. Character as seen by another It is the way the author can describe a character through the eyes and opinions of another.
c. Speech The author can give the readers an insight into a person’s character through what the person said. Whenever a person speaks in conversation, or gives an opinion, he gives a clue that the readers may know how his character is.
d. Past life The author can give the readers clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character by letting the readers learn something about a person’s past life.
e. Conversation of others Characters can be seen through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him.
10 f. Reactions
To describe a person, the author can show how the person reacts to various situations and events which allow the readers to get a clue to his character.
g. Direct comment The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.
h. Thoughts The author can describe a person’s character by giving the readers knowledge of what the person is thinking about. i. Mannerism
It suggests that the author can convey something about a person by describing his mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies.
Characterization must follow three principles in order to be convincing. Firstly, the characters in the story must have a consistency in the way they behave. This consistency might be broken if only there is a sufficient reason to explain this change of behaviour. Secondly, whatever the characters do, they must have clear motivations especially when they break the consistency of their behaviour. Finally, the characters must appear life or plausible (Perrine, 1974: 69).
3. Theory of Personality and Personality Change
The theory of personality and personality change are used to help the author in understanding and finding Soroku Okamoto’s personality change. Those theories give
11 the contribution toward the writer in doing the analysis of Soroku Okamoto’s personality change.
Personality according to Carver and Scheier in Perspective on Personality is “a dynamic organization, inside the person of psychological systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts and feelings” (1996: 17). Alport in Personality: a Psychological Interpretation said “personality is that a man really is” (1953: 185-186). Meanwhile, in Hall’s Theories of Personality, one’s personality is clarified as an effectiveness by which he can get all supports he needs from people around him (1957: 245).
Bryne and Kelley in An Introduction to Personality considered that one’s personality can always change at any time and circumstances (1981: 87). Someone’s personality can change when there is a situation which leads to new emotional, informational, or imaginative responses. Therefore, one’s personality in a story can change at the end of the story. They also said that when an individual gets a new fact in his life, dramatic changes may be happened in the info-belief system, new experiences, his concept of life and his way of thinking will develop (1981: 91).
Elizabeth Hurlock in her book, Personality Development (1976: 108), it is stated that the meaning of change is “to alter or to vary, it does not necessarily mean that the alteration or variation will be complete. The personality pattern can change in some areas and remain persistent in others.”
According to Hurlock (1974: 19), an individual’s personality pattern is the product of learning during the course of social relationships with people both within
12 and outside his home. She classifies two groups of people who have the role in influencing one’s personality. Those groups are “one’s family and one’s environment” (1974: 234). In her opinion, one’s environment is the people outside the home. She said that “people outside the home may have a role to shape one’s personality.” (1974: 234)
Elizabeth Hurlock in her book, Personality Development (1976: 108), it is stated that the meaning of change is “to alter or to vary, it does not necessarily mean that the alteration or variation will be complete. The personality pattern can change in some areas and remain persistent in others.”
To find the possible factors which can influence someone’s personality to changes, there are eight personality pattern determinants according to Hurlock (1974: 137-315). The patterns are:
a. Physical Determinant Physical appearance will give an influence toward the personality development of somebody if that person tries to compare his or her physical appearance with the ideal concept that is built in the societies or families environment.
b. Intellectual Determinant It shows that the increasing or the decreasing of someone’s intellectuality will give influence on the way of him or her facing the world. It means that the developme nt of intellectuality of somebody can change the perception of those people about something in their environment.
13 c. Emotional Determinant
Emotions give influence to the individual physical and mental functioning and his attitudes, interests, and values. The age of somebody can also affect the emotion’s intensity that can give the contribution on the changes of the personality of somebody.
d. Social Determinant Everything that is built in the society like rules, norms, etc. can give influence toward the development of somebody’s personality. Everyone in this universe as human being cannot be separated from the society. Their choice or their decision to follow the rules that is built in the society or not can give the contribution on their personality deve lopment. Social roles are learned and internalised by the person become self-expectations as well as social expectations. It implies that when we enter a society and let ourselves plunge to its internalisation, we have to be ready to determine our steps in deciding whether we will take or leave that society’s expectations, norms, and idealism. Variations of what are included in this social determinant can influence one’s personality, such as early social acceptance, prejudice and discrimination, group status, and social mobility.
e. Aspirations and Achievement Determinants The aspirations and achievement include the ego-involved goal of person and the success or the failure of a person related with his training, experience, past achievements, flexibility, independence, risk taking and motivation. The aspirations and achievement certainly can result good or bad effects in people’s personality.
14 f. Sex Determinant
The direct influence of sexuality on personality comes from the inside of the body as a real phys ic. While the indirect influence of sexuality on personality comes from the outside of the body, like for example the cultural aspects on the society about gender.
g. Educational Determinant Educations that are given by parents at home or teachers at school have the biggest roles in building one’s personality.
h. Family Determinant Considering that a lot of people mostly spend their time at home, the members of the families also give important role on shaping one’s personality. The child- training method and the communication of interests, attitudes, values between family members, person’s identification with a family member he admires, respect, and loves can highly influence one’s personality.
C. Theoretical Framework
In doing this analysis, the writer use some theories that are related with the theory of character, theory of characterization, theory personality and personality change. The theory of character is taken from Abrams’s theory, C. Hugh Holman and William Harmon’s theory, and Forster’s theory. The theory of characterization is taken from Murphy’s theory and Perrine’s theory. Those theories are used to know about the character of Soroku Okamoto, one of the main characters. Then, the
15 theories of personality and personality change are taken from Carver and Scheier’s theory, Alport’s theory, Hall’s theory, Bryne and Kelley’s theory, and Hurlock’s theory. Those theories are used to know about Soroku’s personality changes.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is Object of the Study. It
is about the novel that I use in this study. The second part is Approach of the Study. It explains about the chosen approach and the third is the Method of the Study. It is about the methods that are used in this analysis.
A. Object of the Study
The Journey is an interesting Japanese classic novel. It was written by Jiro Osaragi in 1960. The original text was published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc as Tabiji.
The text that is used on this study was published in 2000 by Tuttle Publishing as The Journey .
The Journey was written by Jiro Osaragi in 1950’s after the World War II.
The novel tells about the Okamoto’s family relationship including the conflict inside of each member as the character of the novel.
The story in The Journey is more or less about the condition of the people in Japan after World War II who must face the changing in their life after the war ended.
It is the story about the relationship among people in the middle of new society that is built after the war ended.
Moreover, the defeat in the Second World War brought cataclysmic change in Japan and its people. For the first and only time in its history, Japan was occupied by a foreign power for seven years. American occupation brought forth sweeping
17 democratic reforms and in 1952, Japan became a sovereign nation once more. With the defeat of Japan, the Allied Powers occupied the Japanese empire. The United Stated took control of it. Japan was disarmed completely. Article 9 of the 1947 Constitution prevented Japan from ever waging war on a foreign nation. The Emperor also renounced all claims to divinity and was forbidden in playing a role in politics.
Japan was democratized and liberalized along American lines. Parliamentary party politics were established. Old left wing organizations such as the Japan Socialist Party and the Japan Communist Party reasserted themselves. The two dominant parties at the time were Liberal Party and the Democratic Party. The first post-war elections were held in 1946. In that election, women were given the franchise for the first time <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dwa_period> (13 June 2008).
The story begins when a young girl named Taeko Okamoto wanted to visit her uncle, Soroku Okamoto, in Kamakura. Arrive in Kamakura, Taeko decided to visit Akira’s grave, the son of Soroku who died in the war in Southern China, before she went to Soroku’s house. In that place, she met with Ryosuke Tsugawa, Akira’s friend. Later, beginning from that meeting, they became a close friend each other.
When she arrived in her Uncle’s house, she didn’t see him; he had gone to another place. She met with her uncle’s maid whom she got some information about her uncle who had gone to somewhere else. She felt strange because as long as she knew, her uncle didn’t like to go out from his house.
Soroku himself was in a ship moved out of Ryouzu bay leaving Sado Island behind. A professor named Yoshitaka Segi and his follower, Sutekichi, had saved
18 Soroku from the cold water where he tried to suicide. Professor Segi was interested with him who had amnesia and wanted to help him solving his problem. Later, in Professor Segi’s house, Soroku suddenly remembered about who he is. He decided to go home in his house in Kamakura.
Taeko herself and Ryosuke were in loved each other and had a deep relationship more than just a friend did. However, later in the end of the story, their relationship was ended because Ryosuke who had a bad behaviour.
Meanwhile, Tazuko, Taeko’s sister, wanted to borrow some money from her uncle, Soroku, but he did not give her the money. Nevertheless, later, everything had changed. When he knew that Taeko stole some money from him, he could forgive her.
Jiro Osaragi as the author of The Journey presents the post war’s characters that all of their life have been influenced by the changes that happened in their society in many aspects. While in this analysis, the writer will focus on Soroku Okamoto whose personality is changed after the ended of World War II has changed his environment and the people surrounding him.
B. Approach of the study
In this study, psychological approach is used to analyse and to find the changing on Soroku Okamoto’s personality. This is very useful for the writer to do the analysis because the changes of someone’s personality are always related to their psychological condition. However, personality that someone has cannot be separated
19 from the mind of each person and to know deeper about someone’s personality, psychological approach, that takes us to analyze a novel based on human being’s perspective, is needed.
According to Rohrberger and Woods (1971: 13), “This approach is used to explain human’s motivation, personality, and behaviour patterns written in literary objects.” It means that Psychological approach is the most appropriate way to analyze the characters. The novel itself deals with human behaviour which related to the psychology. Therefore, this approach is very useful to help the writer doing the analysis toward Soroku Okamoto’s personality changes.
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C. Method of the Study
The method of collecting data in this analysis is library research. The writer used reading as the primary data and taking notes as secondary data. The writer used
The Journey , a novel by Jiro Osaragi and also some other books and articles which
are related with this study.On the first step, the writer read Osaragi’s The Journey for several times in order to get more understanding about the novel. In this study, the writer focused on one of the main characters, Soroku Okamoto. During reading the novel, the writer made some important information related with Soroku Okamoto’s personality and also some others which related with this study.
The second step, the writer tried to find some references related with Jiro Osaragi as the author of The Journey and also his work. In order to relate Osaragi’s life and his work, the writer tried to look at some references about Jiro Osaragi. Most of the references were taken from internet’s sources like www.imbd.com, http://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/english/burjin/osaragi_e.htm, and www.newyorktimes.com. The writer decided to use internet sources because most of those sources are written in English while most of the books about Jiro Osaragi are written in Japanese language and those are difficult to understand.
Since this study would be focused about one of the main character’s personality, therefore, the writer also applied some theories about character and characterization. The writer used theory about character and characterization from
21 Abrams (1981), Holman and Harmon (1986), E.M.Foster (1927), Murphy (1972), and Perrine (1974).
Since this study was focused on one of the main character’s personality, therefore, the theories related with personality was needed. In this study, Theories of Personality and Personality Change from Carver and Scheier (1996), Alport (1953), Hall (1957), Bryne and Kelley (1981), and Hurlock’s (1974) will be used.
The next step, in order to support this study, the writer decided to use psychological approach. The writer used this approach because this study was dealt with personality of a character and its changes. The theory of psychological approach that was used in this study was taken from Rohrberger and Woods (1971).
After all of the materials and sources were collected, the writer decided to choose a topic. The topic that had chosen is derived from the references that could support the analysis. The writer tried to make some questions related to the novel to make the topic suitable. Those questions would help the writer to derive the analysis toward the topic.
The writer divided this research into five chapters. The first is chapter I, it is about the introduction of the research. In this part, the writer described the reason of doing this research. The second is chapter II, it is about the method of doing the research. The third is chapter III, it is about theoretical review related with this research. The fourth is chapter IV, it is about the analysis of this research. The last is chapter V, which contains the conclusion of the research.
22 After that, the writer did the analysis. The writer divided the analysis into three parts. The first part dealt with the characteristic of Soroku Okamoto. In this part, the writer would like to take a look at the characteristic of Soroku Okamoto related to his personality. Therefore, the writer applied the theory of character from Abrams, Holman and Harmon, and Foster who explain about two types of characters, which is in general divided into change and unchanged character. Those theories are needed to support the writer’s opinion about whether this character’s personality had changed or not.
To explain the characteristic of Soroku Okamoto, the writer would like to take a look at his character based on three aspects. The first is through other’s characters opinion about him. The second is through the environment in surrounding him, and the last is through his behaviour himself which is presented by the author. Therefore, in order to do this analysis, the writer also uses the theory of characterization from Holman and Harmon, Rohrberger and Woods, Murphy, and Perrine. Those theories will help the writer as a clue to do the analysis.
The second part dealt with Soroku’s personality changes. In this part, the writer would like to find out the personality changes that happened in Soroku Okamoto. The writer would give the evidence of the changes. The next step, the writer would like to find out the causes of his personality changes. Later, in doing this analysis, the writer will use the theories of characterization which are mentioned in above as a clue to derived the writer toward the personality changes of Soroku Okamoto. After that, the writer will apply psychoanalytic theory of personality from
23 Peter Barry, the theory of personality from Sigmund Freud and also the theory of personality change from Hurlock to support the writer’s analysis toward the causes of Soroku Okamoto’s personality changes.
The last step, based on the analysis, the writer drew the conclusion from the analysis. In this part, the writer tried to make a conclusion by looking at the characteristic of Soroku Okamoto and also his personality changes and relate them with the theories of personality and personality changes.
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS In this part, the writer tried to analyze the characteristic of Soroku Okamoto. After that, by looking at the characteristic of Soroku Okamoto, the writer tried to analyze the changes of his personality. A. The Characteristic of Soroku Okamoto Soroku Okamoto is one of the major characters in Jiro Osaragi’s The Journey. There are some descriptions given by the narrator and the minor characters about Soroku Okamoto. Here are his characteristics before his personality changes appeared. Soroku Okamoto was a lonely old man. His age was around fifties. He lived
alone in Kamakura. His wife died ten years ago. Since the death of his wife, he did not marry with any other women. He also had a son, named Akira, who had been killed in a war in southern China. Since the death of his wife and his also his son, he had preferred to live alone only with his loyal maid.
Uncle Soroku was in his fifties. He had lost his wife when he was about forty. From then on, despite everyone’s expectations, he had remained single. Taeko and her family thought that it was because of Akira that he did not remarry (P.16).
During the life of Akira, the relationship between Soroku and Akira was not really good. Some people in surrounding them had looked their relationship just like an enemy to each other. Perhaps it was not really like that for Soroku, but for Akira,
25 his father was not like a father. On his eyes, Soroku was like a creditor. However, it was his own mistake that he should pay some interest for his extra money. He asked his father whenever he running out his money for having fun with his friends. Took some interest from his own son was the way Soroku educated Akira to be wiser on using money. No matter how bad their relationship, after the death of Akira, Soroku was lost his soul mate.
At the beginning, Soroku was a perfectionist. He loved to make sure that everything is exactly as he wanted to be. It was implicit in Taeko’s statement after Tsugawa described about Akira. Taeko knew that Akira’s behavior was similar with his uncle.
“…He was just like a child who gets angry when things don’t turn out exactly the way he’s planned. It annoyed him that the matter was being smoothed over. That was the willful side of Mé’s character coming to the fore.”