The contribution of particular characteristics and childhood memory toward the creation of self-hatred as seen through Damien Karras in William P. Blatty\'s The Exorcist - USD Repository
THE CONTRIBUTION OF PARTICULAR
CHARACTERISTICS AND CHILDHOOD MEMORY
TOWARD THE CREATION OF SELF- HATRED AS SEEN THROUGH DAMIEN KARRAS IN WILLIAM P.
BLATTY’S THE EXORCIST
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
NILA SUKMANING RAHAYU
Student Number: 054214113
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
THE CONTRIBUTION OF PARTICULAR
CHARACTERISTICS AND CHILDHOOD MEMORY
TOWARD THE CREATION OF SELF- HATRED AS SEEN THROUGH DAMIEN KARRAS IN WILLIAM P.
BLATTY’S THE EXORCIST
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
NILA SUKMANING RAHAYU
Student Number: 054214113
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
to die is easy, to live is harder.
(Stephanie Meyer)
,, A Dedication to my beloved father,,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Above all, my deepest gratitude goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the unlimited blessings, companion, and guidance He has given me. My deepest gratitude also goes to Mother Mary for her love and prayers for me.
I would like to express my gratitude to Dra. Th. Enny Anggraini, M.A. who has given me the time, advice, suggestions, assistance, and criticisms during the completion of my thesis. I would like to express sincere thank to Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum. for the advice, corrections, and suggestions. I appreciate the time they have spent to make my thesis as perfect as possible.
I would like also to express my gratitude to all of the lecturers of English Letters Department for their guidance in all these years of my study and all the staffs of Sanata Dharma library for all the help.
My deepest thank goes to my mother, the most wonderful “wonder woman” I have ever known, for her love, prayers, and support. She will always be my reason to make her smile.
My sincere thanks also goes to my family, especially Pak Sutrisno, Mami Cayank, Bu Endank, Papie Robert, mbak Nike, mas Ibenk, and mbak Ayu, for their love, kindness, and support.
I would like to thank my very best friend, Gerda Cay Cay, for her supports, for each time we have spent together, and for the wonderful friendship.
For me, friends are shoulders. They mean everything to me so that I’d like Paramusiwi and Septi Rihartiningsih. I thank them for the laughs and cries we share together.
For Laskar Kost Pelangi: Weni, Tita, Ningsih, Riyuth, Popon, and Dora, I thank them for the supports. Remember how each morning we get starving and buy meal at “Bu Galak”. I miss that moment anyway.
Many thanks also to Sigit Budi Sulistyo for always being there when the time is right.
I also thank to people of Wisma Bahasa, for the cheerfulness they all bring.
My special thanks go to Aditya “Bumz Bumz”, my sweet strawberry shortcake, for the compassion, advice, and supports.
Overall, I will not be able to make it through without them.
Nila Sukmaning Rahayu
TABLE OF CONTENTS
a. Definitions of Characterization ………………. 8
C. Theoretical Framework ………………………………. 17
7. Theory of Frustration and its Development ……… 16
6. Theory of Guilt …………………………………… 15
5. Theory of Grief …………………………………… 13
4. Theory of Fears …………………………………… 11
3. Theory of Dreams ………………………………… 10
b. Methods of Characterization …………………. 9
2. Characterization ………………………………….. 8
TITLE PAGE ………………………………………………………….. i APPROVAL PAGE……………………………………………………. ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ………………………………………………… iii MOTTO PAGE ………………………………………………………… iv DEDICATION PAGE …………………………………………………. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………… vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………… viii ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………… x
1. Character …………………………………………. 7
Review of Related Theories ………………………… 7
5 A. Review of Related Studies …………………………. 5 B.
Problem Formulation ………………………………. 3 C. Objective of the Study ……………………………… 4 D. Definition of Terms ………………………………… 4 CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW …………………………….
1 A. Background of the Study …………………………… 1 B.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ………………………………………
ABSTRAK ……………………………………………………………… xi
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ……………………………………… 19 A. Object of the Study ………………………………….. 19 B. Approach of the Study ………………………………. 20 C. Method of the Study …………………………………. 21 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ……………………………………………… 24 A. The characteristics of Damien Karras as seen in William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist ………………………………… 24 B. The Description of Damien Karras’ childhood memory………………………………………………. 36 C. The contribution of particular characteristics and childhood memory in creating the feeling of self-hatred as seen in the
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION …………………………………………. 50 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………….. 53 APPENDIX ……………………………………………………………… 56
ABSTRACT
Rahayu, Nila Sukmaning. 2009. The Contribution of Particular Characteristics
and Childhood Memory toward the Creation of Self- Hatred as Seen through
Damien Karras in William P. Blatty’s The Exorcist. Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
Every human being grown up could not be separated from their childhood. Childhood experiences surely give an important contribution in the process of maturity. In this stage, human may store painful memories or even the beautiful ones. Working under consciousness, particular characteristics and childhood memories can create new characteristics within one’s life.
The study aims to answer three questions. They are figuring out the characteristics of Damien Karras as seen in The Exorcist, a novel by William Peter Blatty, viewing the description of his childhood memory, and revealing thoroughly the contribution of his characteristics and childhood memory in creating the feeling of self hatred as a new characteristic appeared.
Library research was taken in conducting the study. Some important sources were collected. The primary source is a novel titled The Exorcist written by William Peter Blatty, the second are books contained of the theories needed and also internet sources for better understanding. In analyzing the study, psychological approach was used to relate the literature and psychology.
It was described that Damien Karras was a middle aged priest and also psychiatrist. He was a well educated person, defensive, trustworthy, sentimental, warm, and thoughtful. He would be feeling inferior and guilty when his desire was unfulfilled. He grieved so easily. Something interesting about this priest was he had a crisis of faith.
The effect of his fragile characteristics brought emotional responses in facing his life. Moreover, his helpless childhood experiences like fear, guilt, and grief strengthened by the feeling of frustrated because of having his blocked desire and goals revealed them selves in the form of self hatred.
ABSTRAK
Rahayu, Nila Sukmaning. 2009. The Contribution of Particular Characteristics
and Childhood Memory toward the Creation of Self- Hatred as Seen through
Damien Karras in William P. Blatty’s The Exorcist. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra
Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Tiap manusia berkembang tak dapat dipisahkan dari masa kecil. Pengalaman masa kecil sungguh memberikan peranan dalam proses pendewasaan. Dalam tahap ini, manusia mampu menyimpan pengalaman yang menyakitkan dan indah sekalipun. Dengan bekerja di bawah alam sadar, beberapa karakteristik tertentu dan pengalaman masa kecil dapat mencipta sebuah karakteristik baru dalam kehidupan manusia.
Studi ini bertujuan menjawab tiga pertanyaan, yaitu: mencari karakteristik tokoh Damien Karras, seperti terlihat dalam novel The Exorcist karya William Peter Blatty, melihat bagaimana masa kecilnya digambarkan, dan mengungkap secara keseluruhan peranan karakteristik dan masa kecil tersebut dalam munculnya rasa benci pada diri sendiri sebagai karakteristik baru.
Beberapa sumber penting hasil dari penelitian pustaka dikumpulkan. Sumber utama berupa novel itu sendiri, sumber kedua berupa buku-buku kumpulan teori terkait dan sumber internet guna pemahaman yang lebih baik.
Pendekatan psikologi digunakan untuk menghubungkan sastra dan psikologi.
Damien Karras adalah seorang pastur separuh baya sekaligus psikiater. berpendidikan tinggi, defensif, dapat dipercaya, hangat, baik hati namun agak sentimen. Ia mudah merasa minder dan bersalah saat keinginannya tak terwujud.
Ia pun mudah berduka. Suatu hal menarik terjadi dalam dirinya yaitu adanya krisis keyakinan akan Tuhan.
Efek dari karakteristiknya yang rapuh menimbulkan rasa gelisah yang berakar dari respon emosional dalam menghadapi hidupnya. Lebih jauh lagi, pengalaman masa kecil seperti rasa takut, perasaan bersalah, dan berduka yang teramat sangat diperkuat oleh rasa frustrasi karena tujuan dan keinginan hidupnya yang tak terwujud akhirnya terkuak dalam wujud rasa benci pada diri sendiri.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the study Novel is one of literary genre which is interesting for most people to read. Through reading a novel, people enjoy the world created by the author’s
imagination. A novel might deliver a critic because unintentionally when people read a novel at the same time it sharpens their awareness. Moreover novel is not merely functioned as entertainment but also as an object that can be observed and analyzed.
In his or her novel, an author may share feelings, ideas, and emotions. Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd in An Approach to English Literature state that a novel is a work of art in so far as it introduces one into a living world: in some respects resembling the world one lives in (1963:163). Therefore there is a world inside created by the author in his or her form of writing as the result of the portrayal of real world or reality. Specifically, a novel can portray human life experiences and one of those experiences is childhood memory.
Since novels talk about human beings and their life experiences, they involve psychological aspect. It can be found through the behavior performed by the characters in the novels. The author’s insight into human nature is the reason of the involvement of the psychological aspects in the behavior of the characters close to the characteristics of certain kinds of individuals that act in certain circumstances.
In The Exorcist, there are many characters. As quoted from Los Angeles Magazine that:
“Populated with unforgettable characters, a book that overflows with intelligence and insight…you will read it, if you’re wise; with every light on in your brain…The Exorcist is a book that, among our living authors, I would have guessed only Graham Greene, or possibly Brian Moore, capable of writing.”
- -Los Angeles Magazine
Moreover, Abrams talks about characters in his A Glossary of Literary
th Terms 4 Edition that:
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say- the dialogue- and what they do- the action. (1941:20)
As Abrams said that characters are persons, at the same time, they also have psychological aspects just like real human beings. In The Exorcist, it is described that the main character named Damien Karras has bitter childhood memories that finally becomes one important element in creating the feeling of self hatred within him. Based on the theory of Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams as cited from Bressler in Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice that when the unconscious itself is filled with repressed sexual desires, anger, rage, and guilt and those elements cannot be suppressed anymore they will reveal themselves through a form that is called self hatred or rage (1998:153). However, the feeling of self hatred might also be produced by the contribution of past life experience and one of them is childhood memory.
In this novel the characteristics and the psychology of Damien Karras become a very interesting topic to be analyzed. This character has a feeling of hatred toward him or in other terms it is called self-hatred. It comes up as a new characteristics brought by some particular former characteristics and childhood memories that share some similarities. It is all stored within his mind. To lead into the deeper analysis on the past life and how it finally creates the feeling of self hatred within the character, no doubt, the study of characteristics is needed first. Nevertheless, the study of past life experience takes a big part because it gives important contribution toward the creation of self hatred.
B. Problem Formulation
Here are three problems that will be discussed in this paper: 1. How is Damien Karras characterized as seen in The Exorcist?
2. How is Damien Karras’ childhood memory described?
3. What is the contribution of characteristics and childhood memory in creating the feeling of self-hatred as seen in the character of Damien Karras?
C. Objectives of the study
Plainly speaking, the objectives of the study are firstly to find out the characteristics of Damien Karras, secondly to see how his childhood memory is described, and the last is to reveal thoroughly the contribution of the characteristics and childhood memory of the character in creating the feeling of self hatred within this character as seen in the novel titled The Exorcist.
D. Definition of terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation, it is better to know several terms used in this discussion.
1. Self Hatred According to Phil Nuernberger in his The Quest for Personal Power in
Life Positive as cited from www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychology/phobia/mind- miseries.asp accessed on November 1, 2008 self-hatred is a habit of the mind, a way of looking at life and at oneself that leads only to further mistakes, poor performance, and unhappiness.
2. Character In A Glosssary of Literary Terms, Abrams defined “character as the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, which are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say (the dialogue) and what they do (the action)” (1981:20).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies This part presents the studies done by other researchers on the same topic
and the same work with this paper. This paper is going to discuss about the characteristics of Damien Karras, the character in the novel entitled The Exorcist, his childhood experiences, and its contribution in creating self hatred. Therefore, it is important to see other works so that it can be compared to one another.
Referring to the same topic that is analyzing the character, Hana Surya Dewi, in her dissertation entitled A Feminist Study of the Major Character in
Margareth Landon’s : “Anna and the King of Siam” : Anna’s protest against
gender injustices in patriarchal society , related the characteristics of a particular
character with the social issues raised. She revealed that the issues inside the major character could affect the character’s personality (2005:4). Whereas this paper studies on how the characteristics of a certain character can be built by the emotional responses within the character toward certain events. This paper talks more on the psychology of the character rather than the character’s social life.
Another study, Daniel Jolley wrote in www.customer review.com/The Exorcist.htm that he was interested in Damien Karras than other characters in that novel.
I was actually more affected by the inner turmoil of Father Karras than anything else. His doubts over his own faith, the horrible guilt he feels for philosophical, sentimental character who serves as the main liaison between the reader and the events of the novel. What we see through Father Karras' eyes is a complex, troubling vision of life and death, a conduit of our own philosophical and religious struggles. (Taken from Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA), 2008, in www.customer review.com/The Exorcist.htm)
On that article, Daniel Jolley stated that Damien Karras has crisis of faith and also guilt haunted by the death of his mother but this paper analyzes further and tries to find more characteristics on this character.
While Ika in her dissertation entitled A Study of the Influence of Taylor
McAden’s Guilty Feeling Upon His Relation with Others As Seen in Nicholas
Sparks’ The Rescue talks about character and the feeling of guilt that makes the
character suffered (2005:3), this paper discusses about characteristics of the character and childhood memory taking control over the creation of new characteristics within the character. Ika also states that the main character discussed in her dissertation is having guilty feeling because of the death of someone he loves (2005:2).
Hence the topic is almost the same, but the works used are different. Although, in analyzing the feeling of self hatred, Ika’s thesis and this paper might use the same theory about guilt, this paper only discusses guilty feeling as a part of the elements affecting the state of consciousness. Moreover, this paper is made to develop other studies. Thus, this paper is certainly different because it focuses on how the feeling of self hatred is formed inside one’s personality caused by the suppression of guilt found in childhood memory. This paper tries to reveal that fragile characteristics together with the childhood memories have a big contribution in shaping a new characteristic.
B. Review of Related Theories
This part presents the theories of character, characterization, and some theories of psychology such as psychoanalytic theory of dream, theory of fear, theory of grief, theory of guilt, and the theory of frustration.
Because this study analyzes a certain character in particular novel and self hatred revealed in his characteristics, it is important to understand those theories.
1. Character
The first problem formulation deals with the main character, therefore it is needed to know what defines a character since characters are vital in the novel.
Through the characters the readers can experience the world created by the author and live in its story and every story essentially displays actions. To describe actions in a story, of course, people who do those actions are needed. In a story, they are called characters. It is through the knowledge of fictional characters readers can understand their actions and vice versa like what Stanton has said in An Introduction to Fiction (1965: 17).
Further, Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms defines characters as “persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work who possess moral and dispositional qualities that are expresses in what they say-the dialogue, and what characteristics as real human beings because they have temperaments and morals that will become the motivation of their speeches and actions (1981:21).
Furthermore, Baldick in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literature interprets characters as “the personage in a dramatic or narrative work” (1991:33).
2. Characterization
a. Definitions of Characterization
Characters are important in a literary work. It is also known that an author might take part in his or her story by hiding in one of his characters. In order to be real-like characters, the author should make the characters as realistic as possible. Therefore, an author makes the characters appear alive and real. The creation of the imaginary person presented to the readers as lifelike is called characterization as explained by Holman and Harmon in A Handbook to
Literature (1986:81). Furthermore, Beaty and Hunter in New Worlds of Literature
state that particular characteristics of a person suggest that a person is distinctive.An individual portrayed in literature is often referred to as character. The way in which the author describes him and the process of defining is usually called characterization (1989: 231).
In addition, Rohrberger and Woods Jr. in Reading and Writing about
Literature state that “character must be credible; that is, reader must accept them
as believable people”. Hence, the reader can imagine the character not only through physical appearances but also through their behaviors and thoughts. Thus,
b. Methods of Characterization
There are several ways in building a character. Three ways are presented here. First, the famous one namely Abrams states two ways in characterization.
They are showing and telling. Showing is also sometimes called as a dramatic method. It means that the author describes the character by highlighting what the character says, and does in the novel. Therefore, readers have to infer the character by themselves. In telling method, the author himself intervenes in order to describe and evaluate the motivations and dispositional qualities of the characters (1981: 21).
Rohrberger and Woods Jr. point out that characterization can be done by direct means and dramatic means. Direct means is done when the author describes the character’s physical appearance, intellectual and moral attributes, or the degree of the character’s sensitivity and dramatic means is done when the author places the character in situations to show how the character behaves or speaks (1972: 29).
On the other hand, an expert named M.J. Murphy gives detail explanation on how characters are described by an author. In his book Understanding Unseen, he mentions nine ways of how the author reveals the character’s personalities and traits to the readers (1972: 161-173. However, to answer the problem formulations, this study only uses five of them, as follows: i. Personal Description The author explains directly to the readers the physical appearance of the characters. ii. Character as Seen by Another The author mentions his or her characters through the eyes of other characters in the story so that the readers can catch a reflected image of them through the other characters’ eyes. iii. Reactions The author mentions indirectly a character’s personality by letting the readers know how the character reacts to various events or situations. iv. Thoughts The author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a character is thinking about. So that they can get knowledge of the personality of the character when they read the description of what he or she is thinking about. v. Mannerisms The author describes a character’s mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies which may tell the readers something about the character.
3. Theory of Dreams “Dreams are mental products that can be understood and interpreted” is stated by Atkinsons in Introduction to Psychology. It is based on one of Freud’s theories that present his concern toward dream. Freud said that dream is a needs that one finds it is repressed from consciousness. However, sometimes the “dream work”, as Freud called it fails, and anxiety wakens the dreamer (1981:173).
To discuss further about the psychology of the character, Freud’s theory of dream is used. According to Freud in Bressler’s Literary Criticism: An
Introduction to Theory and Practice, a child stores all the memories in his/her life
even the painful one. Such a repressed sexual desire, anger, rage, and guilt are all suppressed in his/her unconsciousness. All those wishes affect the conscious state in the form of inferiority feelings, guilt, irrational thoughts, and nightmares and when such wishes are too hard to be handled by the conscious psyche it may produces feelings of self hatred (1998:153). Moreover, in The Unconscious, Easthope states that according to Freud the interpretation of dreams is the royal road to understanding the unconscious (1999:9).
In addition, dream can be used to understand the unconscious. Dream helps to reveal elements such as repressed sexual desires, anger, rage, and guilt within one’s unconsciousness because dream reflects to one’s life. Furthermore, when those elements cannot be suppressed anymore they will reveal themselves through a form that is called self-hatred.
4. Theory of Fears
Human beings produce several emotional responses when they react in a particular traumatic event. One of them is called fear. Edward H. Robinson ed in as an affective (feeling), cognitive (thinking), motoric (behaving) and physiological (bodily changing) response to a perceived threat. For example, it is a response to a specific object or concept, such as snake or being left alone (2004:21). Whereas Robinson, Robinson, and Whetsell’s in Journal of
Humanistic Education and Development write there are fifteen sources of fear in
children, they are: change of school, failure at school, being alone, family strife, punishment, death, darkness, homework, strangers, monsters, ghosts, loss, not being accepted, nuclear war, and thieves (1988: 84-95).
Fear is normal in children, especially for their growth and development process and can be an important tool for self-preservation. For example, when faced with a frightening object, such as oncoming truck, a child produce fear response such as distress, recognition of real danger, increased heart rate and adrenaline, and fleeing (2004:21). In addition, fear in human itself is an emotional response to a particular traumatic event. Other responses include sadness, feelings of guilt, anger, fear, grief, and depression (2004:138).
According to Jeffrey Gray in The Psychology of Fear and Stress, the symptoms of fear can be seen from facial expression, but sometimes, facial gestures are not enough to trace them. Such primitive activities can be used to interpret fear are drawing back the lips for biting, withdrawal of the lips from the teeth, and the erection of the hair on the back (1972: 30-31).
5. Theory of Grief
An expert named Hurlock in Child Growth and Development states that grief is the result of losing somebody we love. It causes a physical trauma sometimes. It is often called as sorrow or sadness. Grief is the most unpleasant emotion regardless of its intensity and the age when it occurs (1972:202). Hurlock also explains the effects of grief on personal and social adjustment as follows:
a. Grief may lead to feelings as martyrdom if the child interprets his loss as a punishment.
b. The grief-stricken child may become resentful if he feels his parents or others could have prevented the loss.
c. Grief may lead to feeling of guilt if the child believes that he/ she could have prevented the lost him/herself.
d. The grief-stricken child may withdraw and become self-bound, thus eliminating opportunities for socialization.
e. Grief may encourage the child to escape from reality by daydreaming or by contemplating suicide.
f. Grief will militate against achievement if the child is too preoccupied with his loss to concentrate on what he is doing.
g. Grief may be intensified by anxiety, with all its damaging effects.
Similar with what Hurlock has said about grief, Diane E. Papalia ed state that grief is the emotional response experienced in the early phase of losing someone to whom a person feels close (2004: 690). Wortman and Silver also find distress. Second, the mourner does not experience intense distress immediately or later. Third, the mourner remains distressed for a long time (2004: 691).
Moreover, Kubler-Ross explains there are three processes of grief work although grieving does not necessarily follow its straight line. The first are shock and disbelief. They follow a death. The survivors often feel lost and confused afterwards. They get overwhelming feelings of sadness and frequent crying. It lasts several weeks, especially after a sudden or unexpected death. The second process is the preoccupation with the memory of the dead person. It may last six month or longer. The survivor tries to come to terms with the death but cannot yet accept it. For instance, a widow may be seized by a feeling that her husband is still present. The last process involved is resolution. It is when the survivors renew interest in everyday activities. Memories of the dead person bring fond feeling mingled with sadness, rather than sharp pain and longing (2004: 690).
In addition, Pat McHenry Sullivan and Gina Kemp wrote in their article entitled Grieving the Loss of a Pet that the loss of a pet also can be very painful.
The loss of a beloved pet can trigger overwhelming feelings of grief and sadness. They also wrote that physically the survivors might have trouble sleeping, lose weight, feel tired all the time or have difficulties in focusing (2008, www.helpguide.org/mental/phobia_symptoms_types_treatment.htm).
6. Theory of Guilt
According to Jenkins in Feelings and Emotions: Guilt Feelings-Their
Function and Dysfunction , guilty feeling may be described as a painful emotion,
such as a sense of unworthiness. Someone may feel guilty because there is an over wide discrepancy between one’s own conduct and the moral or ethical standards one has set for oneself (1950: 353). However, guilt feelings are personal since they result from a self-judgment by internalized standard.
The feeling of guilt, which may damage one self’s concept, is frequent to live up to one’s standard. It can make the person lose his confidence in his ability to achieve what he wants to do though it is only himself who knows his failure. Therefore, human beings need to find the way to release themselves from guilty feelings that they develop. When a sense of guilt develops in a child, moral sanctions evoke from within. A child may begin to have a sense of guilt before the age five or six years old. He can be frightened when he is caught in the wrong act.
The feeling in older children of guilt might make him feel ashamed when caught in the act, which they know is wrong. It makes them ashamed and they become more realistic about the standards that they say for their behavior (Hurlock, 1972:197).
People try to relieve their guilty feeling by becoming more tolerant toward their standard. For example, when an individual decides not to cheat when tempted to do so, he usually becomes more rigid in his attitude that cheating is wrong. However, then, when he decides to cheat, he is likely to become more tolerant toward cheating. He uses this method unconsciously to reduce his guilty feeling, as stated by Hurlock (1972:197).
Hence, feeling of guilt can be used as a motivator to change. Jenkins believes that we can use guilty feeling and the discomfort it brings as a barometer of the need to change things in our life and it may help us to get rid of guilt. In other words, feeling guilty about what we have done often leads us to do better so this is the reason why people who were once in guilt might want to change their life and are tempted to avoid the same mistake they had done (1950: 353).
7. Theory of Frustration and its Development
Frustration occurs when progress toward a desired goal is blocked or delayed. A wide range of obstacles, both external and internal, can interfere with an individual’s efforts to reach a goal, as Atkinsons and Hilgard said (1981: 421). According to them, there are two barriers to goal satisfaction. They are physical environment and one’s own limitations. For instances, noise prevents our concentration and physical handicaps, and other specific abilities can prevent an individual from achieving a desired goal. If an individual sets goals beyond his or her ability, frustration is apt to result.
The feeling of frustration can be found in people who cannot reach their purpose or goal. People with desire blocked have tendency to be caught in this feeling. Frustration can lead someone into depression as stated by Joanna Saisan ed. in Understanding Depression: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Help that frustration (2008, www.helpguide.org/mental/phobia_symptoms_types_treatment.htm).
Depression may also arise from early childhood trauma since emotional trauma has a strong effect on the psyche.
Depression Signs & Symptoms Further Explanation
Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness A bleak outlook—nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing to do to improve the situation.
Loss of interest in dailly activities No interest in or ability to enjoy former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex.
Appetite or weight changes Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
Sleep changes Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia). Psychomotor agitation or retardation
Either feeling “keyed up” and restless or sluggish and physically slowed down. Loss of energy Feeling fatigued and physically drained. Even small tasks are exhausting or take longer. Self-loathing Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. Harsh criticism of perceived faults and mistakes. Concentration problems Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.
The table is taken from the same site. It shows the depression signs and symptoms though they might be varied to several people.
C. Theoretical Framework
Firstly, theory of character by Abrams and theory of characterization by Holman and Harmon, Beaty and Hunter, and Rohrberger and Woods Jr. are used to describe the meaning of characterization. To know how the author characterizes Abrams’, Rohrberger and Woods Jr.’s, and M.J. Murphy’s. Those theories are used to answer the first question in the problem formulation.
The next theories are the theories of fear by Edward H. Robinson ed, Robinsons, Whetsell, and Jeffrey Gray, and other theories, psychoanalytic theory of dream by Freud, Bressler, Easthope, Atkinsons, and Hilgard. They are needed to answer the second problem formulation.
While the theories of grief by Hurlock, Diane E. Papalia ed, Wortman, Silver, Kubler Ross, and Pat McHenry Sullivan ed and theory of guilt by Jenkins and Hurlock will be used to answer the third problem formulation. To complete them all, the theories of frustration by Atkinsons, Hilgard, and Joanna Saisan ed are added.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study The work under the study here is a novel titled The Exorcist. This novel is
written by William Peter Blatty and published by Bantam Books Inc in the United States in 1971. The novel has more than one edition; however Bantam edition is chosen to become the object or data of this study. Though many people know the story of the novel from the movie which is also inspired by the same novel, but still, the novel interests many people to read it. As what these opinions say:
“A fantastic and deeply religious novel that will touch the reader to his very soul as it touches on things in this world that cannot be explained away rationally.”
- Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News
“The Exorcist is a tremendous novel…It is fast, powerful and completely gripping, a hypnotic combination of morality tale and supernatural detective story. The Exorcist becomes more than merely an accomplished horror story. The battle between the priest and the demon…makes powerful, compulsive reading. The priest is not particularly saintly priest. His struggle is partly himself. He wonders whether he still believes in God. But God or not, he swiftly comes to believe in the Devil. He is here, in this icy little room in a house in Washington, D.C…Despite its dredging of the depths (Blatty’s) book is deeply religious without being pi- or po- faced, a parable for our times. “It is a stunning achievement.”
- The Sunday Express (London)
According to Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist.htm accessed on January 31 2008, the novel was made into a successful Academy Award-winning horror film in 1973, with the screenplay written by Blatty. This novel is unique because the author wrote it from his friend’s real experience into his own version, as also quoted from Wikipedia that:
The Exorcist is a horror novel written by William Peter Blatty. It is based
on a 1949 exorcism Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit and Catholic school. The exorcism was partially performed in both Cottage City, Maryland [1] and Bel-Nor, Missouri. [2] Several area newspapers reported on a speech a priest gave to an amateur parapsychology society, in which he claimed to have exorcised a demon from a thirteen-year-old boy named Robbie, and that the ordeal lasted a little more than six weeks, ending on April 19, 1949. This novel simply talks about a priest named Damien Karras. He had guilt over the death of his beloved mother. Every single bitter moment in Damien’s life gave certain wound to him for he thought that God never answered his prayer whenever he had difficult times. Started from this, he doubted his faith toward God until he met Regan MacNeil, an eleven years old daughter of Chris MacNeil, a famous actress in Washington D.C at that time.
Damien never knew that his meeting with this child would change his characteristics after all. Regan MacNeil was sick but after several medical treatments were taken, the child was assumed to be possessed by devil and Damien Karras finally saved her by giving his own life after his faith of God was attempted by the Demon.
B. Approach of the Study
There are many approaches that can be applied to literary works. All of their purposes are the same. Each of them tries to give better understanding approaches. This is an approach where theories of psychology are applied to analyze literary works. As quoted from Guerin’s A Handbook of Critical
Approaches to Literature that yet, for all the difficulties involved in its proper
application to interpretive analysis, the psychological can be fascinating and rewarding. (1999:125) Besides it is clear that an author creates characters in his or her novel as human like so that their characteristics and psychology which is related to the character or personal development can be analyzed or in other word observable. In this case, knowledge of psychology plays its role. As stated by Martin in his
Doing Psychology Experiments that for an understanding of human behavior,
psychologists attempt to establish relationships between circumstances and behaviors (1996:2-3).
Moreover Hjelle and Ziegler state in Personality Theories that this approach emphasized the analysis of conscious processes into their fundamental elements, together with the discovery of the laws that govern connections among these elements (1981:29). Hence, the approach used in analyzing the work is psychological approach because this work discusses about character, characteristics, and the feeling of self hatred that is finally revealed which requires knowledge of psychology.
C. Method of the Study
There are three procedures taken in analyzing the work of the study. First, research. Most of the works are written texts such as the novel being analyzed, and the theories which are taken from books, articles, and internet sources.
Second, the primary source is a novel titled The Exorcist written by William Peter Blatty.
Then some important sources used in this study are theory of character by Abrams, theory of characterization by Holman and Harmon, Beaty and Hunter, and Rohrberger and Woods Jr., and the theories on method of characterization by Abrams, Rohrberger and Woods Jr., and M.J. Murphy.