Portrayal of The Protagonist in Paulo Coelho's 'By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept'.
ABSTRACT
Di dalam Tugas Akhir ini, saya menganalisis karakteristik tokoh utama
dalam novel yang berjudul By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept karangan
Paulo Coelho.
Pilar, tokoh utama dalam novel ini, digambarkan sebagai perempuan yang
biasa merencanakan segala sesuatu yang akan dia lakukan dan dia juga
mempunyai pola pikir yang konvensional atau mengikuti apa yang orang banyak
lakukan.
Namun, kemudian Pilar mengalami perubahan sifat saat teman masa
kecilnya memperkenalkan 'the Other' kepada Pilar. 'The Other' adalah pribadi
yang mengingatkan seseorang untuk tidak mengambil tindakan yang beresiko
dalam hidupnya. Setelah Pilar mengerti bahwa 'the Other' menghambat hidupnya,
dia menjadi perempuan yang spontan dan modern. Dia tidak lagi mengikuti
kebiasaan-kebiasaan yang orang lain lakukan, tetapi apa yang dia inginkan.
Saya juga menganalisis tujuan Paulo Coelho dalam menciptakan tokoh
Pilar. Saya berkesimpulan bahwa seseorang perlu berserah untuk menemukan
cinta sejatinya. Seseorang tidak dapat menemukan cinta sejatinya apabila dia tidak
mau melepaskan pola pikir yang kurang tepat di dalam dirinya sendiri.
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Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................1
Background of the Study ...................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................3
Purpose of the Study .........................................................................................3
Method of Research ..........................................................................................3
Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN PAULO
COELHO’S BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT ..................5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ................................................................18
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................22
APPENDICES ......................................................................................................24
Synopsis of By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept ..................................24
Biography of Paulo Coelho .............................................................................25
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT
Pilar is a young girl who lives in Soria. Pilar cannot forget her childhood
friend though it is some years since he has gone to another city. Still, they keep in
touch with each other through letters and postcards. Pilar moves to Zaragoza to
have a better life, so she thinks, while her friend travels around to give lectures.
After some time, her childhood friend writes a letter to Pilar to come to his
seminar in Madrid, and Pilar decides to come. He is the speaker in the seminar.
After the seminar, he asks Pilar to spend time with him on a seven-day trip. At
first, Pilar resists him, but in the end, she decides to forget her life in Zaragoza and
follow him. They travel to many places together.
Pilar's childhood friend teaches her about religious matters, and she
undergoes a spiritual experience. Through him, Pilar's faith returns. He also talks
about the feminine side of God, that is, love. Pilar thinks that love can never be a
barrier to follow one’s heart and destiny. She has always dreamed of living
together with him, performing miracles, curing the sick, and doing other
wonderful things whenever they go to lecture about the feminine side of God.
Therefore, Pilar is disappointed when he tells her that he has given up his gift and
plans that they spend their lives in Zaragoza.
An old woman tells Pilar that there is a legend that in the River Piedra,
anything that falls into the water of this river is transformed into the rocks that
make the riverbed. Here, Pilar starts to write her story, so that she can turn all her
suffering into stone. In the end, her childhood friend finds Pilar by the River
Piedra after looking for her everywhere and after reading what Pilar has written,
they decide to begin their new life together.
BIOGRAPHY OF PAULO COELHO
Paulo Coelho was born in 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was
also raised. As a teenager, Paulo was an introvert and his parents had him
committed to a mental institution when he was seventeen until he was twenty
years old.
Paulo found work as a songwriter. In 1974, at age 27, he was arrested by
the government for subversive activity – the people in power found his song lyrics
dangerous. He continued his career in the entertainment field, working as an actor,
a journalist, and even directing some theatre. He started to write as well, and his
first book, Hell Archives, was published in 1982, when he was 35.
In 1986, at age 40, Paulo walked along the Road of Santiago de
Compostela in northwestern Spain, a 500-mile distance. He experienced a
spiritual awakening on this journey, which he described in his book The
Pilgrimage, published in 1986. In 1987, his book The Alchemist was published. In
the next year, Brida was published. The Alchemist became so popular that it
influenced Brida to become a best seller. Indeed, it has sold more than 30 million
copies, and has been translated into more than 67 languages. Paulo has published
26 books to date. Other of his titles includes By the River Piedra I Sat Down and
Wept, Veronika Decides to Die.
In 1996, Paulo, the best-selling author in the Portuguese language,
founded the Paulo Coelho Institute in order to provide aid to children and the
elderly. In September 2007, Paulo was named a Messenger of Peace to the United
Nations.
Source: “Paulo Coelho Biography”
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian author. Before he turned to be a novelist, he
used to work as a film director, actor, lyricist and journalist ("Goodreads"). These
experiences make him a good novelist, and the words in his novels are very well
chosen. His favorite style of writing is poetic prose; he also frequently uses
philosophically meaningful words and symbolism (Hassapi) in his works. The
language in his novels is also easily understood and that is why the novels are
very well liked.
According to Trilling, “the novel is perpetual quest for reality, the field of
its research being always the social world, the material of its analysis being
always manners as the indication of the direction of man's soul” (qtd. in Trilling:
77). I believe Coelho’s works present social life through the characters he has
created. The characteristics of his characters usually represent real people’s
manners, and therefore, as the readers, we can learn about people’s reactions in
certain situations.
1
Maranatha Christian University
His best-known work, The Alchemist, has been translated into 67
languages and has sold more than 65 million copies (Coelho). The Alchemist has
been edited in more than 150 countries and Eleven Minutes had the highest
number of books sold worldwide and became the top of all popular booklists in
the world ("Biography").
For my thesis, I choose to analyze one of Coelho’s novels, entitled By The
River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. It is very interesting when I read this love
story and how the main character struggles to fight her fear. This is a story that
tells about a journey in search of self-identity, wrapped inside a beautiful love
story which embodies a message that “true love is an act of total surrender”
(Hassapi). On a deeper level, Coelho gives “the message that as there are no rules
when it comes to love, there are no rules when it comes to worshiping God.”
(Hassapi). This novel is said to be “. . . exquisitely written, the language direct,
quotable, imaginative and at times, numinous” (Waples) and the story “. . .
teaches us to break down rules, to stop asking questions, to stop looking for
explanations and to just give freedom to the spirit inside of us. Let the spirit guide
us to our paths, to our calling and have complete faith in a higher authority”
(Neeraja).
I am interested in analyzing the protagonist in the novel. Protagonist is
“the main character in a story, novel, drama, or either literary work, the character
that the reader or audience empathizes with” (Wiehardt). In addition, according to
Gass, “a character, first of all, is the noise of his name, and all the sounds and
rhythms that proceed for him” (qtd. in Gass: 176). Interestingly, the protagonist’s
name in this novel is Pilar (in Spanish), which means "Pillar" in English.
2
Maranatha Christian University
According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, pillar means “a large round
stone, metal or wooden post that is used to support a bridge, the roof of a
building” ("Pillar."). This is the quality that Pilar has in this novel. The word also
implies the quality of being strong and firm. Thus, in my analysis, I am going to
discuss the changes of Pilar’s characteristics in the circumstances she faces and
how her experiences help change those characteristics.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The statements of the problem in my thesis are:
1. How is the protagonist portrayed in the novel?
2. What is the purpose of the author in creating such a protagonist?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purposes of the study in my major thesis are:
1. To analyze how the protagonist is portrayed in the novel.
2. To show the purpose of the author in creating such a protagonist.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In analysing By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho, I use
library research. First, I read the novel as the primary text. Next, I find some
literary criticisms about the author and the work from the Internet to help the
writing of my thesis.
3
Maranatha Christian University
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction, which
consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the
Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two consists of the analysis of the portrayal of the protagonist in By the
River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. Chapter Three is the Conclusion. At the end
of the thesis, there are Bibliography and the Appendices, which consist of the
Synopsis of the Novel and the Biography of the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the portrayal of the protagonist in By the River Piedra I
Sat Down and Wept, in this chapter I would like to draw some conclusions. The
novel is a story of a woman around twenty years of age, named Pilar, who is
accustomed to think of everything in a good order. As a premeditated woman.
Pilar never does anything based on an impulse or based on her feelings. As a
result, Pilar does not allow herself to fall in love with her childhood friend
because Pilar thinks to fall in love means to lose control, and she does not want
that to happen. This habit also makes Pilar become a conventional woman. She
feels awkward if she is around people whom she does not know. Moreover, Pilar
prefers to choose a settled marriage life with a husband who is easy to find and
who has a secure job. She will not decide anything that is too risky. She is willing
to let her love lead her to something secure.
As the protagonist, Pilar is a round and dynamic character. In the
beginning, she is portrayed as a planner and as a conventional woman who always
does everything based on careful thought-out plans. Nevertheless, there is a point
in Pilar's life that makes her characteristics change. This happens when Pilar's
childhood friend explains to her about the Other, Pilar then decides to put the
18
Maranatha Christian University
Other away from her life, and this soon changes her view about life. The Other is
a term used in this novel to describe an inner voice within every human being that
warns us that life is too risky.
Thus, Pilar becomes a spontaneous woman. Now she enjoys her new self
and is glad that she does not have to be in control anymore. She begins to use her
feelings. She no longer feels awkward but can now enjoy having new people
around her. She allows herself to fall in love with her childhood friend and she
decides to find out more about his life. She feels free now and she has wonderful
experiences that she will not forget to tell others about. Her spontaneous acts
makes Pilar become an unconventional woman. She decides to accept the reality
that her childhood friend does not have a secure job. She is willing to take a risk
with that. She does not want a flat life. She breaks open the wall of fear. Pilar
decides to be who she really is. She is willing to fight for her love.
Based on the analysis above, there are some things that I would like to
conclude. Firstly, one needs to be released from the Other to find one's true love.
This affects one's behavior, response and also one's personality in finding love.
Previously, the desires of a person's heart can be suppressed. As for Pilar, she had
suppressed her heart's desires and it would have become worse if she had not met
her childhood friend and acquire knowledge about The Other from him. Secondly,
one will have to take risks in one's life to find happiness. By surrendering to one's
own fear, by trusting and by not questioning what will happen next, one will
discover one's true self. One will find happiness if one follows one's heart. Pilar is
successful in putting aside the Other, and she finally lives in happiness with her
childhood friend.
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Maranatha Christian University
For me, the story Coelho writes is alive and real especially his idea about
'the Other'. I believe that everyone has 'the Other' in their life, whether they realize
it or not. Many are comfortable living with 'the Other'. They want to become just
like 'the Other' tells them. In my opinion, 'the Other' comes from a person's mind.
People often base their decision on logical thinking instead of on their heart, for
example, when they make a decision about their spouse. Deciding to live with
someone else is a hard thing to do. If the relationship they build fails in the end,
they usually hurt each other, and this is what people are afraid of. They are afraid
of taking risks in life. The bigger the consequences, the more they depend on 'the
Other'. This does not mean that living according to 'the Other' is not good. It is
good to hear 'the Other' because it is a secure life, but more than that, it is better
for people to listen to what their own heart says. Consequently, people have two
choices in their life: to choose 'the Other' or to live according to their own heart or
will. 'The other' does not only talk about relationships, but about other things in
life as well. That is why the story is so real, because it also happens in real life.
Personally, I like the character of Pilar and her life since her childhood
until she finally discovers who she really is. The characteristics she has had for
years change in the short space of only one week. It proves that when someone
really wants to change, they do not have to go through a long process. People
change when they really want to change and do not just say that they want to
change. In addition, the idea of 'the Other' impresses me. It has never come to my
mind before until I read this book. I think it is not wrong to follow 'the Other', but
it is better to follow your heart. however, the best way for me is to follow God's
will instead of 'the Other' or my own desires. God has His own plan for me, and
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He knows much more than anyone does. 'The Other' and our own wants may be
wrong, but not His.
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BIBILIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts
Coelho, Paulo. By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. New York:
HarperTorch. 2004. Print.
References
“Biography.” Paulocoelho.com. 2009. Web. 30 Nov 2009.
Gass, William H. The Concepts of Character in Fiction. Ed. Michael J. Hoffman
and Patrick D. Murphy. London: Leicester University Press, 1996. Print.
“Goodreads.” Goodread.com. 2011. Web. 2 Dec 2009.
Hassapi, Anna. “Book Reviews.” Nabou.com. 2005. Web. 8 March 2011.
"Conventional." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 335. Print.
"Planner." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 1151. Print.
"Pillar." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2005. 1141. Print.
"Spontaneous." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 1479. Print.
"Unconventional." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 1663. Print.
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Kousar, Kadri. “Paulo Coelho’s Magic.” Egothemag.com. 2005. Web. 30 Nov
2009.
Neeraja. “Reflection: By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept.”
pastel-moods.blogspot.com. 2009. Web. 6 Nov 2009.
“Paulo Coelho Biography.” ascensiongateaway.Web. 25 Feb 2011.
Trilling, Lionel. Manners, Morals, and the Novel. Ed. Michael J Hoffman and
Patrick D. Murphy. London: Leicester University Press, 1996. Print.
Waples, Jan. “The Goddes, Liberation, and Love in By The River Pierre.”
journal.oates.org. 2009. Web. 6 Nov 2009.
Wiehardt, Ginny. “About.com:Fiction Writing.” fictionwriting.about.com. 2009.
Web. 2 Dec 2009.
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Maranatha Christian University
Di dalam Tugas Akhir ini, saya menganalisis karakteristik tokoh utama
dalam novel yang berjudul By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept karangan
Paulo Coelho.
Pilar, tokoh utama dalam novel ini, digambarkan sebagai perempuan yang
biasa merencanakan segala sesuatu yang akan dia lakukan dan dia juga
mempunyai pola pikir yang konvensional atau mengikuti apa yang orang banyak
lakukan.
Namun, kemudian Pilar mengalami perubahan sifat saat teman masa
kecilnya memperkenalkan 'the Other' kepada Pilar. 'The Other' adalah pribadi
yang mengingatkan seseorang untuk tidak mengambil tindakan yang beresiko
dalam hidupnya. Setelah Pilar mengerti bahwa 'the Other' menghambat hidupnya,
dia menjadi perempuan yang spontan dan modern. Dia tidak lagi mengikuti
kebiasaan-kebiasaan yang orang lain lakukan, tetapi apa yang dia inginkan.
Saya juga menganalisis tujuan Paulo Coelho dalam menciptakan tokoh
Pilar. Saya berkesimpulan bahwa seseorang perlu berserah untuk menemukan
cinta sejatinya. Seseorang tidak dapat menemukan cinta sejatinya apabila dia tidak
mau melepaskan pola pikir yang kurang tepat di dalam dirinya sendiri.
iii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................1
Background of the Study ...................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................3
Purpose of the Study .........................................................................................3
Method of Research ..........................................................................................3
Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN PAULO
COELHO’S BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT ..................5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ................................................................18
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................22
APPENDICES ......................................................................................................24
Synopsis of By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept ..................................24
Biography of Paulo Coelho .............................................................................25
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT
Pilar is a young girl who lives in Soria. Pilar cannot forget her childhood
friend though it is some years since he has gone to another city. Still, they keep in
touch with each other through letters and postcards. Pilar moves to Zaragoza to
have a better life, so she thinks, while her friend travels around to give lectures.
After some time, her childhood friend writes a letter to Pilar to come to his
seminar in Madrid, and Pilar decides to come. He is the speaker in the seminar.
After the seminar, he asks Pilar to spend time with him on a seven-day trip. At
first, Pilar resists him, but in the end, she decides to forget her life in Zaragoza and
follow him. They travel to many places together.
Pilar's childhood friend teaches her about religious matters, and she
undergoes a spiritual experience. Through him, Pilar's faith returns. He also talks
about the feminine side of God, that is, love. Pilar thinks that love can never be a
barrier to follow one’s heart and destiny. She has always dreamed of living
together with him, performing miracles, curing the sick, and doing other
wonderful things whenever they go to lecture about the feminine side of God.
Therefore, Pilar is disappointed when he tells her that he has given up his gift and
plans that they spend their lives in Zaragoza.
An old woman tells Pilar that there is a legend that in the River Piedra,
anything that falls into the water of this river is transformed into the rocks that
make the riverbed. Here, Pilar starts to write her story, so that she can turn all her
suffering into stone. In the end, her childhood friend finds Pilar by the River
Piedra after looking for her everywhere and after reading what Pilar has written,
they decide to begin their new life together.
BIOGRAPHY OF PAULO COELHO
Paulo Coelho was born in 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was
also raised. As a teenager, Paulo was an introvert and his parents had him
committed to a mental institution when he was seventeen until he was twenty
years old.
Paulo found work as a songwriter. In 1974, at age 27, he was arrested by
the government for subversive activity – the people in power found his song lyrics
dangerous. He continued his career in the entertainment field, working as an actor,
a journalist, and even directing some theatre. He started to write as well, and his
first book, Hell Archives, was published in 1982, when he was 35.
In 1986, at age 40, Paulo walked along the Road of Santiago de
Compostela in northwestern Spain, a 500-mile distance. He experienced a
spiritual awakening on this journey, which he described in his book The
Pilgrimage, published in 1986. In 1987, his book The Alchemist was published. In
the next year, Brida was published. The Alchemist became so popular that it
influenced Brida to become a best seller. Indeed, it has sold more than 30 million
copies, and has been translated into more than 67 languages. Paulo has published
26 books to date. Other of his titles includes By the River Piedra I Sat Down and
Wept, Veronika Decides to Die.
In 1996, Paulo, the best-selling author in the Portuguese language,
founded the Paulo Coelho Institute in order to provide aid to children and the
elderly. In September 2007, Paulo was named a Messenger of Peace to the United
Nations.
Source: “Paulo Coelho Biography”
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian author. Before he turned to be a novelist, he
used to work as a film director, actor, lyricist and journalist ("Goodreads"). These
experiences make him a good novelist, and the words in his novels are very well
chosen. His favorite style of writing is poetic prose; he also frequently uses
philosophically meaningful words and symbolism (Hassapi) in his works. The
language in his novels is also easily understood and that is why the novels are
very well liked.
According to Trilling, “the novel is perpetual quest for reality, the field of
its research being always the social world, the material of its analysis being
always manners as the indication of the direction of man's soul” (qtd. in Trilling:
77). I believe Coelho’s works present social life through the characters he has
created. The characteristics of his characters usually represent real people’s
manners, and therefore, as the readers, we can learn about people’s reactions in
certain situations.
1
Maranatha Christian University
His best-known work, The Alchemist, has been translated into 67
languages and has sold more than 65 million copies (Coelho). The Alchemist has
been edited in more than 150 countries and Eleven Minutes had the highest
number of books sold worldwide and became the top of all popular booklists in
the world ("Biography").
For my thesis, I choose to analyze one of Coelho’s novels, entitled By The
River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. It is very interesting when I read this love
story and how the main character struggles to fight her fear. This is a story that
tells about a journey in search of self-identity, wrapped inside a beautiful love
story which embodies a message that “true love is an act of total surrender”
(Hassapi). On a deeper level, Coelho gives “the message that as there are no rules
when it comes to love, there are no rules when it comes to worshiping God.”
(Hassapi). This novel is said to be “. . . exquisitely written, the language direct,
quotable, imaginative and at times, numinous” (Waples) and the story “. . .
teaches us to break down rules, to stop asking questions, to stop looking for
explanations and to just give freedom to the spirit inside of us. Let the spirit guide
us to our paths, to our calling and have complete faith in a higher authority”
(Neeraja).
I am interested in analyzing the protagonist in the novel. Protagonist is
“the main character in a story, novel, drama, or either literary work, the character
that the reader or audience empathizes with” (Wiehardt). In addition, according to
Gass, “a character, first of all, is the noise of his name, and all the sounds and
rhythms that proceed for him” (qtd. in Gass: 176). Interestingly, the protagonist’s
name in this novel is Pilar (in Spanish), which means "Pillar" in English.
2
Maranatha Christian University
According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, pillar means “a large round
stone, metal or wooden post that is used to support a bridge, the roof of a
building” ("Pillar."). This is the quality that Pilar has in this novel. The word also
implies the quality of being strong and firm. Thus, in my analysis, I am going to
discuss the changes of Pilar’s characteristics in the circumstances she faces and
how her experiences help change those characteristics.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The statements of the problem in my thesis are:
1. How is the protagonist portrayed in the novel?
2. What is the purpose of the author in creating such a protagonist?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purposes of the study in my major thesis are:
1. To analyze how the protagonist is portrayed in the novel.
2. To show the purpose of the author in creating such a protagonist.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In analysing By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho, I use
library research. First, I read the novel as the primary text. Next, I find some
literary criticisms about the author and the work from the Internet to help the
writing of my thesis.
3
Maranatha Christian University
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction, which
consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the
Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two consists of the analysis of the portrayal of the protagonist in By the
River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. Chapter Three is the Conclusion. At the end
of the thesis, there are Bibliography and the Appendices, which consist of the
Synopsis of the Novel and the Biography of the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the portrayal of the protagonist in By the River Piedra I
Sat Down and Wept, in this chapter I would like to draw some conclusions. The
novel is a story of a woman around twenty years of age, named Pilar, who is
accustomed to think of everything in a good order. As a premeditated woman.
Pilar never does anything based on an impulse or based on her feelings. As a
result, Pilar does not allow herself to fall in love with her childhood friend
because Pilar thinks to fall in love means to lose control, and she does not want
that to happen. This habit also makes Pilar become a conventional woman. She
feels awkward if she is around people whom she does not know. Moreover, Pilar
prefers to choose a settled marriage life with a husband who is easy to find and
who has a secure job. She will not decide anything that is too risky. She is willing
to let her love lead her to something secure.
As the protagonist, Pilar is a round and dynamic character. In the
beginning, she is portrayed as a planner and as a conventional woman who always
does everything based on careful thought-out plans. Nevertheless, there is a point
in Pilar's life that makes her characteristics change. This happens when Pilar's
childhood friend explains to her about the Other, Pilar then decides to put the
18
Maranatha Christian University
Other away from her life, and this soon changes her view about life. The Other is
a term used in this novel to describe an inner voice within every human being that
warns us that life is too risky.
Thus, Pilar becomes a spontaneous woman. Now she enjoys her new self
and is glad that she does not have to be in control anymore. She begins to use her
feelings. She no longer feels awkward but can now enjoy having new people
around her. She allows herself to fall in love with her childhood friend and she
decides to find out more about his life. She feels free now and she has wonderful
experiences that she will not forget to tell others about. Her spontaneous acts
makes Pilar become an unconventional woman. She decides to accept the reality
that her childhood friend does not have a secure job. She is willing to take a risk
with that. She does not want a flat life. She breaks open the wall of fear. Pilar
decides to be who she really is. She is willing to fight for her love.
Based on the analysis above, there are some things that I would like to
conclude. Firstly, one needs to be released from the Other to find one's true love.
This affects one's behavior, response and also one's personality in finding love.
Previously, the desires of a person's heart can be suppressed. As for Pilar, she had
suppressed her heart's desires and it would have become worse if she had not met
her childhood friend and acquire knowledge about The Other from him. Secondly,
one will have to take risks in one's life to find happiness. By surrendering to one's
own fear, by trusting and by not questioning what will happen next, one will
discover one's true self. One will find happiness if one follows one's heart. Pilar is
successful in putting aside the Other, and she finally lives in happiness with her
childhood friend.
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For me, the story Coelho writes is alive and real especially his idea about
'the Other'. I believe that everyone has 'the Other' in their life, whether they realize
it or not. Many are comfortable living with 'the Other'. They want to become just
like 'the Other' tells them. In my opinion, 'the Other' comes from a person's mind.
People often base their decision on logical thinking instead of on their heart, for
example, when they make a decision about their spouse. Deciding to live with
someone else is a hard thing to do. If the relationship they build fails in the end,
they usually hurt each other, and this is what people are afraid of. They are afraid
of taking risks in life. The bigger the consequences, the more they depend on 'the
Other'. This does not mean that living according to 'the Other' is not good. It is
good to hear 'the Other' because it is a secure life, but more than that, it is better
for people to listen to what their own heart says. Consequently, people have two
choices in their life: to choose 'the Other' or to live according to their own heart or
will. 'The other' does not only talk about relationships, but about other things in
life as well. That is why the story is so real, because it also happens in real life.
Personally, I like the character of Pilar and her life since her childhood
until she finally discovers who she really is. The characteristics she has had for
years change in the short space of only one week. It proves that when someone
really wants to change, they do not have to go through a long process. People
change when they really want to change and do not just say that they want to
change. In addition, the idea of 'the Other' impresses me. It has never come to my
mind before until I read this book. I think it is not wrong to follow 'the Other', but
it is better to follow your heart. however, the best way for me is to follow God's
will instead of 'the Other' or my own desires. God has His own plan for me, and
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He knows much more than anyone does. 'The Other' and our own wants may be
wrong, but not His.
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BIBILIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts
Coelho, Paulo. By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. New York:
HarperTorch. 2004. Print.
References
“Biography.” Paulocoelho.com. 2009. Web. 30 Nov 2009.
Gass, William H. The Concepts of Character in Fiction. Ed. Michael J. Hoffman
and Patrick D. Murphy. London: Leicester University Press, 1996. Print.
“Goodreads.” Goodread.com. 2011. Web. 2 Dec 2009.
Hassapi, Anna. “Book Reviews.” Nabou.com. 2005. Web. 8 March 2011.
"Conventional." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 335. Print.
"Planner." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 1151. Print.
"Pillar." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2005. 1141. Print.
"Spontaneous." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 1479. Print.
"Unconventional." Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005. 1663. Print.
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Kousar, Kadri. “Paulo Coelho’s Magic.” Egothemag.com. 2005. Web. 30 Nov
2009.
Neeraja. “Reflection: By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept.”
pastel-moods.blogspot.com. 2009. Web. 6 Nov 2009.
“Paulo Coelho Biography.” ascensiongateaway.Web. 25 Feb 2011.
Trilling, Lionel. Manners, Morals, and the Novel. Ed. Michael J Hoffman and
Patrick D. Murphy. London: Leicester University Press, 1996. Print.
Waples, Jan. “The Goddes, Liberation, and Love in By The River Pierre.”
journal.oates.org. 2009. Web. 6 Nov 2009.
Wiehardt, Ginny. “About.com:Fiction Writing.” fictionwriting.about.com. 2009.
Web. 2 Dec 2009.
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