The reasons of anomic suicide committed by Will Traynor as seen in Jojo Moyes` me before you - USD Repository

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THE REASONS OF ANOMIC SUICIDE COMMITTED BY
WILL TRAYNOR AS SEEN IN JOJO MOYES’
ME BEFORE YOU
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

By
SAVIRA KHOERUNNISA SEJATI
Student Number: 144214055

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2019

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THE REASONS OF ANOMIC SUICIDE COMMITTED BY
WILL TRAYNOR AS SEEN IN JOJO MOYES’
ME BEFORE YOU
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

By
SAVIRA KHOERUNNISA SEJATI
Student Number: 144214055

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2019

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For my beloved Papa Jesus
and Papa Koen Loen,
in heaven.
I dedicate this thesis to you.

I hope I make you proud.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank my beloved Father, Jesus Christ, for His
grace and unconditional love to me. He is always with me in the ups and downs in
my life.
I am truly grateful to have Dr. Enny Anggraini as my thesis advisor and
Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari, S.S., M.Ed. as my thesis co-advisor for their guidance
and patience to encourage me to finish my thesis. Their advice always helps me to
do my best for this thesis. My gratitude also goes to the lecturers and all the faculty
members of English Letters Sanata Dharma University, especially Mbak Ninik for
the help and support.
I am also grateful to have my main support systems; my aunt, Kuku, my
sister, Ufi, my brother, Kharel, and my mom for their supports and prayers for me
to finish my thesis. My biggest gratitude goes to my father, who I believe always

supports and motivates me to finish my college from up there.
I would like to thank my second support systems; Shella, my ‘soulmate’
during this college life and also Aven, Theo, Kara, Febri who always accompany
me and remind me to finish my thesis. I also want to thank all of my Kenyil friends
and everyone who plays an important role in my life that I could not mention one
by one for cheering me up during my struggle to finish this thesis.

Savira Khoerunnisa Sejati

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE..................................................................................................... ii
APPROVAL PAGE ...................................................................................... . iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE .................................................................................... iv
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY .................................................................. v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH . vi

MOTTO PAGE................................................................................................ vii
DEDICATION PAGE ................................................................................... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. x
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... xii
ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1
A. Background of the Study ............................................................................ 1
B. Problem Formulation ................................................................................. 4
C. Objectives of the Study .............................................................................. 4
D. Definition of Terms ................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................. 7
A. Review of Related Studies ......................................................................... 7
B. Review of Related Theories ...................................................................... 10
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ............................................ 10
2. Theory of Choleric Temperament ......................................................... 14
3. Theory of Motivation ........................................................................... 14
4. Theory of Suicide ................................................................................ 17
5. Theory of Conflict ............................................................................... 20
C. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................ 21

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 23
A. Object of the Study .................................................................................. 23
B. Approach of the Study ............................................................................. 24
C. Method of the Study ................................................................................. 25

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CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ........................................................................... 27
A. Characteristics of Will Traynor in Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You ................ 27
1. Will Traynor was an adventurous and passionate person ..................... 29
2. Will is choleric .................................................................................... 32
3. Will is sarcastic and cranky ................................................................. 33
4. Will is pessimistic and discouraged ..................................................... 37
B. The reasons that motivate Will Traynor’s decision to commit suicide as seen
in Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You ................................................................. 39
1. The lack of human needs that cannot be fulfilled by Will Traynor ....... 40
2. Will Traynor’s reasons to commit suicide ........................................... 47
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ...................................................................... 58

REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 61

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ABSTRACT

SEJATI, SAVIRA KHOERUNNISA. (2019). The Reasons of Anomic Suicide
Committed by Will Traynor as seen in Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You. Yogyakarta:
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
This research discusses Jojo Moyes’ novel entitled Me Before You. The
writer uses the movie tie-in edition of the novel which was published on 26 April
2016 by Penguin Books. It is an interesting story because it tells about the main
male character’s steady decision, Will, to end his life through assisted suicide even
though people around him try to show him that life is still worth living. This
research is conducted because the novel discusses about assisted suicide and this
novel pro to assisted suicide which causes pros and cons among the readers of this
novel. It is interesting to get deeper understanding about reason of Will’s decision
to commit suicide through assisted suicide and to tolerate the decision to commit

suicide through assisted suicide.
There are two problems to solve in this research. The first is how Will’s
characteristics are described and the second is the reasons that motivate Will’s
anomic suicide.
The method used in this research is library research encompassing the novel
of Me Before You as the primary data. Then, books of literature and psychology,
theses, journals, and also articles from the internet were taken to support the
analysis. The writer used psychological approach to analyze this research. The
writer applied some theories to answer the research questions; theory of character
and characterization, theory of choleric temperament, theory of motivation, theory
of conflict, and theory of suicide.
The analysis in this research produces some findings. The finding reveals
that Will was an adventurous and passionate person. From his personal traits, Will
is described as a choleric man, sarcastic, cranky, pessimistic, and discouraged.
These characteristics are affected by the condition faced by Will after the accident.
In the second analysis, the finding reveals that the inability of Will to fulfil his
human needs becomes the factors which provide him the idea to end his life through
assisted suicide. The decision of committing suicide is categorized as anomic
suicide because Will cannot deal with the great change in his life. He loses his
meaning and hope in life and it makes him feel useless. The conflicts faced by Will

also affect his decision to commit suicide.
Key words: anomic suicide, assisted suicide

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ABSTRAK

SEJATI, SAVIRA KHOERUNNISA. (2019). The reasons of Anomic Suicide
Committed by Will Traynor as seen in Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You. Yogyakarta.
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Penelitian ini membahas tentang novel Jojo Moyes berjudul Me Before You.
Penulis menggunakan novel yang merupakan edisi setelah film Me Before You
dirilis yang diterbitkan pada 26 April 2016 oleh Penguin Books. Novel ini memiliki
cerita yang menarik karena ini menceritakan tentang keputusan kukuh karakter pria
utama, Will, untuk mengakhiri hidupnya dengan bantuan orang lain walaupun
orang disekitarnya mencoba untuk menunjukkan padanya bahwa hidup masih layak
untuk dijalani. Penelitian ini dilakukan karena novel ini membahas tentang bunuh
diri dengan bantuan orang lain yang mana novel ini pro dengan hal tersebut

sehingga menyebabkan pro dan kontra diantara para pembaca novel tersebut. Hal
ini menarik untuk mendapatkan pemahaman lebih mengenai alasan Will untuk
bunuh diri dengan bantuan orang lain dan untuk memaklumi keputusan tersebut.
Ada dua rumusan yang harus diselesaikan dalam penelitian ini, yang
pertama yaitu bagaimana karakteristik dari Will digambarkan dan yang kedua
adalah alasan yang memotivasi Will untuk melakukan bunuh diri yang tergolong
dalam bunuh diri anomik.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah studi pustaka meliputi
novel Me Before You sebagai data utama. Kemudian, buku-buku mengenai literatur
dan psikologi, skripsi, jurnal, dan juga artikel dari internet juga digunakan untuk
mendukung analisis ini. Penulis menerapkan pendekatan psikologis untuk
menganalisis penelitian ini. Penulis telah menerapkan beberapa teori untuk
menyelesaikan rumusan masalah; teori karakter dan karakterisasi, teori temperamen
koleris, teori motivasi, teori konflik, dan teori bunuh diri.
Analisis dari penelitian ini menghasilkan beberapa kesimpulan. Kesimpulan
tersebut mengungkapkan bahwa Will adalah seorang yang dulunya berjiwa
petualang dan penuh gairah. Dari ciri kepribadiannya, Will digambarkan sebagai
seorang yang koleris, sarkastik, mudah marah, pesimis, dan kurang percaya diri atau
kecil hati. Karakteristik tersebut dipengaruhi oleh kondisi yang dihadapi Will
setelah kecelakaan yang menimpanya. Dalam analisis kedua, diungkapkan bahwa

ketidakmampuan Will untuk memenuhi kebutuhan manusianya menjadi faktorfaktor yang menimbulkan ide bagi Will untuk mengakhiri hidupnya dengan bantuan
dari orang lain. Keputusan Will untuk bunuh diri tergolong dalam bunuh diri
anomik karena dia tidak dapat menghadapi perubahan besar dalam hidupnya. Dia
kehilangan arti dan harapan dalam hidup. Konflik yang dihadapi oleh Will juga
memengaruhi keputusannya untuk bunuh diri.
Kata kunci: anomic suicide, assisted suicide

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study
Novel is the most popular literary genre. Many people enjoy reading novel
because it represents their lives. When reading a novel, people will usually get
carried away with the plot of the novel, imagining what is portrayed in the novel,
or perhaps imagining themselves to be one of the characters in the novel. Novel as
an example of literary works can be used by the author of the novel itself to express
his or her feeling, protest, or point of view towards his or her society or environment
where he or she lives. There is a statement which says that the greatest novel reflects
life which consists of many elements; just as life is a mixture of joy, disappointment,
hope, humor, sorrow, and success (Murphy, 1972, p.133). A primary assumption of
the novel is that it will report the actions of individual characters with sufficient and
abundant details to create the illusion of authenticity to the material facts of
everyday world. Therefore, one word most often used to describe the novel is the
word “realistic”. (Rohrberger & Woods,1971, p.29). Why is it said that the word
“realistic” is the most often word used to describe a novel? Because as mentioned
before, novel is a picture of human’s action. In the novel, a character with all its
action equals to human’s life. In other words, novel is an adaptation of everything
which happened in our surroundings that is written into stories with the imagination
development of its authors. A novel may also represent the author as the main
character and the author’s background of life. It can be the experience or setting

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which is adapted from the author’s life. It can also be the author’s idea or
imagination which is written as a piece of literary work.
As the most popular literary genre, novel is widely used as an object of
analysis. Therefore, the writer is interested to analyze a novel as the object of this
research entitled Me Before You written by Jojo Moyes which firstly published in
2012. However, the writer uses the movie tie-in edition of the novel as the main
object which was published in 2016.
The reason why this novel is interesting for the writer to be analyzed is
because according to some surveys found in the internet, there are pros and cons
related to the storyline of the novel which the main male character commits suicide
through assisted suicide, the focus of the pros and cons is the existence of assisted
suicide. Some people agree with it, but others are opposed to assisted suicide. They
even assume that it is a murder. Every novel must necessarily present a certain view
of life and of some of the problems of life (Hudson, 1910, p.131). In this case, this
novel presents a view about assisted suicide chosen by the main male character to
end his life. This decision, which is also approved by the family, becomes the
beginning of the pros and cons. The writer analyzes the reasons why the main male
character in the novel decides to end his life through assisted suicide seen from how
the character is portrayed in the novel and the motivation that makes the character
decides to commit suicide.
This novel is about the ordinary life of an energetic English-woman named
Louisa Clark who becomes a caregiver of a man named Will Traynor who used to
have an adventurous life but now wheelchair-bound and must live by relying on

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others after an accident. Initially, Louisa does not like Will's personality and how
Will treats her by his words. As time passes, they become friends and fall in love.
The interesting part is when Louisa finds out that Will decides to commit suicide
through assisted suicide in a suicide organization called Dignitas. Louisa does many
things to show that life is still worth living and she hopes Will will change his mind.
But at the end of the story, Will sticks to his decision to commit suicide.
In doing something, people must be motivated to do it. In this case, the main
male character must be motivated to commit suicide. Generally, suicide is a familiar
phenomenon, it can happen everywhere and every time. People who decide to
commit suicide certainly have their own reasons. People who decide to commit
suicide usually think that suicide is the last thing to do to solve their problems which
can be seen from some cases reported around us. Not only ordinary people but also
famous people like authors, artists, or even politicians end their life through tragical
ways. It means that anyone can commit suicide as they want. Me Before You is
chosen as a research object because of its interesting story about the life of a total
paralyzed man who decides to commit suicide. Although people around him try to
show that life is still worth living, he does not want to change his mind. There are
some reasons behind the character’s decision to commit suicide and this story
makes the writer realize how much we should be grateful for life and we also have
to respect others’ stance.
In this study, the writer wants to know how Will Traynor is described in the
novel and the reasons that motivate Will Traynor to commit suicide in Me Before
You. There must be a reason for someone in doing the action of ending his or her

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life. It can be influenced by the emotion, environment, treatment, or maybe
depression because of the situation that someone never expects. This study also
aims to elucidate aspects which are the reasons why the main male character of the
novel decides to commit suicide.
B. Problem Formulation
There are two problems of this study as the main points that are analyzed
into two questions:
1. How are Will Traynor’s characteristics described in Moyes’ Me Before You?
2. What are the reasons that motivate Will Traynor’s anomic suicide in Moyes’ Me
Before You?
C. Objectives of the Study
As the problems mentioned in the problem formulation above, there are
some objectives to be achieved. Firstly, the purpose of this research is to know how
the characteristics of Will Traynor are described in the novel. Secondly, this
research is conducted to comprehend the reasons that motivate Will Traynor to
commit suicide at the end of the story in the novel entitled Me Before You written
by Jojo Moyes.
D. Definition of Terms
To avoid misunderstanding in this study, there are some important terms
that are needed to be comprehended in this research.
The first is definition of character. According to Abrams (1981), a character
is the person presented in dramatic or narrative works who is interpreted by the
readers as being endowed with moral dispositional qualities that are expressed in

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what they say which is the dialogue and what they do which is the action (p.21).
In this study, a character refers to the person in the novel of Jojo Moyes entitled
Me Before You.
The second is definition of motivation. Gerring and Zimbardo (2002) state
that motivation is the process of starting, directing and maintaining physical and
psychological activities towards a certain goal. According to Drever (1975), there
will always be a motive and need in doing an action. Motive and need are related
to each other and they stimulate a person to do something that we called
motivation. In this study, motivation refers to Will Traynor’s decision to commit
suicide.
The third definition of terms is the definition of assisted suicide. Durkheim
(1951) says that suicide is not an illness, but the term used to describe the act of
taking one’s own life and it occurs when individuals are less engaged and feel
more isolated from their communities.
Assisted suicide is the process by which an individual is provided, by
another person or persons, with the means and the assistance (via drugs or
equipment) to commit suicide. The key difference between assisted suicide
and suicide is the word assisted. The person wants to die and has involved
someone else in this endeavour (Haigh, 2011, p.36).
In other words, assisted suicide means the act of killing one self because the
individual who has terminally ill deliberate hastening his or her own death with
assistance from someone else for example a doctor, family member, or another
individual. In this study, assisted suicide refers to the action of Will Traynor to
take his own life through a suicide organization called Dignitas.

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The last definition of terms is the definition of Quadriplegia. Basically,
quadriplegia means that once spinal cord is severed or severely damaged, all nerve
control of the body, both sensory and motor, is lost from the neck down and
cannot be repaired. Quadriplegia is paralysis caused by injury or illness. “Quad”
means four and “plegia” means paralysis. This paralysis affects all four of body’s
extremities (Maxwell, 1971, p.10). In other words, quadriplegia means the loss of
use of limbs and torso.
Maxwell also states that people with quadriplegia are entirely dependent
on others for the rest of their life, for every physical activity. In this study,
quadriplegia refers to the condition of Will Traynor, who is a C5-6 quadriplegic.
C5-6 is a level of the damage to the brain or the spinal cord and quadriplegic is a
person who has quadriplegia.

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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter consists of three parts. They are review of related studies,
review of related theories and theoretical framework. The first point is review of
related studies which provides some studies with similar discussion with this
research that has been previously conducted. The second point is review of related
theories which provides theories that support the research. The last point is
theoretical framework which describes the contribution of the theories which
support the analysis of this research.
A. Review of Related Studies
The first related study is a research that has been previously conducted. It
has a similar discussion with this research. The writer is from English Language
Education Study Program namely Thomas Damian Wali with his research entitled
The Meaning of Hanna’s Decision to Commit Suicide as Reflected in Bernard
Schlink’s The Reader. In his research, the writer focuses on how the character of
Hanna is described in the novel and the meaning of Hanna’s decision to commit
suicide. The writer uses the theory of character and characterization to analyze how
the character of Hanna is described in the novel. He finds out that Hanna’s
characters portray a self-oriented life and sacrifice for love which makes a person
always think superiorly than others. In analysing the meaning of Hanna’s decision
to commit suicide, the writer uses the theory of motivation and theory of
psychological psychology. In his conclusion, he states that Hanna’s decision to

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commit suicide is the result of being alone, dependent, unloved, uneducated, and
selfish. He also states that Hanna’s characterizations and her journeys of life are
directed to the final decision to commit suicide as her own destiny.
The first related study is helpful for this research because in this research,
the writer also focuses on the characterization of a character, Will Traynor,
described in the novel. The writer uses the same theory to analyze the
characterization of Will Traynor. There is a difference in analyzing the decision to
commit suicide between this research and Thomas Damian’s research. In this
research, the writer finds out the reasons of Will Traynor’s decision that motivate
him to commit suicide.
The second related study is also a research that has been conducted before
by English Language Education Study Program student namely Bonaventura
Jiwantara Adhi Nugraha entitled The Reason of Okonkwo in Committing Suicide as
Seen in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. In this research, the writer focuses on
how Okonkwo is characterized and the reasons of Okonkwo to commit suicide. To
analyze how Okonkwo is characterized, the writer uses the theory of
characterization and theory of personalities. He finds out that Okonkwo is described
as a bad temperamental person. He uses theory of motivation and theory of suicide
to analyze the reason why Okonkwo decides to commit suicide and he finds out that
it is because Okonkwo has difficulties in facing his life with his condition.
The second related study supports this research because it has the same topic
about committing suicide. The writer uses this second related study to support the
analysis by using the same theory which is theory of characterization by Murphy to

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analyze how Will Traynor is characterized in the novel. Theory of motivation and
theory of suicide are used to analyze the reason why Will Traynor decides to
commit suicide.
The third related study is an article entitled “I’d Rather Die than Live This
Way” written by Rosemary Ferdinand in a journal entitled “The American Journal
of Nursing”. In this article, the writer discusses a woman named Jean Lincoln who
has AIDS. She focuses on how to take care of a terminally ill patient who expresses
suicidal ideation. In the article, the writer also provides some possible reasons why
a terminally ill patient often thinks to end his or her life and how to guide and help
him or her to overcome feelings that lead to suicide such as being isolated from the
social environment that cause a fear of living ‘out of touch’, physical inability to
perform daily activities as before, unrelieved pain, depression, and the loss of hope
because oftentimes, people in severe illness think that their life is not worth
anymore and they will never be recovered. The writer also tells about how to face
a patient who directly or indirectly plans to commit suicide. From the caregiver
side, the writer explains how a caregiver convinces the patient to prefer receiving
life rather than ending his or her life. Few patients with terminally illness or loss of
their physical ability in fact ask caregivers for help in committing suicide. In the
article, the writer also gives an explanation about the assisted suicide debate and
how to respond to it. This article is helpful for this research because it helps the
writer to have more comprehension about the reason of Will Traynor’s decision to
commit suicide according to his point of view about life because as mentioned
before in the background of the study. There are pros and cons about assisted

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suicide and the writer wants to understand the decision according to Will Traynor’s
point of view.
In this research, the writer points out the similar aspect of both of the
research that are conducted before and the article. The writer points out the reason
why Will Traynor, the main male character in Moyes’s Me Before You, decides to
commit suicide based on the story of the novel. The writer focuses more on the
motivations that motivate Will Traynor which may cause him to decide to commit
suicide with the help of an organization known as assisted suicide. These three
related studies help the writer to conduct the analysis of the reason why Will
Traynor decides to commit suicide.
B. Review of Related Theories
There are five related theories applied in this research to answer the problem
formulation of this research. Theories of character and characterization and theory
of choleric temperament are used to answer the first research question about Will
Traynor’s characteristics described in the novel. Theory of motivation and theory
of suicide are used to analyze the reasons that motivate Will Traynor to commit
suicide. Theory of conflict is used to analyze the internal and external conflicts
which also become the reason that motivate Will to commit suicide.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Character as the main aspect in a literary work is very important. The author
of a novel has to describe all of the characters of the novel as realistic as possible
because literary works depict real life. While characterization is the creation of

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imaginary person so that the reader can feel that the characters exist as lifelike.
(Holman & Harmon, 1986, p.81).
According to Baldick (1991), a character is a person in a narrative or
dramatic work. It is different from characterization. Characterization is the way in
which a character is presented. Therefore, a character is the result, while
characterization is the process (p.81).
Based on the importance of a character, Abrams (1981) states that characters
in a novel are divided into two; major character and minor character. He says that
major characters are involved in main action as well as becoming the central and
the most important in a story, while minor characters are characters that appear in
certain setting and they are necessary to become the background of the major
character. The roles of minor characters are less important than the major characters
or main characters because they are not fully developed characters and their roles
in a story is just to support the development of the major character (p.20).
According to E. M. Forster (1972), character can be distinguished into two
kinds. The first is flat character and the second is round character. Flat character is
a character that is built around a single quality or idea by the author. Flat character
is presented without many specific details. Therefore, flat character can be
described adequately in simple way or in a single sentence. Meanwhile, round
character is complex in temperament and motivation. Round character is presented
particularly subtle. Round character is as difficult to describe with any adequacy as
an individual in real life. Round character is capable of surprising us just like real
person (p.18).

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In Understanding Unseens, An Introduction to English Poetry and the
English Novel for Overseas Students, Murphy states that in real life, we can assess
people through some ways. We can assess people through their outward
appearance, their manners, opinions of other people, how they behave, or their past
life. He also mentions that there is one thing we cannot do to assess people in real
life but which an author can do. An author can describe a character using the ‘eyeof-god’ method, where an author can lay bare the innermost thought of the
characters (Murphy, 1972, p.161).
As Murphy mentions in his book, there are nine ways to get better
understanding of characterization of a character. The first is personal description.
In this method, an author describes the detail of a character such as the face, skin
complexion, hair, eyes, body, hair, and the clothing in order to help the reader to
visualize the character and to understand the characteristics.
The second is about how a character is seen by other characters. The author
describes the character through the eyes and opinions of other characters in the story
instead of describing the character directly. This method makes the reader
understand a character’s personality and appearance as a reflected image.
The third method is speech. The readers can understand the characteristics
of a character through the way the character speaks. Some information and clues
about a character can be revealed through the character’s speech.
The fourth method related to past life. The author gives a clue to events
happening in the past that have helped to shape a character. A character’s past life
will affect how the character behaves in the present life. Moreover, it can change

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character’s personality. It can be done by direct comment by the author, through the
character’s thought, through the conversation or through the medium of another
character.
The fifth is about the conversation of other characters. The author gives
some clues to the reader about the character’s characteristics through a conversation
of other characters and the things they say about the character.
The sixth method is related to the reaction. The author gives some clues
about the character through the reaction of the character towards various situations
and events.
The seventh method is direct comment. Here, the author gives description
or comment about the character directly. This method makes the readers understand
easily about the characteristics of a character.
The eighth method is related to the thoughts. The author gives the readers
direct knowledge of what a character in a story is thinking about. The readers will
know a character’s characteristics by knowing what is in the character’s mind.
The last method is about mannerism. The author can describe a character’s
mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies which may also tell the readers something
about the character’s characteristics (Murphy, 1972, pp. 161-173).
The theories of character and characterization mentioned above are used to
understand about the character to have a deeper meaning towards a literature work.
In this research, this theory is used to analyze how the character of Will Traynor
described in Me Before You.

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2.

Theory of Choleric Temperament
There are four human temperaments. They are sanguine, choleric,

phlegmatic, and melancholic. A temperament can also be called as a personality. In
this study, the writer focuses on choleric temperament as one of Will Traynor’s
characteristics.
A generic explanation of human “Temperaments” or “Personalities” is that
all of us have been born with genetically inherited “behavioural tendencies”
that are as much a part of our DNA as is the color of our hair; all of us are
made up of DNA combinations passed on to us through our parents and
ancestors (Ekstrand, 2015, p.1).
It is also stated that choleric temperament is basically ambitious and leaderlike. People with choleric temperament usually have passion and energy. They will
correct everything they assume wrong. They are mostly men and born leaders who
have confidence, naturally gifted businessmen, have strong will, independent, and
sufficient. Choleric temperament also has negative sides such as bossy, impatient,
easily angered, etc. This theory is used to explain one of Will Traynor’s
characteristics found by the writer.
3. Theory of Motivation
Everybody has a reason in doing something. The reason is called motivation.
The motivation will influence people to act in a specific way. Gerring and Zimbardo
(2002) define that motivation is the process of starting, directing and maintaining
physical and psychological activities towards a certain goal (p.364).
According to Smith, motivation is an internal process that influences the
direction, persistence, and vigor of goal directed behavior. Human beings achieve
their goals because they are motivated by something as their internal factor in

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moving to achieve it. Motivation also leads human to act in a specific way which
can support them to achieve their goal. Thus, motivation always influences human’s
behavior because they want to gain something or to adapt to a condition (1982,
p.282).
According to Drever (1975), there will always be a motive and need in doing
an action. Motive and need are related to each other and they stimulate a person to
do something that we called motivation. Motive is an affective factor which
undertakes in determining the direction of an individual’s behavior towards the aim
or goal. Meanwhile, need is a condition portrayed by the feeling of lack something
and it requires the performance of some action (p.102).
Motivation influences human’s life in different way whether it is good or
not. Abraham Maslow states that motivation has a relation with human needs. He
classifies human needs into five needs in a hierarchy running from basic
psychological needs to self-actualization needs (Maslow, 1970, p.112).
Maslow states that higher needs can emerge only as lower needs are
satisfied. The higher needs develop later in life than lower needs, but they are also
inborn in everyone. It means that people have desire to fulfil all the classification
of the human needs stated by Maslow. Needs affect behavior only when they are
unsatisfied (Maslow as cited in McClelland, 1985, p.41-42). Below are the
explanation of the needs;
a. Psychological needs are the most basic level which consist of the need for food,
water, and sex. For example, when a person is hungry, he or she will think and
talk about food and then eat it to fulfil his or her hunger.

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b. Safety needs which consist of the need for security and protection from pain,
anxiety, fear, and disorder, need for order, lawfulness and discipline.
c. Needs for belongingness and love which consist of need for tenderness and
togetherness. In other words, people need to be accepted and belonged to
community, they need to receive or give love, affection and sense of belonging
because they don’t want to be lonely.
d. Esteem needs which consist of need for achievement, respect, and approval.
These needs can be categorized into two subcategories. The first is a need for
self-value which involves self-confidence, achievement, control, independence,
personal strength, competency, and freedom. The second is a need for other
value which involves a desire for position, prestige, good reputation, status,
appreciation by others, feeling of importance.
e. Self-actualization needs which means the need for self-fulfilment, need for
realizing one’s potential and capacities, need for understanding and insight.
These needs are where people become fully functional, acting purely on their
own volition and having a healthy personality.
Since there are some human needs of Will Traynor that are not fulfilled, the
theory of motivation of human needs is used in order to help the writer to analyze
the reason of Will Traynor’s decision to commit suicide. Human needs of Will
Traynor that are not fulfilled are all of it except the psychological needs. The
inability to fulfil other needs affects Will Traynor’s behavior. His behavior
changes because his needs are unsatisfied. The writer will focus on the safety

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needs and esteem needs because those needs show the main factors of Will
Traynor’s motivation to commit suicide.
4. Theory of Suicide
According to Smith (1982), suicide is the act of intentionally destroying
oneself, a violent self-inflicted destructive action resulting in death, and the act of
killing oneself (p.129). It can be said that suicide is the result of ill health where
people cannot accept themselves and it makes people intentionally lead to death.
The decision to commit suicide is usually a combination between a wish to live and
a wish to die. This condition is called ambivalence, which may be a cry for help.
Will Traynor maybe needs help from others to make him healthy again, to make
him walk again, but it is impossible because there is no recovery for spinal injury.
It is explained in the novel that Will is C5-6 quadriplegic which means that nothing
works below his chest and no one knows how to fix spinal injury yet.
In Understanding Psychology, Kasschau states that not all people who
commit suicide are depressed. However, many depressives think about suicide, and
some of them translate the thoughts into action (Kasschau, 1995, p.376).
There are some reasons that make people decide to commit suicide. It may
be the last thing to release themselves from physical or emotional pain, or an effort
to end the torture of unacceptable feelings or to punish themselves for wrong things
they feel they have committed.
Suicide can be divided into some categories. Durkheim categorizes suicide
into four categories based on the strengths and weaknesses of society. The causes
determined by external factors and environments. The first is egoistic suicide. It

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happens when a person cannot find a basis for existence in life or find the reason to
live. It results from an inability to integrate oneself with society. Failure to maintain
a close relation towards a community precludes a person from the support systems
needed for adaptive functions. Without such support, a person is unable to function
adaptively and it makes a person becomes isolated and alienated from others.
The second is altruistic suicide. It happens when a person is positioned into
a heroic situation and when this person dedicates his or her life to a cause. This kind
of suicide is motivated by the need to fulfil further group goals or to achieve some
greater good. A person gives up for a higher cause, for example in ultimate political
protest or in religious sacrifice.
The third is anomic suicide which means “deregulation”. It happens when a
person suffers from a great change where this person is not ready to deal with it or
when a person’s relationship to society is unbalanced in some dramatic ways.
People who may not be able to handle the change or to cope with the new thing may
choose suicide as an ‘out’ when his or her horizons are suddenly broadened or
constricted by unstable condition.
The last is fatalistic suicide, when a person is in an excessive regulation
which usually happens among prisoners, slaves and others suffering the same
burdens (Durkheim as cited in Smith, 1983, p.129-130).
The writer focuses on anomic suicide because it is the most appropriate
category to categorize Will Traynor’s reason to commit suicide since Will cannot
cope and accept the great change of his life caused by the accident because it is not
the life that he wants, it is totally different from his ‘old’ life.

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There are always causes in doing something including in doing suicide. The
causes in doing suicide generally are about family, job, failure, carrier or
depression. According to Coleman (1976), there are four factors to categorize the
cause of suicide (p.606-607);
a. Interpersonal Crises
Interpersonal conflicts and disruptions associated with marital conflict, divorce,
separation, or the loss of the loved ones through death might result in severe stress
and suicidal behavior.
b. Failure and Self-devaluation
The feeling of having failed in some important business or activity can cause
suicidal behavior.
c. Inner Conflict
The stress situation and the debate in human’s own mind (internal conflict) can
cause suicidal behavior.
d. Loss of Meaning and Hope
When someone loses his or her hope and meaning of life, an individual may
feel that his or her life is useless. This cause a person may give up trying to do his
or her best to survive and take his or her own life. People who have meaning in their
lives usually continue to work toward valued goals. When people lose their hope
and meaning to live, they may give up trying to do their best and end up taking their
own life.

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5. Theory of Conflicts
Conflict in a novel is similar to the conflict that exist in real life, where the
conflict is going to happen between a character and a character, characters and
themselves, or characters and nature. Conflict also makes the story become more
fascinating. A story without conflict will be monotonous. Therefore, conflict is an
important part of a story.
Stanton (1965) in his book An Introduction to Fiction categorizes conflict
into two kinds which are internal conflict and external conflict. Internal conflict is
a conflict between two desires within a character. A character’s mind and feeling
are involved in this conflict where a character has the opposing desires and the
character has to choose one of them. This conflict has something to do with a choice
like choosing between right and wrong or it may have something to do with
overcoming emotions or mixed feeling. External conflict is a conflict between
characters in a story or between a character and the environment. A character and
other things outside the character are involved in this conflict.
In A Handbook to Literature, Holman and Harmon state that conflict is the
struggle that grows out of the interplay of two opposing focus in a plot. They state
that there are three kinds of conflicts. They are the struggle against nature, the
struggle against another person, and the struggle against society (1986, p.107). The
struggle against nature is a conflict that happens when a character finds himself
pitting against the forces of nature. The struggle against another person may come
from moral, religious or social differences and it may be emotional, verbal or
physical conflict.

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Meanwhile, in psychology, when the person faces or is motivated by two or
more needs and valued goals, it can be said as conflict. Conflict is the condition
where an individual has to choose one of the two alternatives which can lead to
frustration. Conflicts are important sources of stress or depression and frequently
lead to such tension and inner turmoil. The key in conflict is often the frustration
that arises when we must choose one alternative and give up the other (Coleman,
1976, p.83-84).
According to Coleman (1976), there are three categories of conflict. The first
is approach-avoidant conflict which happens when one alternative involves both
pleasant and unpleasant features. In this category, there are strong tendencies both
to approach and to avoid the same purposes. The second is double-approach conflict
which happens when there is a competition between two or more desirable
purposes. The third is double-avoidant conflict which happens when there are two
or more unpleasant or negative purposes.
C. Theoretical Framework
The focus of this research is the characteristic of Will Traynor described in
the novel and the motivation that become the reason of Will Traynor’s decision to
commit suicide. The theories reviewed in the previous part are very important for
the writer to get into the analysis part. In analyzing Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You,
the writer uses some theories. The theories are theory of character and
characterization, theory of choleric temperament, theory of motivation, theory of
suicide and theory of conflict.

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The theories of character and characterization are used to describe the
characteristic of Will Traynor in the novel. Theory of motivation is used to explain
the motive and the lack of needs of Will that make him come to the decision to end
his life. Theory of suicide is used to find out the reason of Will Traynor’s decision
to commit suicide and to categorize Will Traynor’s kind of suicide. The theory of
conflict explained in the previous part is used to analyze the conflicts faced by Will
Traynor. The conflict is used to explain more about Will’s struggle because of his
inability to do anything anymore. The theory of motivation and the theory of suicide
are also important because they are applied to find out what the reasons that
motivate Will Traynor’s decision to commit suicide are.

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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study
The literary work used by the writer to be analyzed in this research is a novel
entitled Me Before You written by Jojo Moyes. This novel was first published in the
United Kingdom on 5 January 2012. The Movie Tie-In edition of the book was
published on 26 April 2016 by Penguin Books. There is also a sequel of this novel
entitled After You, published in 29 September 2015 by Pamela Dorman Books. The
writer uses the movie tie-in edition published by Penguin Books as the object of this
study which contains 27 chapters with 400 pages in total.
This novel somehow becomes a controversy because it implies the
legalization of assisted suicide. Some people disagree with the storyline because
they think that suicide is an inappropriate thing to do but this novel tells about
assisted suicide instead. Because of this controversy, the writer is interested in
knowing the reason of Will Traynor to commit suicide.
The story is about a young English-woman, Louisa Clark, who gets a job as
a caretaker for a paralyzed man named Will Traynor. Will is a young businessman
and an adventurous life enthusiast whose life has changed since the last two years
after an accident that happened to him. He was hit by a motorbike while crossing
the street and it makes him C5-6 quadriplegic. Will’s mother tells Lou that her job
is to monitor Will all the time even though there is already a professional to take
care of his medical needs. However, Will is really annoying at first. He looks cold.

23

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As time goes by, Will and Lou become good friends. Until Lou hears a truth about
why she was employed; Will had committed suicide before and eventually he made
his mother promise to take him to a place that facilitates assisted suicide in
Switzerland in six months to end his life. Although Lou is surprised by the fact, Lou
decides to make a travel plan and she takes Will to visit various places and show
Will that life is still worth living but he still ignores it. Finally, Lou decides to
accompany Will for the last time at Dignitas, an assisted suicide facility even
though her mother opposes Lou to meet Will.
The