APPROVEMENT
A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS ON TWO MAIN CHARACTERS’ IN THE FILM OF
“MARLEY AND ME”
A Thesis
Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty In Partial of the Requirements for
Strata 1 Degree
By.
Ummu Nadhrah Reg. 105026000998
Approved by:
Drs. H. Abdul Hamid, M, Ed NIP : 150. 181. 922
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
LETTERS AND HUMANITIES FACULTY
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH
LEGALIZATION
This thesis entitles “A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS ON TWO MAIN CHARACTERS’ IN FILM MARLEY AND ME” has been defended before the Letters and humanities Faculty’s examination committee on March 4th, 2010. the thesis has already been accepted as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the the degree of strata 1.
Jakarta, March 4th, 2010
Examination Committee
1.Chair Person : 1. Dr. Muhammad Farkhan, M.Pd 19650919 200003 1 002
2.Secretary : 1. Drs. A. Saefuddin, M. Pd 19640710 199303 1 006 3.Advisor : 1. Drs. Abdul HAmid, M.Ed
150 181 922
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no materials previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text.
Jakarta, March 4th 2010
ABSTRACT
Ummu Nadhrah, “A Psychological Analysis on two Main Characters’ in the Film of Marley and Me,” Thesis, Jakarta; English Department, Letters and Humanity Faculty, State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah, January 2010.
The objective of this research is to know how two main characters Marley and Jenny Grogan are characterized by the author and analyze the two main characters based on psychology of literature approach viewed by Robert Feldman to find out the types of relationship. This research uses qualitative method and the collected data are analyzed by using descriptive analysis technique.
In this analysis the writer finds out the two main characters’ characteristics. For Marley’s characteristics such as stubborn heart, kind heart, responsible, energetic and harm for other people. And then Jenny’s characteristics such as stubborn heart, kind heart, responsible woman, nice person and like most of adult girl is full energy or energetic. From the analysis, it can be concluded that:
- Marley is a neurotic dog. He has strong character and unstoppable dog we ever seen before. He can eat anything from wallpaper, furniture, briefcase until shoes. But, for Jenny and John, Marley is a funny dog. They love him very much. They are really glad have Marley, because Marley brings out the best in their family, such as Marley as an inspiration for John on his column in Newspaper and he teaches from Marley about his happiness and his gold heart. Marley didn’t mind if the Masters were rich or poor, he was still loyal with them.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
All praise to be Allah SWT, lord of the universe, with his amazing guidance the writer can accomplish the process of making this thesis. Salutation and peace be upon our prophet Muhammad SAW, all his family and his followers. The writer would like to express her greatest honor to her beloved parents especially her father Muhammad Thoha, S,Pd, and her mother Asiah who always give their affection, patience, motivation, spiritual and material support, during the writer’s study and in the process of finishing this thesis.
The writer would like to address her thanks and gratitude to her advisor Mr. Drs. H. Abdul Hamid M, Ed for his patience, valuable helps, doing corrections during for completing this thesis.
The writer also would like to express her deepest gratitude to the following persons: 1. Dr. Abdul Chair, MA. The Dean of Letters and Humanities Faculty.
2. Dr. M. Farkhan, M, Pd, the Head of English Letters Department.
3. All lecturers of English Letters Department and All Staff of Letters and Humanities Faculty.
4. Her brother and sisters Misbahuddin S.Sos.I, Rosydianah S.Ag and Nurmala S.Pd who have given spirit and love for her.
5. Her brothers and sister-in-law, Nurkamsan S, Ag, Lukman Hakim S, Pd and Depi Damayanti who have given her a lot of support for her.
7. The writer’s best friends at Letters and Humanities Faculty, especially Adhin Sista ( Asti Nurtasya, Dewi Pusfitasari, Ivone Octaviana and Nurhikmah,) thanks for the joy and friendship since the beginning until later.
8. The writer’s team work in KUMON (Endru Sudiono, Yuliani Margareth Makatita, Atiek Suarti, Dyan Rizkiyati, and Ari Pratiwi) and in PRIMAGAMA (Mr. Hendra, Nunung Hamidah, and Ervinna) who keep our good team work.
9. Her friend Muhammad Fahmi for given a lot of motivation and support up to the present time.
May Allah SWT always bless and protect them. The writer believes that this paper is far from being perfect. Therefore, the writer would like to receive some inputs and suggestions.
Jakarta, January 2010
TABLE OF CONTENT
ABSTRACT ……….. i
APPROVEMENT ………... ii
LEGALIZATION ………... .... iii
DECLARATION ………... ... iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ………... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………. vii
CHAPTER 1, INTRODUCTION ……… 1
A. Background of the Study ………. 1
B. Focus of the Study ……… 4
C. Research Questions ……….. 5
D. Significances of the Study ……….. 5
E. Research Methodology ………. 5
1. Objective of the Study ………. 5
2. Method ……….... 5
3. The Technique of data Analysis ………. 6
4. Unit of Analysis ……… 6
5. Instrument of Study ………... 6
CHAPTER II. THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK ………. 7
A. The Concepts of Character and Characterization ……….. 7
2. The Characterization ……….. 11
B. Psychology of Literature ………. 14
C. Interpersonal Relationship ………. 15
D. The factors Influencing Relationship ………. 16
1. Similarity ……… 16
2. Reciprocity of liking ……….. 17
3. Positive Qualities ……….. 17
4. Physical Attractiveness and Liking ……….... 18
5. Physical Appearance and Social Behavior ………. 18
CHAPTER III. RESEARCH FINDINGS ……….. 20
A. Data Description ……… 20
B. Data Analysis ……… 22
B.1. Analysis of Marley’s characteristics ……….. 22
B.2. Analysis of Jenny Grogan’s characteristic ……… 25
B.3. The influencing Factors of Two Main Characters’ Relationship …… 27
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ……… 33
A. Conclusion ……… 32
B. Suggestion ……… 34
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……… 34
APPENDICES ………. 36
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of study
Literature as a sore of arts was in human civilization since thousand years ago. Literature presence among human civilization couldn’t be denied. Moreover, it could be accepted as one of cultural realities.
Literature is a performance in words, it strongly holds our attention, seeming compete in itself, it is not only primarily regarded as a source of factual information; it offers a unique satisfaction. Furthermore, literature does not only have common-written characterization, but also it offers satisfaction for literature-lover. This is the reason why the reader does not only comprehend and understand the reading text of literary work, but also the reader can get benefit from literature if they analyze as far as possible. A literary-lover can interpret sense of literary work from the science or the knowledge they have such as: psychology, sociology, economy, or physiology.
film have rhythm. The complex rhythms of film resemble those of music and poetry, and like poetry in particular, film communicates through imagery, metaphor and symbol. Like drama, film communicates visually and verbally: visually, through action and gesture; verbally, through dialogue. Finally, like the novel, film expands or compresses time and space, traveling back and forth freely within their wide borders.1
Film is unlimited subject that is contains the properties which are the simultaneous and continuous interplay of images, sounds, and movements on the screen make film become the most powerful and realistic of the arts. Not in its choice of subject but also in approach to that material. A film’s mood and treatment can range from the lyric to the epic. In point of view, a film can cover the fell spectrum from purely objective to the intensely subjective; in depth, it can focused on the surface of realities and the purely sensual, or it can delve into the intellectual and philosophical matters. A film can look to the remote past or probe the distant future; it can make a few second seems like hours or compress a century into minutes.2
To evaluate a film, firstly we have to know intrinsic elements’ well which cover plot, character, point of view, tone, setting, and theme. Sometimes we found in a film does not fulfill any 0f the intrinsic elements, it would make the audience feel confuse without presence of those elements.
In literature it is seldom enough merely to discuss what a character does, and it is simplistic to assert that an act completely defines the man who commits it. The
1
M. Boggs Joseph and W. Petrie Dennis, The Art Of Watching Films (California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000) P. 2
2Ibid.
writer must attempt to determine why a character performs in a given manners, as well as the nature of his deeds. To understand the ‘why’ we must first attempt to re-create the emotional state that leads to the action; we must map out the mind.
By exploring character we can get the theme of the film and get conclusion. The character that describes the characterization of actor in play is very important in the intrinsic element. In this film, it is told that John Grogan the columnist who has a wife Jenny, he and his wife Jenny Grogan are a young couple contemplating the life-changing decision to have a baby. Then John tries to buy a dog. John gives the dog name Marley. Marley is an adorable, rambunctious Labrador pup who flunks obedience school and quickly turns the Grogan household into disaster area. All characters in this film are interested to be analyzed deal with their personality traits that has been shown in the film Marley and Me to get the theme of the play. Characters of the film talk about loving and caring each other. Because of that, the writer tries to analyze characters as an understanding about love, care and how to nurture something. And between human and non-human have feeling to belong to each other based on love.
Psychology (lit. "study of the soul" or "study of the mind") is an academic and applied discipline which involves the scientific study of human (or animal) mental functions and behaviors.3
Psychology studies such topics as perception, cognition, attention, emotion, motivation, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships. Some, especially depth psychologists, also consider the unconscious mind. In addition or opposition to employing empirical and deductive methods, psychologists sometimes rely upon symbolic interpretation and other inductive techniques.
The writer uses the psychological approach because there is a bound connection between human and non-human. Jenny Grogan is a woman who has a husband and a dog. She is really affective for her family, especially for her dog. And she assumes that the dog she has like a friend and human-being.
Comparative psychology stated:
“The possibility that behavior pattern peculiar to the dog-human relationships had been evolved through long human contact.”4
From the statement above, we can see that the dog is an unusually interesting species, because of both its long association with man and the extension of its social relationships to include the human.
“Much of the social behavior of domestic dogs is elicited in relation to human
beings.”5
3
www.wikipedia.com
4
Dewsbudry, Donald and Rethlingshafer, Dorothy A. Comparative Psychology: A Modern Survey.(Kogakusha, Japan: McGraw Hill, 1974) p.124
Seen out of its natural context, behavior is organized in relation to daily and seasonal changes in environmental conditions.
Based on the explanation above, in this research, the writer wants to analyze Marley and Jenny Grogan by using factors underlying of the relationship’s of Robert S. Feldman to support the theme and the writer’s purposes to discover those deeper meaning of the film through the theory.
B. Focus of the Study
The writer would like to limit the research to analyze factors of the underlying relationship on two main characters’ of film Marley and Me and applying interpersonal attractions of Robert S. Feldman.
C. Research Questions
According to the background of study, the writer concentrates and limits it by formulating the research questions as follows:
1. What characteristics are showed in the two main characters in the film Marley and Me?
2. What factors of the underlying relationship are viewed by Robert Feldman’s concepts?
D. Significance of Study
also wishes to understand and to trace of meaningful the characterization of the two main characters of the film entitled Marley and Me by John Grogan.
E. Research Methodology 1. Objective of the study
The objective of study is to identify the factor of the underlying relationship of the two main characters in film by John Grogan through the concept of Robert Feldman about factors of underlying the relationship.
2. Method
This research applies qualitative method; in this research the writer will describe the collected-data. Data are selected by watching the film, reading the scripts, noting some important data and browsing internet.
3. Technique of Data Analysis
In this research, the writer uses psychological analysis. First, the writer chooses the object that will be analyzed. Then, the writer takes relationship case between the two main characters and the dog, Marley. After that, the compiled data will be analyzed by using descriptive analysis technique. And it will be supported by related-references.
4. Unit of analysis
5. Instrument of study
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Chapter II consists of the intrinsic elements of film and psychology of literature of factors underlying interpersonal attraction specifically with relationship by Robert S. Feldman. The writer focus onto identify the factors of the underlying relationship of two main characters and analyze the film by psychological approach. The concept of factor underlying relationship is used to know how John and Jenny Grogan build their relationship with the non-human especially Marley the dog.
A. The Concepts of Character and Characterization
For most part, the elements of film or drama are identical to those of fiction and poetry. Film or Plays have plots, themes, characters, and setting and make use of the many devices of poetic diction. Thus, many of the steps in the analysis of a film should parallel those used for a poem or a short story. At the same time, however, film or drama is a different literary genre and it imposes its own constraints on the play-right’s use of certain elements of literature. These unique aspects of dramatic writing are our present concern.
Every film unfolds a story through the dialogues and actions of its characters. An understanding of these four elements-story, dialogue, action and character – is therefore crucial to the appreciation of film. But in this thesis the writer wants to limit the understanding of element-story character.
1. The Character
A character in literature is an extended verbal representation of a human being, specifically the inner self that determines thought, speech and behavior. Through dialogue, action and commentary, literature captures some of the interactions of character and circumstance. Literature makes these interactions interesting by portraying characters that are worth caring about, you may laugh or whom you may dislike or even hate. Part of the fascinating with the characters of film is that we come to know them so well, through dialogue and action by which the reader or audience understands their thoughts, feelings, intentions, and motives.
You can only involve an audience with people. You can’t involve them with gimmicks, with sunsets, with hand-held cameras, zoom, shots, or anything else. They couldn’t careless about those things. But you give them something to worry about, some person they can worry about, and care about, and you’ve got them, you’ve got them involved.6
When we talk about film, the audience does not care with the properties that the film makers use. But, to attract the audience, the film makers should be concern with the intrinsic elements which involve in the film, automatically the audience will get involve too. They will be more attractive to that film.
Because most of film actors project certain in qualities of character the minute they appear on the screen, characterization in film has a great deal to do with casting. A major aspect of film characterization is revealed visually and in spontaneously. Although some actors may be versatile enough to project completely different
6
qualities in different roles, most actors are not. The minute we see most actors on the screen, we make certain assumptions about them because of their facial features, dress, physical build, and mannerisms and the way they move. Our first visual impression may be proven erroneous as the story progresses, but it is certainly an important means of establishing character.
2. The characters in Film
The term character applies to any individual in a literary work. For purposes of analysis, character in film are customarily described by their relationship to plot, by the degree of development given by author, and by whether or not they undergo significant character change.
- The major or central, character of the plot is the protagonist.7 The protagonist is usually easy enough to identify: he or she is the essential character without whom there would be no plot in the first place. It is the protagonist’s fate (the conflict or problem being wrestled with) on which the attention of the reader is focused. For example, Sebastian and Arnie are the protagonist, respectively, in John Grogan’s film “Marley and Me”. Yet they are both flat characters; Sebastian, as a friend of John who supports John as a good reporter not as a columnist. His physical feature is handsome and always flirts with women as a playboy and Arnie as John’s boss in his office. He always appears on the screen as a nice boss for John, always support John not only in his office but
7
also in John’s family life. He always gives John suggestion about how to make his family life always happy.
- The antagonist can be somewhat more difficult to identify, especially if it is not human being.8 Flat characters are usually minor actors in the novels and stories in which they appear, but not always so.9
- Round character is just the opposite. They embody a number of qualities and traits and are complex multidimensional character of considerable intellectual and emotional depth who capacity to grow and change. Major character in film is usually round characters, and it is with the very complexity of such characters that most of us become engrossed and fascinated. Sometimes, a round character is enough to be able to surprise the reader or the audience without losing credibility.10 Because such characters exhibit many characteristics, some of which may be contradictory. The terms round and flat do not automatically demand invidious comparison. Each kind of characters has it uses in literature. And even when they are minor characters, as they usually are flat, characters often are convenient devices to draw out and help us to understand the personalities of characters who are more fully realized. Characters in film can also be distinguished on the basis of whether they demonstrate the capacity to develop or change as the result of their experiences.
8Ibid
p. 25
9Ibid
p. 25
10 Ibid
Dynamic characters exhibit this capacity; static characters do not. As might be expected the degree and rate of some works, the development is so subtle that it may go almost unnoticed; in others, it is sufficiently drastic and profound as to cause a total reorganization of the character’s personality or system of values and beliefs.11 Changing in character may come slowly and incrementally over many pages and chapters, or it may take place with a dramatic suddenness that surprises, and even overwhelms, the character. With characters who fully qualify as dynamic, such change, however and whenever it occurs, can be expected to alter subsequent behavior in some significant and demonstrable way.
Static characters leave the plot as they entered it, largely untouched by the events that heave taken place. “Static characters, however, remain unchanged; their character is the same at the end of the story as at the beginning”.12
Although static characters tend to be minor ones, because the author’s principal focus is elsewhere, this is not always the case.
3. The Characterization
Character creation is the art of characterization – what the author does to bring a character to life, to provide the reader with sense of the character’s personality, to make that character unique. Authors can characterize or develop a character directly or indirectly. In presenting and establishing character, an author has two basic methods or techniques which are direct characterization or telling method. The
11Ibid.
p. 26
12
narrator or a character summarizes or tells the reader what another character looks like or what kind of person he or she is. Direct characterization often occurs during the exposition since it conveys background information efficiently, but it can occur throughout the story. And the other method is the indirect characterization or dramatic method of showing, narrators and characters describe, without comment, a character’s appearance or dress. In this way they suggest something about the character’s personality. A character’s repeated gesture or a facial tic, for example, may imply a character’s arrogance or nervousness.
A character’s own statements are another way of revealing character; diction (choice of words) and grammar may connote a person’s educational level.
A character’s actions – including reactions and mannerism – are another way to read a character. Marley is always bit the wall-paper at home, an indication of Marley is a naughty dog and full of desire to make something broken or messy. Through indirect characterization, a writer shows rather than tells, allowing the reader to infer the nature of character.
Direct method of revealing character – characterization by telling – includes the following:
- Characterization through the use of names. Names are often used to provide essential clues that aid in characterization. Some characters are given that suggest their dominant or controlling traits.13 As for example in this film
13
Marley and Me. Marley as the major character, the name Marley taken from the singer Bob Marley, to identify that Marley has character look like Bob Marley, which always make people especially the master happy and Marley even though he is a dog, he can make everyone in everywhere smile.
- Characterization through Appearance. Although in the real life most of us are aware that appearances are often deceiving, in the world of film detail of appearance (what a character wears, and how he looks) often provide essential clues to a character.14 Take for example, Jenny Grogan is always wear the neat clothes to go to the office, as a reporter in the Newspaper Office, but contrast with the daily life when bond the time with her family and Marley, her appearance most of like another people who loves dog. It shows that characterization through appearance support the film as long as the result in characters those are in their own way convincing.
- Characterization by the author. In the most customary form of telling the author interrupts the narrative and reveals directly, through a series of editorial comments, the nature and personality of the characters, including the thoughts and the feelings that enter and pass through the characters’ minds. By so doing the author not only directs our attention to or even character, but tells us exactly what our attitude toward that character ought to be. Nothing is left to the reader’s imagination. Unless the author is being ironic – and there is always that possibility – we can do little more that assent and allow our
14Ibid.
conception of character to be formed on the basis of what the author has told us. 15
Telling and showing are not mutually exclusive, however. Most of authors employ a combination of each. Even when the exposition. Most of modern authors prefer showing to telling, but neither method is necessarily better of more fruitful that the other. As with so many other choices that the writer of film is called on to make, choice of a method of characterization depends on a number of different circumstances, including the author’s temperament, the particular literary conventions of the period in which he or she is writing.
B. Psychology of Literature
Psychology of literature is the study of literature using literary works as the object of psyche action. Author will use anything in his/her side in creating literary works. The author will seize his/her psyche indication and processing it into text or picture.
“Karya sastra dan psikologi memang memiliki pertautan yang erat, secara tak langsung dan fungsional. Pertautan tak langsung, karena baik psikologi dan sastra memiliki object yang sama yaitu kehidupan manusia. Psikologi dan sastra memiliki hubungan fungsional karena sama-sama untuk mempelajari jiwa orang lain. Bedanya dalam psikologi gejala tersebut riil, sedangkan dalam sastra bersifat imajinatif.”16
(Literary works and psychology indeed have connection that bound indirectly and functionally. The indirect bound caused either psychology and literary works have the same object which is the human life. Psychology and literary have functional connection because both learning other people psycho. The difference in the symptoms of that psychology is real, where as, in literature
There are some purposes of psychology of literature; first, there is a judgment of literary work as the product of the author mind and psyche in subconscious situation and revealing it into the text and picture (the conscious situation). Conscious and subconscious always affect the author imagination processing. Second, psychology of literature also analyzes the author aspect of mind and feeling. It is about how the author able to depict characters of his/her work.
1.1.Comparative Psychology
Comparative psychology refers to the study of the behavior and mental life of animals other than human beings. It is related to disciplines outside of psychology that study animal behavior such as ethology. Although the field of psychology is primarily concerned with humans the behavior and mental processes of animals is also an important part of psychological research. This being either as a subject in its own right (e.g., animal cognition and ethology) or with strong emphasis about evolutionary links, and somewhat more controversially, as a way of gaining an insight into human psychology. This is achieved by means of comparison or via animal models of emotional and behavior systems as seen in neuroscience of psychology (e.g., affective neuroscience and social neuroscience).17
C. Interpersonal Relationship
The writer chooses Interpersonal Relationship from many theories in psychology as the extrinsic theory to analyze the relationship between the Grogan’s family and Marley as their lovely pet. As the main characters in the film Marley and Me. and she
will uses interpersonal Relationship as the instrument of the main characters’ relationship analysis.
Interpersonal Relationship includes Social Psychology theme. According to Myers:
“Social Psychology is a science that studies the influences of our situations. With special attention to how we view and affect one another. More precisely said, it is the scientific studies of how people think about, influence and relate to one another.”18
According the statement above that interpersonal relationship included in social psychology, because in social psychology studies about relationship between a person to one another.
In social Psychology stated:
“Social psychology tries to see beneath the great variation in human relationships to discover general principles that apply to many relationships. An essential feature of any relationship is that two people influence each other or, in more technical terms, that they are interdependent.”19
The essential of social psychology is digging a deeper variation in human relationship. The relationship is not only with human but also with non- human. D. The factors Influencing Relationship
According to Robert S. Feldman’s theory. In his book, Social Psychology: Theories, Research, and Application, there are five things underlying interpersonal attraction they are; similarity, reciprocity of liking, positive qualities, physical attractiveness and liking and physical appearance and social behavior.
18
Myers, David G. Social Psychology. Eighth edition (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005), P. 4
19
1. Similarity
Similarity is the first thing that influences the relationships. Almost dyads are based on similarity. It is because first, similarity may be directly reinforcing. After that, the fact that someone else has similarity of attitudes or qualities to our own way lead to a sense of confirmation of our views of the world. Likeness produces liking not only for the adult people but also for children and the elderly, from people with various professions, and in various cultures. This is especially for those who are satisfied with themselves. If you like yourself, you are gladly to have partner with someone like you. 20
2. Reciprocity of liking
There is a robust general finding regarding reciprocity of liking: we tend to like those who like us. Given information that another individual like us, we tend to attracted to that person. The converse process seems to hold true as well: when we like someone, we tend to assume that they like us in return.21 But sometimes, liking someone is not always shown by words but it can be shown indirectly through behavior.
One possibility is that such presence functions as an attachment figure to convey security and safety. This suggests that attachment theory may be a broad enough tent to encompass animals as attachment .figures for humans, and vice versa. In this research provides evidence that animal presence facilitates human social
20
Feldman, Robert S, Social Psychology: Theories, Research and Applications.(USA: McGraw-Hill Company, 1985), p. 205
21
approach and interaction for children and adults, both with (Mader, Hart, & Bergin, 1989)22 and without disabilities (Hunt, Hunt, & Gomulkiewicz, 1992).23 Together, these research directions suggest that human interactions with animals, particularly pets, affect human well being and functioning.
3. Positive Qualities
It is hardly surprising that people with meritorious qualities should be like more than those with disagreeable qualities. For example, we like intelligent, warm, sincere, and competent people more than people who do not have those attributes. Sometimes we prefer people who display positive qualities that are a bit tarnished by negative ones over people who seem to be without flaw. Therefore, the basic fact remains, we tend to prefer competent people to incompetent ones.24
4. Physical Attractiveness and Liking
In an egalitarian and democratic society, most people would agree that people ought to be judged for what they are and what they do, rather than what they look like. The physical appearance of an individual can be an important aspect of how that person is viewed by others-however unwarranted such a bias maybe. Judgments based on physical attractiveness extend to other areas as well; we expect physically attractive people to be more interesting, poised, sociable, kind, strong, outgoing, and
22
www.ingentaconnect.com/content/external-references?article=0009-3920^28^2960L.1529[aid=19584] 23
Hunt, S. J., Hart, L.A., & Gomulkiewicz, R. The role of small animals in social linteraction between strangers. Journal of Social Psychology, 133, p.245-256.
24
sexually warm and responsive that less physically attractive people (Dion, Berscheid and Walster, 1972)25
Since pet animals and other animals are pervasive in the environments of human beings, these principles logically lead psychologists to examine human and animal relationships as an interdependent system. A conceptualist addressing behaviorists like Skinner might ask how pet animals and their human owners mutually reinforce each other and how, therefore, animals and humans modify one another’s behavior. The dynamic systems theorist would view people-with-animals as a single system, “acting on one another in dynamic interaction”26. With each finding of higher (human-like) cognitive, linguistic, and emotion functioning in nonhuman animals, conceptualists might ask what implications these capacities have for human relationships with animals? Ecological psychologists like Bronfenbrenner (1979) might challenge a nascent Animal Studies psychology to document how animals and humans respond to, and modify, each other within their significant environments or ecological niches.27
5. Physical Appearance and Social Behavior
The relationship between attraction and physical appearance are clearly positive, but the question of how appearance is related to subsequent behavior is more ambiguous. We might expect that since people tend to form more favorable
25Ibid
, P. 213
26
(Dixon & Lerner, 1992, p. 35).
27
impressions about the physically attractive, they will act more positively toward them. In turn, the physically attractive may develop more positive self-images and interpersonal styles, which lead them to become more affective during social interactions than less attractive people. Following this reasoning, we could expect physically attractive people to have a greater number of and more rewarding social encounters.28
There are some exceptions to these findings, however. Although the physically attractive may be preferred in the abstract, there is evidence that people tend to choose others during courtship and marriage that are similar to their own level of attractiveness. Known as the matching hypothesis, the ideas is that an individual’s own level of physical attractiveness affects the choices made in dating situations and it explains why most people eventually find partners they feel are satisfactory.
Moreover, physical attractiveness may be of greatest importance in the early stages of a relationship, when information about another is apt to be scanty. Standards of beauty also change drastically over time and across societies, so what is attractive in one time and place may evolve into something quite different. In sum, physical attractiveness does not ensure a lifetime of high-quality social relationships.29
28
Feldman, Robert S, Social Psychology: Theories, Research and Applications.(USA: McGraw-Hill Company, 1985), p. 214
29Ibid,
CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDINGS A. Data Descriptions
In chapter III, after watching the film, the writer finds some statements as the corpus of the research. They are classified into three groups: characters, indication and factors underlying relationship. They are presented in the following tables.
Table 1
The List of Characters in John Grogan’s Marley and Me.
Characters Corpus Indication and pouncing at my shoelace as though convinced they were dangerous enemies that needed to be destroyed. (John Grogan 2008, p. 9)
Oh, damn. Killed another one.” “How am I ever supposed to take care of a kid if I can’t even keep plant alive?” (John Grogan 2008, P.6)
Stubborn hearted
similarity
Jenny Grogan “This one? You’re so sweet.
Marley stood, ten feet from John and the victim, facing the street in a determined, bull-like
crouch. It was a fighter’s stance. The sight of Marley so and than that big leak become very big responsibility.” (John
B. Data Analysis
B.1. Marley’s Characteristic 1.1. Stubborn hearted
Marley is a dog that stubborn hearted, but for John and Jenny as his family, he’s still kind a cute dog which they ever seen.
Only one plunged forward to meet the assault head-on. It was Clearance Dog. He plowed full steam into me, throwing a cross-body block across my ankles and pouncing at my shoelace as though convinced they were dangerous enemies that needed to be destroyed. (John Grogan 2008, p. 9)
The above sentence shows that when John and Jenny would choose a pet which is a dog, John tried to fear puppies with taking a sudden, exaggerated step toward them and barked out. But only the Clearance Dog didn’t fear with that. So the decision for keep a pet is that Clearance puppy. And for then, he named Marley.
1.2. Kind Hearted
Marley stood with his shoulders between Jenny’s knees, his big blocky head resting quietly in her lap.( John Grogan 2008, p. 49)
no warning, buried her face in the thick fur of his neck and began sobbing. Hard, unrestrained, from-the-gut-sobbing.
1.3. Responsible
The sentence below shows that Marley is a responsible dog.
Marley stood, ten feet from John and the victim, facing the street in a determined, bull-like crouch. It was a fighter’s stance. The sight of Marley so uncharacteristically guarding them like that, so majestically fierce. (John Grogan 2008, P. 119)
Marley had a job to guard the masters still safe, and Marley did. He did it not only for his Masters but also the neighbor who needs help. When that night, John neighbor, Lisa got stabbed. And John lets go of Marley’s collar and ran toward the scream. And Marley made the stabber scared away. When John looked up, there Marley stood, ten feet from John and the victim, facing the street, in a determined, bull-like crouch. It was a fighter’s stance. His muscles bulged at the neck; his jaw was clenched; the fur between his shoulder blades bristled. He was intensely focused on the street and appeared poised to lunge. That’s showed us that Marley was a Man’s best friend, he would keep the owner still in his guard, and no one can hurt the owner if Marley was still there.
1.4. Energetic
Marley was a challenging student, dense, wild, constantly distracted a victim of his boundless nervous energy.(John Grogan 2008, P. 59)
challenging student, dense, wild, constantly distracted, a victim of his boundless nervous energy. John and Jenny were beginning to figure out that Marley wasn’t like other dog. Marley really liked a poodle. When he looked a poodle in front of him, he crashed into that and immediately crammed his nose between her legs. The teacher of obedience class announced that Marley was an example of a dog that had been allowed to think he was the alpha male of his pack. That showed that Marley was an energetic dog. Not only as an energetic dog but also Marley’s liking to the poodle was the difference of the other dog.
The other evidence that shows Marley as an energetic dog,
Marley had hooked both of his front paws over the edge of the half-open window. And now his neck and upper shoulders were hanging out the car.(John Grogan 2008, P. 79).
This happened when John and Jenny brought Marley out of home. They were going to the doctor and wanted to discuss about Marley’s bad habit.
1.5.Harm
He viewed as a harmless puppy. For other people he had grown into something to be feared.( John Grogan 2008, P. 40)
which he did often, tottering around like a dancing Russian circus bear, he could rest his front paws on the shoulders and look straight in the eye. That’s why the other people feared with the Marley physical appearance. Those descriptions could be seen in the statement below.
Physically, Marley is stocky and muscular, with short, dense, Weather-resistant coats. One of the Labrador retriever’s main distinguishing characteristics is its thick, powerful tail.( John Grogan 2008, P. 52)
Statements above showed that Marley’s appearance definitely make people scared to him.
B.2. Jenny Grogan’s Characteristic 2.1. Stubborn Hearted
Jenny is stubborn hearted. It can be known from,
“Oh, damn. Killed another one.” “How am I ever supposed to take care of a kid if I can’t even keep plant alive?”(John Grogan 2008, P.6)
This statement told that John bought her a plant for they look-after it but she gave the plant over water, she nurtured the poor thing to death. Jenny didn’t exactly have a green thumb. Working on assumption that all living things require water, but apparently forgetting that they also need air, she began flooding the plant on a daily basis. And John already warned her, but she still didn’t notice it.
The other evidence that shows Jenny was a stubborn heart.
John : “No more kids for a while?”
Jenny : “Absolutely deal.” “Hi, guys, all right, say hello to Colleen.”(John
It happened when John felt exhausted with 2 boys at his house, but, Jenny didn’t. She gave John a little baby girl. And she was really happy with that baby girl named Colleen.
2.2. Kind hearted
The other Jenny’s character is kind hearted.
“This one? You’re so sweet. You’re like little clearance puppy. Hello, Puppy (John Grogan 2008. P. 10)
Jenny as a wife who really wanted to have a baby. But John as her husband discussed with his friend Sebastian to have another plan from plant to a puppy. So the decision is buying a puppy. Jenny was very glad; she wanted to try to keep that puppy. When she chose that puppy, her feeling and heart accepted that dog whatever it was.
2.3. Responsible person
“But you know, a couple leaks turn into maybe one big leak and than that big
leak become very big responsibility.”(John Grogan 2008, P. 22)
Jenny was also responsible woman. It was describe in the statement above. When John offered Jenny that he wanted to have baby, Jenny thought hard because it would be making our life getting hard and needed big responsibility. Jenny used ‘leak’ word as a metaphor. Leak means babies. But she as a wife couldn’t reject what her husband wanted. So she granted her husband’s wish.
2.4. Nice person
Jenny Grogan was also a nice person; it could be seen from the statement above. It occurred when Marley was left at home alone. Marley was a kind of a dog that scared with the thunderstorms. When Jenny and John left him, rain is pouring down with many thunderstorms. And then Marley couldn’t stop himself to shake his body caused that thunderstorms. And Jenny as his master tried to settle his down. She hugged Marley as his son and Marley felt warm in her hug.
2.5. Full of Energy
“See, most girls would do a swan dive but you know that a Cannonball is so sexier.” (John Grogan, 2008. P. 48)
Jenny’s character was like an adult girl who had full of energy. It could be known from John’s testimony. Jenny was 30 years old but she was still like a girl who was really energetic. It happened when John had a birthday party where she gave John a present. But before the party was held, Jenny prepared anything to be perfect. And in the mid night, she tried to offer John to swim together. Because John felt that he was an old person, he rejected. However, Jenny didn’t give up. She asked her husband to accept the other present which was diving like a cannonball, and John thought that Jenny’s diving was very sexy and only a young girl who could do it.
C. The influencing Factors of Two Main Characters’ Relationship
1. Similarity
The writer has analyzed the similarities between Marley and Jenny. Marley and Jenny are stubborn heart. There are some evidences to prove that they are stubborn heart.
Only one plunged forward to meet the assault head-on. It was Clearance Dog. He plowed full steam into me, throwing a cross-body block across my ankles and pouncing at my shoelace as though convinced they were dangerous enemies that needed to be destroyed. (John Grogan 2008, p. 9)
It happened when his Master wanted to choose the puppy based on his experience before. When it happened, Marley was the only one dog had bravery to against the master’s terror. So Jenny and john decided to pick Marley home and became their lovely pet.
“Oh, damn. Killed another one.” “How am I ever supposed to take care of a kid if I can’t even keep plant alive?”(John Grogan 2008, P.6)
It happened when John gave her a plant but Jenny destroyed it. It was because Jenny didn’t listen to John’s warned. So the plant was destructed by Jenny.
especially for those who are satisfied with themselves. If you like yourself, you are gladly to have partner with someone like you. Even though that I an animal.
Marley and Jenny already prove the theories that they are looking for something or partner for their life who someone likes them.
2. Reciprocity of liking
Marley stood with his shoulders between Jenny’s knees, his big blocky head resting quietly in her lap. (John Grogan2008, P. 119)
Reciprocity of liking means when we like someone, we tend to assume that they like us in return. Marley and Jenny prove it with the evidences below;
a) It happens when Jenny feels so sad. It is caused her pregnancy is miscarriage. Marley tries to make her happy but he can’t say anything so he shows his feeling through his behavior.
b) It happens when Jenny has already decided that Marley is the best choice for her pet. And Marley also shows that he is really happy because Jenny chooses him.
3. Positive qualities
In this film, Marley and Jenny love each other. But they were showing their love in different way. They have good responsibility and make their relationship is going better in their daily lives. All bad and good Marley here made sense for John or Jenny.
Marley stood, ten feet from John and the victim, facing the street in a determined, bull-like crouch. It was a fighter’s stance. The sight of Marley so uncharacteristically guarding them like that, so majestically fierce. (John Grogan 2008, P. 119)
The positive qualities of Marley in this scene are showed that Marley is a responsible dog, brave, and competent enough helping their neighbor. Marley has gentleness and make his master comfort with him.
“But you know, a couple leaks turn into maybe one big leak and than that big leak become very big responsibility.” (John Grogan 2008, P. 22)
4. Physical Attractiveness and Liking
This thing could be the main factor of what underlying relationship, but it does not mean this thing could be everything to maintain the relationship. If the physic is not really attractive, it will not interest people. Human is different from animal. Human tends to be attractive with the physical appearance, but animal does not. Animal tends to love someone by the behavior qualities. And this statement is the reference for Marley to Jenny, Marley attracted with Jenny because Jenny is nice person.
“that’s… one little dog did that. Oh, honey, you’re shaking. Does thunder scare you, mister? Sweet boy. Oh, look at us.” (john Grogan 2008. P.12)
The difference with Marley is, sometimes he becomes a neurotic dog. He is like a volcano which is ready to blow. His nervous energy is building in him.
Marley was a challenging student, dense, wild, constantly distracted, a victim of his boundless nervous energy. (John Grogan 2008, P. 59)
According to Jenny, whatever Marley looks like, Marley is still the only one dog she really loves.
5. Physical Appearance and Social Behavior.
This physical appearance is one of things that make the relationship between Jenny and Marley. Marley is a dog with unique performance. And his unique performance makes people scared of him. His physical appearance is different from other dog. His body supports him to make the other people scared of him.
Meanwhile, Jenny is a beautiful woman for John and she is also a sexy girl in his life
“See, most girls would do a swan dive but you know that a Cannonball is so sexier.” (Quote from John Grogan) (John Grogan, 2008. P. 48)
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion
From the analysis, the writer concluded Marley and Jenny Grogan were the main characters of the film. The writer found five of Marley and Jenny Grogan characteristics in their life. Marley’s characteristics such as stubborn heart, kind heart, responsible dog, energetic and harm for other people. And then Jenny’s characteristics such as stubborn heart, kind heart, responsible woman, nice person and like most of adult girl is full of energy or energetic.
Marley’s characteristics were supported by 7 sentences to back up those characteristics in the film. Marley was a neurotic dog. He had strong character and unstoppable dog we ever seen before. He could eat anything from wallpaper, furniture, briefcase until shoes. But, for Jenny and John, Marley was funny dog. They loved him very much.
Jenny’s characteristics were supported by 6 sentences to back up those characteristics in the film. As the only one girl, she had important role in her household. She managed her time to look after Marley and served John as her husband.
B. Suggestion
The writer suggests for those who are interested in the study about literature, especially Marley and Me film written by John Grogan, to use qualitative method in the research based on two main characters and uses psychology of literature approach viewed by Robert Feldman to find out the types of relationship.
Anyone who is interested in doing deeper study about character’s characteristics in the film, they may use the data that are taken from watching the film, reading the script and some references, noting some important data and browsing internet. Finally, the writer expects that the research will be useful to the reader especially who want to analyze a fiction about main character in literary work and any kind.
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