1
THE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PORTRAYED IN
NICHOLAS SPARKS’ NOVEL
THE LAST SONG
A THESIS
BY
ZEAN EVELYN
REG. NO. 120721015
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
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THE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PORTRAYED IN NICHOLAS
SPARKS’ NOVEL
THE LAST SONG
A THESIS
BY
ZEAN EVELYN
REG. NO. 120721015
SUPERVISOR
CO-SUPERVISOR
Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M.HumDra. Diah Rahayu Pratama
NIP. 19570720 198303 2 001 NIP. 19561214 198601 2 001
Submitted to Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara Medan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Sarjana Sastra from Department of English
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
3 Approved by the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of
Sumatera Utara (USU) Medan as thesis for The Sarjana Sastra Examination.
Head, Secretary,
Dr. H. Muhizar Muchtar, MSRahmadsyah Rangkuti, M.A., Ph.D.
4 The examination is held in Department of English Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara on
Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara
Dr. H. Syahron Lubis, MA NIP.19511013 197603 1 001
Board of Examiners
Dr. H. Muhizar Muchtar, MS ...
Rahmadsyah Rangkuti, M.A., Ph.D. ... Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M.Hum ...
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AUTHOR’S DECLARATION
I, ZEAN EVELYN DECLARE THAT I AM THE SOLE AUTHOR OF THIS THESIS EXCEPT WHERE REFERENCE IS MADE IN THE TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS CONTAINS NO MATERIAL PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE OR EXTRACTED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM A THESIS BY WHICH I HAVE QUALIFIED FOR OR AWARDED ANOTHER DEGREE. NO OTHER PERSON’S WORK HAS BEEN USED WITHOUT DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IN THE MAIN TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF ANOTHER DEGREE IN ANY TERTIARY EDUCATION.
Signed :
ii COPYRIGHT DECLARATION
NAME : ZEAN EVELYN
TITLE OF THESIS : THE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PORTRAYED
IN NICHOLAS SPARKS’ NOVEL THE LAST
SONG
QUALIFICATION : S-1/SARJANA SASTRA
DEPARTMENT : ENGLISH
I AM WILLING THAT MY THESIS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LIBRARIAN OF DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT USERS ARE MADE AWARE OF THEIR OBLIGATION UNDER THE LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA.
Signed :
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank to my Father, Jesus Christ, for all the blessing and gives me health, strength, and inspiration to finish this thesis as one of requirements
to finish my study at English Department, University of Sumatera Utara.
Special thanks go to my amazing parents, Gideon Toruan and J. Nainggolan, for supporting, loving, caring, praying, and believing in me. Thanks to my beloved
siblings, Lady Artha and Rizky David, thanks for your advices and prays. I love you both! Thanks to my lovely fiance, Gading Stephanus L. Tobing, thanks for your
supports, advices, prays and loves. I’m sorry for making you mad all the time. I do love ya!
I would like to thank to Dr. H. Syahron Lubis, M.A., as the Dean of Faculty of Culture Studies, Dr. H. Muhizar Muchtar as the head of English Department, Rahmadsyah Rangkuti, M.A. as the secretary of English Department. Dra. Siti Norma
Nasution, M.Hum as my supervisor and Dra. Diah Rahayu Pratama as my co-supervisor. Thanks for correcting my thesis and teaching me to finish this thesis.
Thanks to my bestfriend Harry Prabowo, Martha Christina, Aldhiko Yendie, Novita Sari, and Anna Octora for supporting me. I love y’all. I also thank to my roomates in Kuala Tanjung, Ruri and Ica for sharing with me. Thanks to all my friends
in English Department for helping me to finish this thesis.
iv In the end, i would like to thank everyone who has helped me in the making of this thesis.
Medan, 29 April 2015
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ABSTRAK
Skripsi yang berjudul The Juvenile Delinquency in Nicholas Sparks’ Novel The Last Songini membahas tentang kenakalan-kenakalan remaja melalui karakter-karakter yang terdapat di dalam novel tersebut. Novel adalah sebuah karya prosa fiksi yang panjang, lebih panjang dari cerita pendek atau fiksi yang menengah panjang, yang disebut roman atau novel. Penulis memilih untuk menganalisis kenakalan remaja di novel ini karena di dalam novel ini terdapat beberapa kenakalan remaja yang sangat sering terjadi belakangan ini. Novel ini menceritakan tentang Ronnie Miller seorang gadis pemarah yang hidup terpisah dari ayahnya dikarenakan oleh perceraian kedua orangtuanya. Di dalam novel inidapatditemukantigakenakalan-kenakalanremaja yang pentinguntukdibahas. Dari novel
vi
ABSTRACT
vii
2.3 Difference between Crime and Juvenile Delinquency...10
2.4 Factors that increase juvenile delinquency...12
2.5 Factors that help protect juveniles from risk of delinquency...12
2.6 Novel...13
2.7Character...15
CHAPTER III METHOD OF RESEARCH 3.1 Data... 18
3.2 Collecting Data Technique ... 18
3.3 Analysis Data Method ... 18
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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND FINDING
4.1 Drugs Use ... 20
4.2 Theft ... 22
4.3 Violence ... 24
4.4 Broken Family ... 26
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 5.1 Conclusion ... 28
5.2 Suggestion ... 30
REFERENCES ... 31
APPENDICES
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ABSTRAK
Skripsi yang berjudul The Juvenile Delinquency in Nicholas Sparks’ Novel The Last Songini membahas tentang kenakalan-kenakalan remaja melalui karakter-karakter yang terdapat di dalam novel tersebut. Novel adalah sebuah karya prosa fiksi yang panjang, lebih panjang dari cerita pendek atau fiksi yang menengah panjang, yang disebut roman atau novel. Penulis memilih untuk menganalisis kenakalan remaja di novel ini karena di dalam novel ini terdapat beberapa kenakalan remaja yang sangat sering terjadi belakangan ini. Novel ini menceritakan tentang Ronnie Miller seorang gadis pemarah yang hidup terpisah dari ayahnya dikarenakan oleh perceraian kedua orangtuanya. Di dalam novel inidapatditemukantigakenakalan-kenakalanremaja yang pentinguntukdibahas. Dari novel
vi
ABSTRACT
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1Background ofthe Study
The analysis is about the juvenile delinquency in The Last Song novel that written by Nicholas Sparks.This novel expresses social phenomenon and human feeling in certain society, so it fits the definition given by Welleck. Welleck (1981:2) says,
“Literature is identical with word through the expression of human feeling, imaginative process, and creativity.” Literature is made to express and communicate the feeling of
the author through imaginative process which needs creativity.
A literary work exists because of society. In other words, the existence of literary work is influenced by the condition and phenomenon in society either in politic,
social, religion, economy, and culture. Therefore, literary work is the reflection of the real life. It can describe the events in our life, and also contains the cultural and social
background which indicates that literature and society is closely related because literature expresses the situations and problems exist in society.
Roberts and Jacobs (1995:2) say, “Literature is classified into four genres:
prose fiction, drama, and nonfiction prose.” From the four genres, the writer chooses to discuss the prose fiction, exactly on novel. Fiction is distinguished from the works it
imitates, such as historical accounts, reports, biographies, autobiographies, letters, and personal meoirs and meditations. Novel is an extended work of prose fiction, longer than a short story or a medium-length fiction, called a novelette or novela.
Peck and Coyle (1998:102) say, “Most people are concerned with ordinary people and their problems in the societies in which they find themselves. Some of
2 give messages to the readers. It can also impress the readers. In recent times, novel is not only as a reading material to spend time or to entertain. Novel as a reading
material contains full of knowledge and stories. The content can be analyzed from literary works or structure. Watson (1979: 3) says, “Novel is the name of a literary kind,
and there is a story to tell about how, over the centuries, its substance has widened and its conventions changed.”
Social problem novel, also called problem novel or social novel, work of
fiction in which a prevailing social problem, such as gender, race, or class prejudice, is dramatized through its effect on the characters of a novel. There are many kinds of
social problems: juvenile delinquency, violence, crime and criminals, mental illness, poverty, discrimination, the changing family, and many more. In this analysis, the writer will discuss about social problems, especially juvenile delinquency.
Juvenile delinquency is offenses that are done by young people, whether it is intentional or unconsciously by teenagers. It increases anxiety in adolescence, because
of this, many young people fall into negative actions. World Youth Report (2003:189) says, “Juvenile delinquency is criminal behaviours among young people, as they negotiate the transition from childhood to adulthood in an increasingly complex and
confusing world.”
Juvenile delinquency is prevalent in any society. There are so many causes
which enable the teenagers do the negative things or inappropriate from the rules that exist in society. In developing country such as Indonesia, delinquency can occur due to lack of attention from family, unfavorable environment, bad economy, lack of
knowledge about social life and many more.
Novels have significant elements: character, plot, structure, and theme. This
3 reader and can give positive or negative impacts. Karl (1976:238) says, “Character is of interest for the personal reason that we want to see how other people live, how they
make decision and react to responsibility, how they pursue their goal. We measure ourselves by them. Think of characters in stories and novels as real people, and then
your imagination go.”
In The Last Song, the main character, Veronica “Ronnie” Miller, became bad since her parents’ divorce, her life was turned upside down; she did many bad
things.Ronnie lived with her mother and a younger brother, Jonah.Her father moved to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. She lost a father figure. Three years later, she
remains alienated from her parents, particularly her father, Steve Miller.
Then, her mother decides it would bein everyone's best interest if she and her brother spent the summer with Steve. Resentful and rebelious, Ronnie rejects her
father’s attempts to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer’s end. But soon Ronnie meets Will, the last person she thought she would ever
be attracted to, and finds herself falling for him, opening herself up to greatest happiness and pain that she has ever known.Juvenile delinquency is happened because of many factors that influence a person. It also can be prevented. So it is important to be
known and learned.
The witer is interested to analyze the juvenile delinquency of a novel that
4 Nicholas Sparks is a famous author. He was born on December 31, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska. He is an internationally bestseller American novelist and
screenwriter. The Last Song is one of his best novels. He has published 16 novels, with theme including cancer, death pirates, and love. Six of his novels have been made into
films. Most people in all over the world have read it or seen it in the cinema.
There are two common ways to analyze a literary work, they are intrinsic approach and extrinsic approach. The intrinsic approach is an approach which analyze
literary work based on the text and structural and points of literary work which consisted theme, setting, plot, character, style, and point of view. The focus in analysis
is the character. Person’s character can bee seen from three aspects, namely through: character dialogue, character description, and depiction of physical character.Element that are outside of literature, but it doesn’t directly affect the structure or organism
system literature is extrinstic elements. They are include the values in the story (religious, cultural, political, economic), background of the author’s life, and the social
situation when the story was invented). The focus of this analysis is the social problems. In analyzing the topic, the writer uses a theory as the basic of research, that is sociology of literature. Sociology of literature is the way of understanding literature
through society. By using the theory, we can undestand the element of society in the novel, then we can relate them with the realities in the real world.Swingewood
(1972:12) says, “Nevertheless, they caution that, as art, literature goes beyond a purely descriptive and scientific analysis of society, penetrating the surface of social life to show the ways in which men and women experience society as feeling.”
5 method that have been choosen, then the results of this study will be a qualitative descriptive, it means that the data only obtained in the words form not as numbers.
1.2Problem of the Study
In this thesis, the writer wants to analyze the juvenile delinquencies that done by the characters and its causes. There are two problems that need to be solved.
The problems are:
1. What are the kinds ofjuvenile delinquency that found inThe Last Song
through the characters?
2. What is the causeof the juvenile delinquency?
1.3Objective of the Study
The objectives that are intended to be stated are:
1. To explain and analyze the kinds ofjuvenile delinquency in The Last Song
through the characters.
2. To explain the causeof the juvenile delinquency.
1.4Scope of the Study
The writer is interested to discuss about juvenile delinquency, because it is
6 1.5Significance of the Study
This thesis could give some information and explanation about juvenile
delinquency, especially the juvenile delinquency that are contained in The Last Song
novel. It is important to learned, so that, the reader can take lessons from the experience
7
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Juvenile Delinquency
Juveniles are young people who are in the transitional period. Lack of
intimacy, lack of parental involvement, lack of guidance, lack of parental attachment, blaming, and anger can lead to delinquent behavior among juveniles. According to Steinberg (1990) “Adolescence is a transitional period of development from childhood
to adulthood with evident biological and emotional changes. These changes bring transformation and reorganization in family relationships.”There are number of factors
which play an important part in the juvenile delinquencies. They are family, neighbour hood, slums, peer groups, school environment, movies, T.V, radios, work environment, poverty, mass media and many more.
Delinquencyproblemsbegan to receivepublic attentionparticularlysince the
establishment ofjusticeforjuvenile delinquents(juvenile court) in 1899inIllinois, USA.Everyday we read or hear of crimes committed by juveniles. Fromall of the press we see and hear concerning juvenile crime, one mightwonder if all of our nation’s youth
are into crime, whether or notthey have been arrested.While it is true thatmany young people are using and/or selling drugs and committing seriouscrimes.However, there are
cases of juveniles committing serious crimes.Juvenile delinquency included only serious criminal activity.While delinquency does includecrimes, it also includes a variety of other behaviors that are not criminal. Examples of such offenses include
8 parents or legal guardians.These acts are often referred to as status offenses, which refers to the conditionof the person’s age at the time the offense was committed.
Usually the maximum age for juvenile court jurisdiction is 18. Thornton and Voigt (1992: 15) say, “Status offenders are children who violate no criminal law but engage in
offensive behavior. Status offenses involve a breach of morality or of a strong social norm.
Juvenile delinquency can be categorized into deviant behavior. In the perspective of a social deviant behavior occurs because there is a behavior deviation of
various social rules or from values or social norms that apply. Deviant behavior can be regarded as the source of the problem because it may harm the establishment of a social system. The use of the concept of deviant behavior implicity implies that there is a path
that that must be taken. Behavior that is not through the path have deverged.
2.2Juvenile delinquencies definitions
1. Legal definition of juvenile delinquency
Legal definition of juvenile delinquency does not confirm to its psychological
definition, as from the legal viewpoint, a juvenile delinquent is a person between the age of 16 and 17 who indulges in anti social activity. In USA the Ohio code defines
juvenile delinquency in some such manner as this; a juvenile delinquent is one who breaks the law, is a vagrant, persists in disobeying orders, whose behaviors endangers his own moral life of others or one who tries to marry without the consent of his
9 is within the usual limits of 16 and 20. Further juvenile or child means a person who has not completed eighteen years of age.
2. Psychological Definition of Juvenile Delinquency.
Differing from the legal definition of the controversial term, psychologists lay much emphasis upon the cause of juvenile delinquency in defining it. From the legal viewpoint all those who are not apprehended are not criminals, but from the
psychological viewpoint all such offender also are criminals. Consequently, the psychological definition of juvenile delinquency is more comprehensive than its legal
definition. According to the psychologists any end every child, of either sex, between the ages of 15 and 18, who commits a crime, irrespective of the fact that he is apprehended or not, is a juvenile delinquent. In this manner, juvenile delinquent is one
who forcibly possesses the property of another or cause it damage, indulges in anti social activity, creates danger to another's life or hinders the activities of others, Hence a
child who throws stones at a car and runs away one who sets fire without cause ,creates danger for the life of another just for the fun of it, are all juvenile delinquents, from the psychological viewpoint.
3. Sociological Definitions of Delinquency
According to Gillin and Gillin, Sociologically either a criminal or a juvenile delinquent is one who is guilty of an act believed by a group that has power to enforce its belief, to be injuries to society, and therefore prohibited. Albert Cohen, expressing
his view on delinquency, Albert Cohen observed that the only possible definition of delinquency is one that relates to the behavior in question to same set of rules.
10 injuries to society of abnormality In which behavior pattern deviates from the normal. We may say criminal behavior, Therefore, when a juvenile below a specified age
behaves in such a way which may prove dangerous to society or to himself, he is called a juvenile delinquent. Thus, juvenile delinquency is an antisocial behavior by a juvenile
who is below a specified age.
2.3Difference between Crime and Juvenile Delinquency
1. Difference of age. The above description of juvenile delinquency makes it apparent that the main difference between a juvenile delinquent and a criminal is
one of age but both indulge in antisocial activities working of both are subversive end hindering of social relationships. According to Dr. Haikerwal, from the social view point, crime or juvenile delinquency is a form of conduct
that acts as an obstacle in the system of human relationships which are believed by society to be its fundamental condition. In this way if a criminal is below a
certain specified age, he will be designated a juvenile delinquent.
2. Difference of actions. But sometimes criminal and juvenile delinquents differ
not only in respect of their age, but also in respect of the crimes that they commit. And in this connection, some actions that young men and children do,
lead them to be regarded an juvenile delinquents even though their activities are not actually crimes. A classification as wide as juvenile delinquent can include the vagrant, cruel, obstinate or young boys who keep the company of thieves,
dacoits, other vagrants and prostitutes, those who keep away from the house for long period of time without the permission of their parents and those who roam
11 activities are speaking not illegal or infringing any legal. Hence, the juvenile delinquents who choose to act in these ways, cannot be included in the same
class as ordinary criminals. another thing that sometimes is that the unemployed, unhoused and wandering child may be included in the category of juvenile
delinquents along with the beggar, the farce being carried so far as to present the young persons before a court and to try to mend his way.
3. Difference of characteristics. Cohen has distinguished criminal from juvenile delinquents on the basis of the following distinguishing characteristics.
i) A juvenile's mischief is lacking in utility as he does things that do not benefit him in the least , such as roaming about in the streets without cause.On the other hand, the criminal acts with intents to gain something. Ajuvenile is sometimes even unaware of
the objective of his own actions.
ii) Sometimes a juvenile commits a crime with only an intention to enjoyhimself and indulge his sense of humour. It finds expression in practicaljoking like breaking car glasses, putting boulders on railway tracks orpushing people into a pound of water just
for the fun of it, a criminal doesnot find this a suitable mode of manifesting his sense of humour.
iii) The juvenile delinquent does not commit a crime on a preplanned and wellorganized basis. Briefly, criminals and juvenile delinquents are to bedistinguished by their
difference of age, kinds of work, objective of activities,mode of working. Yet normally it is the difference in age alone that is consideredthe sole basis of marking distinction
12 2.4 Factors that increase juvenile delinquency
1. Individual risk factors
- Early aggressive behavior towards others and animals. ` - Substance abuse.
-Association with antisocial or deliquent peers. 2. Family and community risk factors
- Childhood maltreatment.
- Parental criminality. - Poverty.
These are some of the top indicators that a juvenile is more prone to delinquent acts. Spotting these risk factors and providing intervention early on, can greatly help reduce the negative effects of these risk factors.
2.5 Factors that help protect juveniles from risk of delinquency
These are just a few factors that will prevent juveniles from turning to delinquent acts even if they show risk factors for delinquency. These factors work because they provide juveniles with a positive role model, community, and family outlook.
1. Attachments to family and friends--with good attachments and positive role
models juveniles are more apt to do the right thing so as not to disappoint those they are attached to.
2. Commitment to extra curricular activities or school--when juveniles are committed to positive activities they are more likely to protect their school and
13 3. Beliefs or values--teach juveniles in the way they should go. With positive role
models and religious backgrounds juveniles are better apt to react in a positive way to stress and hard to mange situations.
4. Involvement--Juveniles involved in community and their schools are more apt to protect it from other delinquents. Those who have put time, energy, and are
committed to their involvements are not going to want to see those activities and programs disappear because of delinquent peers.
2.6 Novel
Roberts (1993:1) says, “Literature refers to compositions that tell stories,
dramatize situations, express emotions, and analyze and advocate ideas.” It is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry,
drama, fiction, and nonfiction.
Eagleton (1983:1) says, “There have been various attempts to define literature. You can define it, for example, as “imaginative” writing in the sense of fiction-writing
which is not really true. But even the briefest reflection on what people commonly include under the heading of literature suggests that this will do.” Literature as
imaginative writing is reflected from people thought, that is not really true.
One of the fiction proses is novel. Novel is an extended work of prose fiction, longer than a short story or medium-length fiction, called novelette or novella. Watson
(1979:3) says, “Novel is the name of a literary kind, and there is a story to tell about how, over the centuries, its substance has widened and its conversations changed.” It
14 significant elements: character, plot, setting, and theme. Watson (1979) says, “A novel is a way learning about how things were or are-cognitif instrument; and those who
distruct stories as evidence should consider how often in conversation we use them to make points or answer question.”
Plot is a stories of events in a narrative that is carefully constructured by the author for artistic purpose, a series of related incidents that build upon one another as the story develops. Robert and Jacobs (1995:52) explain that, “The pattern in which the
protagonist meets and resolves the conflict is called the plot, which has been compared to the story’s map, scheme, or blueprint.” Through the plot, the readers can see the
development of character and the plot itself should be interesting and able to encourage the readers to turn the page continuously untill the end of the story. Plot (mythos) is the most important element of drama-more important than character. It is a beginning, a
middle, and an end, and the events of the plot must causally relate to one another as being either necessary or probable. Plot also a narrative structure that divided a story
into five parts, like the five acts of a play. These parts are: exposition (of the situation); rising action (through conflict); climax (or turning point); falling action; and resolution. We can learn about how things were or are-cognitif instrument from a novel.
Setting is the local and time of a story. Roberts and Jacobs (1955:187) says, “Setting is the natural, manufactured, political, cultural, and temporal environment,
including everything that characters know and own.”
Theme is what author is trying to tell the readers. Theme is a controlling idea of literary work that is a general truth or commentary about life, people, and the world that
15 Point of view is the speaker in the story. Roberts and Jacobs says, “Point of view refers to the position and stance of the voice, or speaker, that authors adopt for
their works.” The speaker is the narrator, the author tell the story, expresses the feelings and attitudes, or describes what is happening to the characters.
Style of writing helps us indicate the tone. It is the manner in which the work is written. It is about the selection of words, sentence structure and narrative modes, all works together to present certain style.
2.7Character
Characters are the persons presented in works of narrative (such as a novel, drama, or film) who convey their personal qualities through dialogues and actions by which the reader or audience understand their thoughts, feelings, intentions, and
motives.
Karl (1976:238) says, “Character of interest for the personal reason that we want
to see how other people live, how they make decision and react to responsibility, how they pursue their goal. We measure ourselves by them. Think of characters in stories and novels as real people, and then your imagination go.” Characters in novel can affect
the reader and can give positive or negative impacts. The character may win, lose, or tie. He or she may learn and be better for the experience or may miss the point and be
unchanged.
E.M. Foster (1927) says, “There are two basic types of characters ‘round character’ and ‘flat character’.”
Round Character is that they recognize, change with, or adjust to circumstances. The round characters are usually the main figure in a story, profit from experience and
16 realization of new strength and therefore the affirmation of previous decisions, the acceptance of a new condition, or the discovery of unrecognized truths.
The round character usually plays a major role in a story. Round characters are often called the hero or the heroine. Many main characters are anything but heroic,
however, and it is therefore preferable to use the more neutral word protagonist. The protagonist is the central of the action, moves against an antagonist, and exhibits the ability to adapt to new circumstances.
Flat characters, in contrast, do not grow. They remain the same because they may be stupid or insensitive or lacking in knowledge or insight. They end where they
begin and are static, not dynamic. But the flat characters are not therefore worthless, for they usually highlight the development of the round characters. Sometimes, the flat characters are prominent in certain types of literature, such as cowboy, police, and
detective stories, where the focus is less on character than on performance. They must be strong, tough, and clever enough to perform recurring tasks like solving a crime,
overcoming a villain, or finding a treasure. The term stock character refers to characters in these repeating situations. To the degree that stock characters have many common traits, they are representative of their class, or group. Such characters, with variations in
names, ages, and sexes, have been constant in literature since the ancient Greeks. Some regular stock characters are the insentive father, the interfering mother, the sassy
younger brother or sister, the greedy politican, the resourceful cowboy or detective, the overbearing or henpecked husband, the submissive or nagging wife, and the angry police captain.
17 class, they are labeled stereotype, because they all seem to be cast from the same mold or printing matrix.
There are static character and dynamic character. Static character never changes.
A loud, obnoxious “background” character who remains the same throughout the story is static. A boring character who is never changed by events is also static.
Dynamic character is unlike a static character, a dynamic character does change
and grow as the story unfoids. Dynamic characters respond to events and experience a change in attitude or outlook.
In analyzing the topic, the writer uses a theory as the basic of research, that is sociology of literature. Sociology of literature is the way of understanding literature through society. By using the theory, we can undestand the element of society in the
novel, then we can relate them with the realities in the real world. Swingewood (1972:12) says, “Nevertheless, they caution that, as art, literature goes beyond a purely
18
CHAPTER III
METHOD OF RESEARCH
3.1 Data
The source of the data of this thesis are from The Last Song novel. The writer reads some books which are relevant to the topic as guidance and references, which will be discussed later. The writer also browses data from the internet to get much more information.
3.2 Collecting Data Technique
After reading the novel and the books that are relevant to the topic, the writer selects some data which describe the juvenile delinquency from the characters say and do, then the data are interpreted and put in the form of quotations.
3.3 Analysis Data Method
In analyzing the topic, the writer uses descriptive qualitative method. According to Taylor and Bodgan (1989:3) say, “Research is a research process that produces descriptive data in the form of words written or spoken from the people and
observed behavior.” This method is used to outline and describe the symptoms found in the research object. Based on the method that have been choosen, then the results of this
19 3.4 The Scheme of the Analysis
Finding supported theories: Deciding the Problems of
the Analysis Data Source:
The Last Song
Conclusion
Method: Qualitative
Data:
20
CHAPTER VI
ANALYSIS AND FINDING
4.1.Drugs use.
Juvenile drugs use is considered a major problem by manyexperts.Alcohol and cigarettes remain popular drugs among youth. Drug use among youth is primarily a
social kindof behavior.According to Dembo (1998:33) “Young people use alcohol and drugs for a variety of reasons, including as a reaction to disturbed backgrounds and the
influence of peers and societal attitudes.”Most often, youth are influenced by their peers in decisions touse drugs and in the kinds of drugs used. Of course, other factors play a rolein juvenile drug use, such as parental attitudes and behavior patterns, butpeer groups
remain the single most important influence on juvenile drug use.
Drugs, alcohol, and smoking will give bad effects to the body and they can
make the consumers addicted to them, then cause diseases. If the juveniles are accustomed to consume those kinds of thing, it can be ascertained what will happen later, their future will be destroyed.
Many people who have taken drugs say they saw it as a solution to a problem or barrier. But they ended up broken, failed and in deeper problems. Every person has
problems or challenges in life. No one is perfect. Problems are part of life, and using drugs to solve a temporal problem is like creating a bigger problem to solve a little one.
In The Last Song novel. Ronnie as the main character is a teen who anti with
21 She has friends who like smoking, drinking till they get drunk, and also consuming drugs, as quoted below:
“She wasn’t naive about drugs. Some of her friends smoke pot, a few did cocaine or ecstasy, and one even had a nasty meth habit. Everyone but her drank on the weekends. Every club and party she went to offered easy access to all of it.”Sparks (2010:35)
People who get into drugs get it from a friend's friend, who also got it from his
friend's friend… and so on. At the end of this long line of friends is a dealer who is making money out of destroying young people futures. It is very bad.
Drug use come in many forms. People who consume drugs, chemicals or substances by swallowing, injecting, applying to skin, or any other way to enhance their looks, mood, performance, or influence their thinking is committing an act of drug
abuse, because inevitably, it will have some very bad results sooner or later.
Each day more than two thousand youths try cigarettes for the first time. Some
teens think smoking looks sexy or cool; others hope cigarettes will help them lose weight or make them seem independent. Girl teens usually smoke because of that reason. In this novel, Ronnie has a girl friend named Blaze. She usually smokes.
”Surprising her, Blaze was learning against the side of the booth, smoking a cigarette.”Sparks (2010:39).
Having parents who smoke is also likely to influence a teen’s decisionin favor of smoking. With their busy schedules, many teens todaysuffer from similar stresses and anxieties as adults. Many turnto cigarettes for the same reason adults do; nicotine has
22 The best treatmentstrategy thatis effective to the juveniles who smoke, drink alcohol, and consume drugs is the drug court, which combines treatment and
punishment ingraded steps or phases
4.2Theft
Juvenile theft is a common of delinquent behavior that most children participate in at least once. For the majority of juveniles, the theft is merely an isolated
incident. For a smaller population of juveniles, theft is a part of ‘fitting in’. Theft is a central part of a developing criminal lifestyle, and may continue to steal or commit other illegal activities as adults. Many of these delinquents will end up in jail or prison.
Juvenile theft is usually an early indicator of other problems. It is a symbolic way by which some juveniles display their unhappiness. Most of children know theft is
wrong. But they commit this wrong act because it is a way openly expressing their confusion. They do not yet have the maturity to handle these problems in less impulsive and healtier ways.
Theft is one of the first delinquent acts juveniles commit. Young children tend to begin stealing at or near home by taking objects or money from family members,
friends, neighbors or local stores. Theft also is larceny in such cases; stealing an item or property without force, violence, or fraud, shoplifting, and pocket picking.
According to Rhodes (2005:7) “Juvenile shoplifting is the theft of merchandise
from stores during regular operating hours by individuals under age 18. Juvenile shoplifting is the most common form of juvenile theft.” In this novel, the main
23 themselves. In this novel, Ronnie did it not because she needed the thing, she even didn’t know why she did it. She just wanted to seek the thrill.The mood-enhancing
effects of shoplifting are part of the appeal. The adrenaline of swiping an item coupled with the relief of getting away with it can make for an addictive high. But, Ronnie’s
male friends stole money because they need money to buy some drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, as quoted below:
“Nowadays, they were the ones who stole the booze, the ones who beat the bald guy unconscious at the airport before taking his wallet, the ones who painted the swastikas on the synagogue.” Sparks (2010:48)
Ronnie had been caught because of her shoplifting. And it happened twice. But she confessed that the second one was an accident. Kim, Ronnie’s mother did not
believe in her. She thought that her daughter was getting used to shoplift, as quoted below:
“It’s not the first time, which is the problem,” she confessed. “She admitted to stealing the bracelet last year, but this time, she said she was buying bunch of stuff at the drugstore and couldn’t hold it all, so she tucked the lipstick in her pocket. She paid for everything else, and when you see the video, it seems to be an honest mistake, but...”Sparks (2010:24)
In most places there are heavy penalties for it, including being arrested and
possibly charged with a crime.The sooner a teen is caught for shoplifting, the sooner the teen’s behavior can be corrected before it becomes a habitual plunder down a winding
24 “If she doesn’t get into any more trouble it’ll be expunged from
her record. If she does it again, though...” She trailed off.” Sparks (2010:24)
Getting caught shoplifting can be a lot more serious than people may think. Some of the things that can happen to shoplifters, such as: they may be arrested and paraded through a store in handcuffs, they may face charges for theft, they may be
banned from stores or malls, and people who have been arrested for shoplifting — especially if it's more than once — may end up with a criminal record. This can make it
harder to get a job, get into college, or do the other things they want.
Juveniles who continue to steal, and who do not receive help in resolving their problems, can develop a negative pattern of behavior that may grow worse and result in
more frequent and more serious delinquent acts. Parents need to be aware of their teen. Teaching children the value of honesty can be a great lesson learned as they grow
throughout their life. When faced with the pressures to shoplift, they can remember their childhood experiences and would in turn refrain from stealing
4.3Violence
Juvenile violence refers to harmful behaviors that can start early and continue into young adulthood. The young person can be a victim, an offender, or a witness to
the violence. According to Dahlberg and Krug (2002:191)“Interpersonal violence is defined as the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against
another person or against a group or community that results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.”
Often people who act violently have trouble controlling their feelings. They
25 true. Some violence occurs as a response to prolonged hurt, trauma, bullying or victimization. People may use violence to get something, while others may act out of
self-protection or desperation.
In this novel, juveniles that often involve in a violence are boys. For example
Will and Marcus, they often involve in fights; they hit each other until they bleed, as quoted below:
“Will and Marcus were struggling on the ground before Marcus was finally able to extricate himself. Instead of continuing to fight.” Sparks (2010:315)
Marcus is a bad character in this novel. He always does something that can make
bad effects to other people. He ever burned a church and hurted many people because of his act. But he did not feel guilty, even he did not care with them, he was only scared if
he caught by the police and put in the prison, as quoted below:
“The buildings he’d burned and the people he’d hurt meant absolutely nothing to him, but the thought of prison made him... sick.” Sparks (2010:326)
Not only the chruch that he had burned, he also ever set a fire on a boat and just watched it burned by the fire, as quoted below:
“Three days later, Marcus set the boat on fire and watched it burn from behind the magnolia tree on the sixteenth green.” Sparks (2010:48)
26 identified affected decisions in differentways for different people: someone who initially saw the actions as justifiable, could end up deciding the personal risk was too
great to get involved;someone who was initially unsure about taking part could end up decidingthe chance of getting caught was minimal and so get involved.
4.4 Broken family
A broken family, as the term indicates, is one in which family ties have been
destroyed. A family is not constituted by a number of people living together but their mutual intimaterelationships. Absence of this intimacy results in the breaking up of a
family, and it is in broken families that juvenile delinquents develop. In any such family, a child is not looked after properly. Hence, it is only natural if the children choose the wrong path that ruins their lives.
A broken family will give a lot of negative influences to the children, especially juveniles. Children with parents who end their marriage in divorceare more likely to
have higher levels of depression and engage in a greater amount of antisocialbehaviour. In this novel, Ronnie became bad since her parents’ divorce. Her father moved from their home, then she lost her father figure. Less of concern made her feel worse.Ronnie
could not handle the situation, she thought that her father leave them because he had a girlfriend, she became angry with her father and she did not want to talk with his father
27 Ronnie lives with her mother, Kim, and also her younger brother, Jonah. Her mother can not take care of them alone, especially Ronnie who is growing become a
teenager. According to Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990: 112)
“The problem for single mothers is that they may not have the time to monitor their child’s behaviour, and they may not have the means to punish them. Many single-parent mothers are forced to work long hours and therefore allow their children to do a lot more without any interference. They are also not necessarily aware of their child’s misbehaviour.”
Ronnie make friends with teenagers who have a broken family and because of that, she felt she had similarities with them, and it made her feel comfort to make
friends with them. She thought that they could feel what she felt inside, as quoted below:
“Her comment made Ronnie think about the similarities in their lives – divorce, anger, and rebellion, a parent’s remarriage.” Sparks (2010:293)
According to Wright and Wright (1994) “the family is the foundation of human society. Children who are rejected by their parents, who grow up in homes with
28
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion
After analyzing The Last Song novel that written by Nicholas Sparks, we can find out the types of the juvenile delinquency in the novel through its characters. They
are drugs use, theft, and juvenile riot.
It can be concluded that the delinquencies are caused by the broken family.A
broken family will give a lot of negative influences to the children, especially juveniles. Family factors which may have an influence on offending include: The level of parental supervision, the way parents discipline a child, particularly harsh punishment, parental
conflict or separation, criminal parents or siblings, parental abuse or neglect, and the quality of the parent-child relationship.
In this novel, Ronnie became bad since her parents’ divorce. Her father moved from their home, then she lost her father figure. Less of concern made her feel worse. She cannot accept the situation that she did not live with her father, she did not
understand why her parents divorced.
A broken family, as the term indicates, is one in which family ties have been
destroyed. A family is not constituted by a number of people living together but their mutual intimaterelationships. Absence of this intimacy results in the breaking up of a family, and it is in broken families that juvenile delinquents develop. In any such
29 Growing up in a broken home is a major risk factor for later criminal behaviour. Children who are raised by opposite-gendered parents are often unable to benefit from a
full socializing family environment. Furthermore, when families are left with only one parent providing for them, that parent often does not have the ability to offer enough
supervision and discipline as is necessary, due to the constant demands of having to meet financial needs. In addition, these single parents are often left to work in lower-status jobs, as their dependent family members do not allow them to pursue greater job
30 5.2 Suggestion
At the end of this thesis, the writer hopes that this thesis will make the readers
can understand more about the juvenile delinquency in The Last Song and the readers are interested in reading this novel.This thesis can give a clear explanation about
juvenile delinquency and the cause of the juvenile delinquecny to the readers.The writer wants to convey the positive message from this novel to the readers. It is never too late to strengthen the relationship with the loved ones: belief is one of important things in
31
REFERENCES
Coleman, James William and Donald R. Cressey. 1987. Social Problems. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.
Davis, Kingsley. 1949. Human Society. New York: The Macmillan Company. Fielman, S. Roberts. 1947. Social Psychology. London: Prentice Hall.
Green, Arnold W. 1975. Social Problems: Arena of Conflict. New York: McGraw Hill, Inc.
Julian, Joseph and William Kornblum. 1974. Social Problems. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Quinn, William H. 2004. Family Solutions for Youth at Risk. New York: Brunner Routledge.
Rex, John. 1961. Key Problems of Sociological Theory. London: Kegan Paul Ltd. Ritzer, George. 2001. Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots. New York: Mc.Graw Hill, Inc.
Ritzer, George and Douglas J. Gooman. 2003. Sociological Theory. New York: McGraw Hill.
Roberts, Edgar V and Henry E. Jacobs. 1987. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey: Pretice-Hall, Inc.
Roucek and Warren. 1963. Sociology: An Introduction. New York: Littlfields Adams and Co.
Shoemaker, Donald J. 2009. Juvenile Delinquency. USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Sparks, Nicholas. 2010. The Last Song. New York: Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Taylor, Steven J and Robert Bodgan. 1998.Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods. New York: Interscience
Watson, George. 1979. The Story of the Novel. London and Basingstoke: The Macmillan Press Ltd.
32
APPENDICES
SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL
Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Miller’s life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moved to Wrightsville, North California. Once a classical piano
child prodigy under the tutelage of her father, Steve Miller, Ronnie now ignores the instrument and has not spoken with her father since he left. While Julliard School has
been interested in her since she was young, Ronnie refuses to attend.
Now, Steve has the chance to reconnect with his estranged daughter when her mother, Kim sends the rebellious teen and her younger brother, Jonah, to spend the
summer with him. Steve, a former Julliard School professor and concert pianist, lives a quiet life in Tybee Island, the small beach town in Georgia where he grew up, working
on a strained glass window for the local church to replace the one the church lost in a fire. According to the locals, it was Steve who set the fire to the church one night.
After arrival, Ronnie becomes miserable, defiantm and defensive toward all
those around her. Including handsome, popular Will Blakelee whose introduction involved crashing into her during a volleyball match, and accidentally spiling Ronnie’s strawberry shake on her. She shrugs him off and meet Blaze, an outcast who lives with
her boyfriend, Marcus. While at a beach campfire, Marcus hits on Ronnie and Blaze mistakes this for Ronnie flirting with him. Angered by this, Blaze sets Ronnie up by
putting two CDs in Ronnie’s bag. Just as Ronnie walks out she is promptly arrested, which reminded her of an incident that occured back home. Later on, Ronnie discovers a Longgerhead Sea Turtle nest at the beach by her house and while protecting it, she
33 defend the turtles with Will, she discovers he is deeper than she believed, and begins to have feelings for him.
As Ronnie falls in love with Will, she also manages to form a better and stronger bond with her father. As their relationship deepens, Will invites her to his
sister’s weeding, Megan. Ronnie does not have dress to wear at the weeding party, then Jonah gives her money to buy a new dress. Jonah likes Will, that’s why he helps her sister. At the weeding party, Marcus comes to meet Blaze. She works as a waitress
there. Then, Marcus sees Ronnie, he invites Ronnie to go to Nashville with him, he treases Ronnie. Knowing that, Will gets angry, then they fight. The weeding party
becomes chaos. Later that day, the turtle eggs hatch and her father collapses with a coughing seizure that evening. Ronnie immediately has Steve rushed to a hospital and realizes that he had been diagnosed with cancer long before her summer visit and why
her parents’ marriage has fallen apart. She decides to start spending more time with her father since he is unlikely to survive any longer. At the same time, Ronnie and Will get
into a confrontation because Will confessed that Scott had actually set fire to the church, but he had never confessed. With Will now leaving for college, there is no time to patch things up.
Steve has been working on a piece of music for quite a while. Fall comes and Jonah returns to New York for the school year, but Ronnie stays behind to take care of
her father. Leading a slow life she tries to fill in the three years of ignoring her father into a couple months. She continues working on his piece of music (titled “For Ronnie”), finishing what her father could not because of his hands. When she finally
34 At his funeral she stands to make a speech but declares that none of the speeches she wrote would ever be able to show how wonderful her father really was.
Instead, she decides to share with them the song that she finished. Before sge sits down to play, sunlight shines through rhe stained glass window. Ronnie smiles as she
remembers overhearing her father said that every time a light shines through that window or any window, it’s him and says “Hi, Daddy”.
At the funeral, while Ronnie is talking to the attendants, she ruins into Will. He
says that he liked the song she played and that he knows her dad did too and Ronnie thanks him for coming to the funeral. At the end, Ronnie is packing up her dad’s stuff
when she sees Will standing outside. She goes outside to see him and Will apologizes to her for everything that had happened and Ronnie forgives him. Will suprises Ronnie by revealing that he will be transfering to Columbia in order to be with her and they share a
35
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Nicholas Sparks was born on December 31, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska. He is a son of Patrick Michael Sparks, a professor, and Jill Emma Marie Sparks, a homemaker and an optometrist’s assistant. He was the middle of three children, with an older
brother Michael Earl “Micah” Sparks (1964-) and a younger sister, Danielle “Dana” Sparks (1966-2000), who died at the age of 33. Sparks has said that she is the
inspiration for the main character in his novel A Walk to Remember, Sparks was raised Roman Catholic and is of German, Czech, English and Irish ancestry. He and his wife are deout Catholics, and are raising their children in the Catholic faith “I was raised
Catholic, baptised, confirmed, Sunday school, went to Notre Dame, go to confession, go to church weekly,” the author says. My oldest son is an altar boy. All my children go to
the Catholic school. My wife Catherine was raised Catholic. God is the most important thing in our lives. I suppose that’s true of everybody’s lives, whether or not they want to believe it. Nicholas and Catherine have three sons, Miles, Ryan, and Landon; and twin
daughters, Lexie and Savannah.
His father was pursuing graduate studies, and the family moved a great deal, so
by the time Sparks was 8, he had lived in Watertown, Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska. In 1974, his family settled in Fair Oaks, California, and remained there through Nicholas’ high school days. He graduated in 1984 as
valedictorian from Bella Vista High School, then enrolling at the University of Notre Dame, having received a full track and field scholarship. In his freshman year, his team
36 Hampshire, while they were both on spring break. They married on July 22, 1989 and moved to Sacramento, California.
Nicholas Sparks is an internationally bestselling American novelist and screenwriter. He has published 16 novels, with themes including cancer, death pirates,
and love.
While still in school in 1985, Sparks had penned his first (never published) novel, The Passing, while home for the summer between freshman and sophomore years at Notre Dame. He wrote another novel in 1989, also unpublished, The Royal Murders. After collage, Sparks sought work with publishers or to attend law school, but was rejected in both attempts. He then spent the next three years trying other careers, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone and starting his own manufacturing business.
In 1990, Sparks co-wrote with Billy Mills Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding. The book was published by Feather Publishing, Random House, and Hay House. Sales for this book approximated 50.000 copies in its first year after release.
In 1992, Sparks began selling pharmaceuticals and 1993 was transfered to
Greenville, Sc. It was there that he wrote another novel in his spare time, The Notebook. Two years later, he was discovered by literary agent Theresa Park, who picked The Notebook out of her agency’s slush pile, liked it, and offered to represent him. In October 1995, Park secured a $1 million advance for The Notebook from TimeWarner Group Book. The novel was published in October 1996 and made the New York Times
best-seller list in its first week of release.
With the succes of the first novel, he moved to New Bern, NC. After his first
37 been made into films: Message in a Bottle (1999), A Walk to Remember (2002), The Notebook (2004), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), Dear John (2010),The Last Song (2010), and The Lucky One (2011).
Sparks began his 16th novel, Safe Heaven, on Februray 17, 2010, and it was
published on September 14, 2010. Film producers asked Sparks on August 4 for rights to release a movie adaption of this new novel and the deal was closed the next day.
On June 17, 2011, Nicholas Sparks stated on his official website that Warner
Bros, had brought the movie rights to his book The Best of Me, which is coming out October 11, 2011. The production date for the movies has not been verified, although
