Neurosis on the Main Character of the Number 23 Film Based on Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalysis Theory

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Neurosis on the Main Character of

the

Number 23

_{Film Based on}

_{Sigmund Freud’s}

Psychoanalysis Theory

A Thesis

Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Strata One Degree (S1)

Achwan Sapar 104026000944

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

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ABSTRACT

Achwan Sapar, Neurosis on the Main Character of the Number 23 Film Based on Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis Theory. Thesis. Jakarta: Adab and Humanities Faculty, English Letters Department, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University. Strata One Degree, 2008.

In this research, the writer analyzes the scenes that reveal Sparrow’s Neurosis as the main character of the Number 23film. Here, the writer studied the Number 23 film as the unit of analysis. Neurosis of abnormal psychology viewed from Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis concept is used as the theoretical framework of the research. The method of the research is descriptive qualitative, which tries to explain about the intrinsic and extrinsic element of the film. At first, the researcher focus on the intrinsic of the film; such as the dialogues and the scenes of the film, then followed by analyzing them through Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis as the extrinsic element of the film.

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APPROVEMENT

NEUROSIS ON THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE NUMBER 23

FILM BASED ON

SIGMUND FREUD’S PSYCHOANALYSIS

THEORY.

A Thesis

Submitted to Adab and Humanities Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for

Strata One Degree

ACHWAN SAPAR NIM. 104026000944

Approved by Advisor:

Inayatul Chusna, M.Hum NIP. 150331233

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT LETTERS AND HUMANITIES FACULTY

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH JAKARTA

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LEGALIZATION

The thesis entitled “Neurosis on the Main Character of the Number 23 Film Based on Sigmund Freud Theory” hasbeen defended before the Letters and Humanities Faculty’s Examination Committee on May 28, 2009. The thesis has already been accepted as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of strata (S1).

Jakarta, May 28, 2009

Examination Committee

Chair Person, Secretary,

Dr. M. Farkhan. M.Pd Drs. Asep Saefuddin, M.Pd

NIP. 150 299 480 NIP. 150 261 902

Members

Dr. Frans Sayogie, M.Pd Elve Oktafiyani, M.Hum

NIP. 150 299 481 NIP. 150 317 725

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I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material 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 acknowledgement has been made in the text.

Jakarta, May 28, 2009

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, who has created human as the intelligent creation in this world so that they can be observer and thinker, and peace and blessings of Allah be upon the noblest of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad, his family, and those who follow him in the goodness till the day after.

In addition, it is a very great pleasure for the writer to express the gratitude to the writer’s lovely family for his inspiration to finish the study in this University, they are; his parents—H. Sapariun and Hj. Husna—thanks so much to their support, love, and pray, may Allah always bless them. The writer also wants to sincerely deliver his great gratitude to his uncle (M. Yunus) who has been supporting him morally and financially for these recent semesters.

The writer needs to express a great gratitude to his advisor Inayatul Chusna for her great help, patient, and contribution in finishing this thesis. The writer thanks for her advises, May Allah bless and gives happiness for her and her family.

The writer also wishes to offer his expression of gratitude to the following persons:

1. Dr. H. Abd. Chair, MA, the Dean of Faculty of Adab and Humanities, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University.

2. Dr. M. Farkhan, M.Pd, the head of English Letters Department.

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4. All lecturers of English Letters Department for teaching the writer during the time she studies at this State Islamic University.

5. All the writer’s beloved friends, especially for his classmates in English Letters Department. The writer is so thankful for their friendship and motivation they have given to him. They are like a big family for the writer.

6. All people who call their group as KCCI, the writer’s friends, and the room-mates who always encourage him to finish this thesis through discussion, phone-call, e-mail and SMS. They are great friends who indirectly teach the writer how to socialize and to be a good friend.

May Allah bless the writer and everyone who has great contribution in helping his completes this thesis. Last but not least, the writer realizes that this is not perfect, so the writer accepts any suggestion and criticism from this thesis.

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In this modern era, film has been growing to be an interesting industry for the people who want to express their creative thought and skill. Most of cineaste consider film as a media to share their ideas and opinions about some phenomena in the real life; and sees it as a promising business as well since most people like to spend their spare time by watching film.

It is not a shocking fact if most people in this world love to watch film, because it is a unique thing like what Josseph M. Boggs and Dennis W. Petrie say on their bookthe Art of Watching Films. According to them, film is a unique art production and has a strong influence toward its viewer because it combines paint, technology, music, literature and drama become interesting to be watched.1 On the other hand, film also reflects political and social pressures and issue indirectly in many complex and contradictory ways.2So these are two out of many reasons why people like film and it makes the cineastes compete to make and produce film.

Both producer and viewer of the film pay their high attention to it. When the cineastes make film and present it to the viewer, literature and film critics, who act as advance viewer, give their attention to analyze and to criticize the film that has been launched to the viewer. And there are so many aspects that can be

1

Boggs Josseph M. and Petrie Dennis W.The Art of Watching Films. 1999. p.2 2

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analyzed in film, such as cinematography, the creative process, and the moral messages that the cineastes give in their film. One criticism that many advanced viewers use to analyze film is Psychoanalysis. It has been long understood that both film and cinematography cannot be separated and had a special relationship since the first time the theory and industry were found.3 According to Apsanti Djokosujanto in her essay, in Psikoanalisis dan sastra (page 59), there are two approaches in analyzing film by psychoanalysis, they are biopsychanalyses and lectures psychoanalytiques.Biopsichoanalysis is an approach in assuming film as a work of a film maker who suffers neurosis or has psychical problem—the object are the film makers such as script writer, director, or producer. Another approach is lectures psychanalytiques that deals with the characters in film that is suspected has psychological problem or pathology.4

Based on the passage above, then the writer is interested to use the second category which discusses a character in a film that is suspected has a psychological problem. In this thesis, therefore, the writer would like to point the main character ofthe Number23 as the object of the research. The main character of the Number 23 suffers neurotic because of his memory that was repressed in the past tries to come out of his unconscious mind and this is the main problem that causes his personality disturbance (his personality becomes unstable). The main character is a man who has a good personality in the beginning of the film. However, his personality gradually changes and becomes unstable after he receives a novel from his wife as a present in his 36thanniversary. The novel is the

3

Anggadewi Moesono,Psikoanalisis dan Sastra.2003. P.59 4

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presentation of his past that he had been repressed, and there are some significant changes happen in him since he reads that novel—he has phobia in number 23 by assuming that it is related to all unfortunate event in this world; and this numeric phobia is connected to his past that had been repressed.

The psychological problem that has buried under unconsciousness of the main character and his strong domination in the whole story interpreting number 23 in this film makes the writer interested to discuss it and make it as the object of the research in this thesis.

By using the theory ofSigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis,it can be revealed how the main character deals with his neurotic problems.

B. Focus of the Study

To make the research more focus, so the writer limits the scope of the research in the neurotic problem of the main character inthe Number 23in facing his life and obsession on the number 23.

C. Research Questions

Here are the questions of the research:

1.What are the neurotic problems that the main character inthe Number 23has in living his present life?

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D. The Significance of the Research

The writer hopes that this research can help reader in understanding Freud’s psychoanalysis and how to apply it to understand someone’s attitude.The writer also hopes that it helps the reader understand the messages of the film.

E. The Objectives of the Research The objectives of the research are:

1. To know how the neurotic problems that the main character has. 2. To know howthe main character’s neurosis problemsare described on

the film.

F. Methodology of the Research 1. Method

Looking at the questions and the purposes of the research, then the writer decides to use qualitative method in conducting this research. Qualitative, which is one of the method that is used in research, is a research using verbal data and others nonnumeric data as the basic analysis and in solving the problems those are studied.5

2. Data Analysis

In this research, the writer uses descriptive analysis technique. Writer collects some data from available resources such as books and websites those

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related to his research. Writer analyzes the main character's psychological problems inthe Number 23using Freud's psychoanalysis theory.

3. Instrument of the Research

This qualitative research sets the writer as the main instrument in collecting data by watchingthe Number 23carefully so that he can understand the scenes or the parts those describe the psychological problem of the main character. And the writer also collects some related data by writing down some dialogues of in the film and making some snap-shots of the scenes those support the research.

4. The Unit of Analysis

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CHAPTER II

represented as human conscious mind—is too small if we compare it with the part that is invisible under the ocean—represented as human unconscious mind.6

1. Psychical Apparatus

When he discussed about human’s personalities, he said that human is

basically a biologic creature, so that human performs as his biologic instincts; to get pleasures and avoid displeasure which is known as pleasure principle in psychoanalysis discussion. Freud also said that human has three kinds of Psychical apparatus. Each of the psychical apparatus has their own functions and principles, but they cannot be separated so that they can make a totality in constitution.8It is also the oldest among these psychical apparatus.

Id has a function as the energy supplier that is need by the other psychical apparatus in doing their activities. And under the influence of the

6

Kuswara, E.Teori-teori Kepribadian. Bandung: PT. Eresco. 1991. Hal. 32 7

Ibid. 8

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real external world, id reacts to receive stimuli with arrangements of acting as a protective shield against stimuli.

Id has two process steps in getting to its goal. The first process is called as a reflection act, it is kind of act that is done by individual immediately when id receives stimuli form the external world. For example, reflect in sneezing, coughing, inhaling, etc. And the next step is called as a primer process which involves complicated psychological reactions. In this process, id tries to decrease the tension which is cause by the external world by imagining the object that can help the id decrease the tension it faces. In fact, that action is not enough because the tension still exists. So, id needs another psychical apparatus that can help it as intermediary with the real external world, that is called as ego.

b. Ego

Ego has a central rule in making interactions between individual internal world and external world; it performs its functions based on reality principle.

And Ego has three steps in performing its functions. First, it acts as reality tester; it means that ego tries to react upon the reality so that it can adapt it and keeps a good relationship between id or internal world and external world. The second steps is identity, identity is the foundation of individual personality, the stronger of identity in an individual, so the stronger personality he/she has. Then ego builds this identity from the environment where an individual live (especially individual’s parents and family). And the

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c. Super-ego

Super-ego is the last psychical apparatus that contains of norm values and rules which related to bad and good things. 9 It also constitutes a third power that that ego must take into account. And if ego does something against super-ego, so individual will feel guilty and anxious.10

And the functions of super-ego are: (a) to control impulses which is has so that the impulses can be adapted in the common way that is acceptable in the environment where the individual live; (b) to direct ego to the action that prescribe by the norms or rules; (c) to direct an individual to live in perfection.11

B. Neurosis

When individuals interact with the real external world, they always move from equilibrium condition toward disequilibrium and move again to equilibrium condition. Process that is need to move from disequilibrium toward equilibrium, however, is not always going well because sometimes individuals will face some conflicts that impede individuals’ psyche turns back to equilibrium condition,

moreover, the conflicts cause individuals feel anxious about when the disequilibrium will be solved so that they can reach the equilibrium condition

Freud, Sigmund.An Outline of Psycho-Analysis.W.W. Norton & Company. Inc: New York. 1969. Hal. 3

11

Ibid. Hal. 35 12

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The choosing of defense mechanism can reflect individuals’ personalities.

The individuals who have strong personalities will face the impulses or conflicts those cause disequilibrium wisely, and their ego usually choose a mature defense mechanism so that they can get equilibrium condition. in the other hand, the individuals who have weak personalities will find difficulties in facing the impulses or conflict that cause disequilibrium condition, and their ego usually use an immature defense mechanism so that it will be hard to get equilibrium and potentially cause psychopathology. And the diagram below may show the symptom formation:13

Moreover, Psychopathology that is suffered by individuals can be divided into four groups depend on internal damage level, they are: personality

13

Ibid. P.29

Conflict Damming-up_(anxiety)

Conducting catharsis and defense mechanism

Psychopath symptoms

appear The personality

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disturbance, neurosis, personality disorder, and psychosis. And in this paper, the writer discusses neurosis.

The disorders of function14 known as neurosis and psychosis represent relatively inefficient and unrealistic attempts on the part of the individual establish intrapersonal and interpersonal integration under difficult circumstances.15 Neurosis is usually caused by a trauma that makes long term conflict in individual and obstructs an individual’s personality development because his/her ego is weak and disintegrated which cannot accomplish its functions well.16

Individuals who suffer neurosis cannot face their real external-world properly because of their long-term internal conflicts. In addition, they have poor vitality and braveness in facing reality; they prefer to run away form the reality because of fear. They prefer to use defense mechanism that potentially distorts reality and irritates their psyche thancoping that could help them face the reality effectively. Furthermore, their reluctance in facing reality makes them cannot resolve the conflicts.17 It makes the damming up (anxiety condition) keeps happens in long term which is could caused anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder which is also known as neurosis can be divided into groups depends its specific type, such as phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder etc. however in this paper, the writer discusses only phobia, obsessive compulsive

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disorder of ego’s function in individual.

15

Beulah C. Bosselman.Neurosis and Psychosis. Springfield. Illinois. U.S.A: Charles C Thomas Publisher. 1950. P.3

16

Imam S. Arif.Dinamika Keperibadian: gangguan dan terapinya. Bandung: Reflika Aditama. 2006. P.72.

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disorder, and post traumatic disorder that main character in film the number 23 persistence fear toward object or situation and the fear is not proportional with its threat.18 The individuals who suffer phobia doesn’t lose contact with reality (external world); most of them know that their fear is too much and uncommon. And the unique thing about phobia is not about fear toward extraordinary things but is about common things in daily life. Individuals who suffer phobia fear somethingthat people think it doesn’t have to be worried.19 There are three kinds of phobia; they are specific phobia, social phobia, and agoraphobia.

2. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsession is an intrusive thought, idea, or impulse that is happened repeatedly and makes individual cannot control it, obsession could be strong and persistence so that disturbs individual’s life and creates a significant distress and

anxiety. It also contains of hesitations, impulses, and mental description. In the other hand, compulsion is a repetitive act that individual feels need to do. 20 Compulsion is appear as the effect of obsessive thought and it could harm

18

Jeffry S. Nevid and friends.Psikologi Abnormal.Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga. 2005. P. 168. 19

Ibid. 20

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individual’s life and also create a significant distress and anxiety. Individuals with OCD cannot deny their obsession thought so that they keep doing compulsion until their compulsion turn into something like ritual which makes them feel sorry if they don’t do it.21

3. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a maladaptive reaction toward traumatic experience. PTSD usually happens few months or years after traumatic event had happened.22Most of the traumatic experience is about someone’s death, something’s very threatening, or a serious physical injury. There are some characteristic of PTSD, they are re-experience of the traumatic experience, avoiding any indication or stimulus associated with traumatic experience, insensible response generally or emotionally, stimulated easily, and emotional distress.23

OnPsikologi Abnormal that was written by Jeffery S. Nevid and friends, page 176, it is written that in acute stress disorder or PTSD, individuals feel the effect of traumatic experience in many ways; it could be like intrusive memories, repeated nightmare, or a feeling that makes individuals think that it was happening again (such as “flash-back” of that experience). An event that could arouse traumatic experience may cause intense psychological distress. Individuals with PTSD prefer to stay away from stimuli that arouse their traumatic experience.

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C. Trauma

Anthony Storr quotes Freud’s sentences in his book, he writes that most of individuals suffer hysteria because they had trauma in their past. And the trauma that happened in the past would influence their mental or psychic in their present life if something that related to his trauma in the past happens in the present life so that would stir the memory about what has happened in the past.

There are some criteria of the traumatic events or memories that happened in the past: first, those events or memory cannot be remembered easily; the sufferer could remember those events or memories back only if the psychoanalyst hypnotizes him/her so that he/she could remember those memories back, or the sufferer is convinced that those memories that cause his/her trauma existed and happened in his/her past, then those memories could be remembered if he/she strive to remember them. The second criterion is that memories were scary, painful or shameful for the sufferer; and there is a big possibility that the sufferer had repressed those unpleasant memories into his/her unconsciousness so that makes him/her cannot remember them easily;24the repression25 that the sufferer’s ego had done in the past causes his/her trauma and influences his/her current life.

24

Storr, Anthony.Freud; peletakan dasar psikoanalisis. Pustaka Utama Grafiti: Jakarta. 1991. P.18 and 21

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Repression is an immature defense mechanism. Freud saw repression as the basic defense mechanism that is used by ego and straight related to anxious. Ego does repression to muffle anxious or libidinal impulse that potentially causes conflict with external world, it muffles the anxious or libidinal impulse without consideration or trying to solve it in conscious mind, but it represses it into unconscious mind directly. This repression is high risk because every repressed impulse still exists in unconscious mind and it needs huge psyche energy to avoid the impulse come to conscious mind. And it will make psyche energy be depleted and also will make ego

become ineffective in keeping or guiding an individual’s behaviors; the individual’s mental will be

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Because of the trauma that an individual has since her/his ego had repressed libidinal impulses, anxieties or unpleasant into his/her unconsciousness by defense mechanism in his past, so the individual potentially obtains pathology behaviors symptoms which could harm his/her personalities (harms the harmony of internal and external world of the individual).

D. Character and Characterization in Film

In every story—whether it’s in a literary, fairy tale or movie—there’s a representation oh human being as the agent who plays in the story, it’s called as a

character. A character usually refers to human, animal or thing that has function to play its rule in a story. And every character has variety values to make a story seems real, understandable, and worth caring about; the values could be moral, emotional, intellectual, or appearance value.26 To give impressive values toward character is called as characterization. Characterization in film is different with characterization in literary works because film is a visual story telling so that the characterization of a character in film more complicated and more detailed than in literary.

Characterization of a character in a film can be given in some ways; such as characterization through appearance, dialogue, through external and internal action, and through reaction of other characters. And even setting has contribution

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as the characterization of a character in a film; it can be a determiner of character and reflection of character.27

Characterization in film has a great deal to do with casting since the minute viewers usually see most actor on the screen, they make certain assumptions about tem because of their facial features, dress, physical build, and mannerisms and they way they move; it’s called as characterization through

appearance. And the next characterization in film is through dialogue; characters in film naturally reveal a great deal about themselves by what they say and they say it, in other words, the values of character could be interpreted through their word choice when they talk to others characters. Even appearance is an important measure of a character’s personality, but the reflections of appearance are often misleading. So, another aspect that could be considered is their action in facing some situations; it’s kind of characterization through external action. The

reactions of other characters are also influence viewers in interpreting the characterization of certain character.

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CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDING

A. Data Description/Corpuses

The writer would like to give a table of data description below that will simplify the explanation of the writer’s research finding in this chapter.

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Time-up to 23 fingerprints were on

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neurotic problem. And before the writer is going to analyze the main character’s neurosis, he would like to discuss how the main character is described in the film.

B. Character Analysis

The main character in this film is named Walter Sparrow. He lives with his wife and son. Before he suffers neurosis, he has good personalities in the beginning of the film. His good personalities reflect his stable psychic. And the good personalities as the reflection of integrated psyche can be seen in some characterization in this film.

Sparrow is a humorist person. His humor can be seen in the beginning of the film when he feels boredbecause there’s nothing to dowhile he is working as ananimals’ controller. He tries toease his boredom by making humor. There was the scene when Sparrow looks bored and tries to solve his boring time. He jokes when he sees a woman with her dog walk, then he imitates a cat sound so that makes the woman’s dog barking. Although the woman and her dog are disturbed,

Sparrow doesn’t mean to disturb them and just tries to make a joke. It can bee seen when they look up set, Sparrow apologize to that woman:

Sparrow:“I am sorry, I am just bored.”

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close relationship, and there is also a scene which his son gives Sparrow a present in his birthday, it is a mug with a “father of the year” mark on it.

Sparrow is not only a good father, but also is a discipline and responsible person when he works at animal control department. It is can be seen in minutes 00:05:21 when he is waiting for his work time will be over in a few minutes left, he gets a call from his partner and commands him to catch a dog near a Chinese restaurant, he argues with his co-worker that his time will end in one minute left so that means he will not have enough time to go to the location.

Sybil:“Sparrow, I repeat we have an unidentified scavenger sighting."

Sparrow:“It's one minute to 5:00, Sybil.”

Sybil:“Then we're agreed you're still on duty.”

And he went to that place because it was still his work-time when he got the call, and he did his job even he was in out of work-time. The characteristic of Sparrow’s responsibility and discipline on the film was through external action which is showed by the scenes that sparrow goes to the place where he should catch the dog that Sybil called as the unidentified scavenger.

The condition of Sparrow’s life present is very deferent condition withthe condition of his life in the past which is revealed in the resolution of the film. Sparrow had a bad childhood and life in the past which has a big role in his neurotic problem in the present. When he was eight years old, his father committed suicide soon after his mother death and he didn’t leave anything that could reveal his reason to suicide except a note that contains of number 23.

Sparrow:“After my mother's death my father couldn't cope. He didn't

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foster home to foster home, till college when I met her, Laura Tollins.”(01:17:43)

And when he was 23 he killed his girl friend because of she didn’t love

him and considered him as a pathetic and insane who obsessed on number 23. And after he killed his girlfriend, he decided to commit suicide because of feeling guilty, however, before his suicide, he wrote a novel to confess about his life, the number 23 that makes him obsessed and about the murder.

Sparrow:"What began as a suicide note turned into something

more....much, much more."(01:23:00) (What Sparrow means with some thing more is the novel that he wrote).

C. Neurosis Analysis

Sparrow’sneurosis symptoms first appear soon after he read the novel that is given by his wife. And the novel has a big role in causing Sparrow’s neurosis symptoms since the novel is contained of his confession about his past.

Before the writer continues his discussion, the writer would like to give the symptom formation how Sparrows psyche apparatus works after he read the novel so that makes the psychopath (neurosis) symptoms appear.

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The diagram above show howSparrow’s psyche gets impulseafter he read the novel. The novel causes the disequilibrium because something that he had repressed under his unconscious mind is trying to come to his consciousness which is creates a conflict. And he cannot solve it because he cannot find the right answer for his anxiety—it is because the answer placed under his unconsciousness mind—and his ego use immature defense mechanism but it doesn’t work and makes the damming-up condition still happened that cause psychopath symptoms appear in Sparrows life. And as the writer has explained in chapter 2, the damming-up condition is a risk condition that could create psychopath symptoms if it cannot be solved. And for Sparrow’s case, his psychopath symptom is

neurosis because of his trauma and past that had been repressed.

Neurosis in individual is not just appeared in one kind exclusively, so that’s why individuals could suffer more than one diagnostic of anxiety disorder.28 It is also happened in Sparrow who suffers three kinds of neurosis, they are phobia, obsessive compulsive and Posttraumatic stress disorder.

1. Phobia

Phobia that is suffered by Sparrow is a specific phobia which is related to number 23. Specific phobia means a fear toward some specific object or situation which makes the sufferer irrationally fear and has over reaction if he/she finds the object/situation of the phobia then he/she tries to avoid the situation or the

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stimulus.29 And in Sparrow case, number 23 is the object of his phobia. He hates the number irrationally and always show an over reaction when he finds anything that related to that number.

It is showed in some scene how Sparrow over-reacts for his anxiety when he sees everything that related to number 23. For example is the scene in minute 00:30:17 which is the scene when Sparrow just closes novel number 23 and looks at two young-men who are jogging in a park. The first boy wears shirt number 2 and the second boy wears shirt number 43, however when the first boy runs and his position cover a half sight of another boy’s position, he cover number 4 so that

Sparrows looks number 23 and his expression is suddenly changed, his expression shows that he is uncomfortable with what he sees (see the pictures below).

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His phobia toward number 23 is also making him feel as if the number is terrorizing his life. It is can bee seen in time-line 00:43:30 when Sparrow walks down street after reading the novel, he sees number 23 everywhere along the street, he sees it in Stores’ numbers, address, streets, etc. he feels as if his life is terrorized by number 23. Even number 2153 that is painted in a wall he sees as number 23 when a pole covers his point of view and cover up its two middle numbers (15).

The snap-shots above are parts of scene that show Sparrow feels terrorized by number 23 which is film maker shows the scene as the characterization through internal action. Film maker show it by giving a fast moving camera to those numbers (Stores’ numbers, address, streets, etc.) with a voices that describe about

the enigma of number 23.

There is also a dialogue in time-line 00:53:48 that describes Sparrow’s specific phobia.

Sparrow:“The number had gone after fingerling. And now it was coming after me.”(00:53:48)

Sparrow’s statement “and now it was coming after me” shows that he feels

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number 23, that is why his phobia to number 23 influences his reliance to someone who relates to number 23. For example, he doubts a professor’s personality because that professor wears red tie—Sparrows assumes that red relates to number 23. And he also impeaches his wife could have affair with that professor since her middle name is Pink, andpinkalso has relations with 23. His suspicions to his wife and that professor can be seen in 00:43:50 when sparrow sees them talk in his wife’s store when the store is being closed. Even though they don’t have affair, Sparrowis worry because their relationship to number 23. This scene shows how number 23 has significant influence toward Sparrow’s life.

Those scenes that show sparrow’s phobia is a characterizations through internal actions that filmmaker reveals Sparrow’s fears and suspicion toward number 23 visually. Most of those scenes are showed by tight close-ups on numbers which Sparrows sees as number 23 relations, and also tight close-ups on Sparrow’s expressive face.

2. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

For his phobia toward number 23, Sparrow tries to figure everything out how they connected to number 23 by calculating of the number that is contained in it. It is kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. Obsession is an intrusive thought, idea, or impulse that is happened repeatedly and makes individual cannot control it, obsession could be strong and persistence so that disturbs individual’s

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of obsessive thought and it could harm individual’s life and also create a

significant distress and anxiety.30

The obsession of Sparrow in number 23 is showed by his thought that couldn’t stop to think about the relation of number 23 with everything he finds in

his life. He believes that number 23 is a cursed number and everything that related to it must have bad influence. And his action in counting everything’s number

substance is a compulsion.

Here are some scenes that describe about his obsessive compulsive:

Agatha:“Walter, what are you doing?”

Sparrow: “Check this out. Walter Sparrow doesn't work. But if I use my middle name; Walter= 5-1-1-9-7. isn't that amazing?”

Agatha:“What?”

Sparrow: “It's all 23. My birthday-- 2/3, driver's license, social security number. Everything.I was born at 11:12 p.m. 11 plus 12.”

The picture and dialogues above are captured on minute 31:07—here the film maker reveals Sparrow’s OCD by characterizations through his external action and also through dialogue—Sparrow tries to calculate the number that contains in his name and he is shock knowing that the calculation result in his

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name is 23. It is the first time He shows his obsession on number 23 and his obsessive-compulsive disorder becomes worse gradually so that he tries to calculate anything that related to him such as his address, driving license number, etc. to ensure whether they are related to number 23 or not.

After calculating some things related to his personal life and find there are so many of them related to number 23, Sparrow thinks that the writer of the novel must know about his past life that he cannot remember. Then he decided to find who the writer is. And in his searching process, he finds a fact that there was a murdering case that happened around the time when the novel was made. In addition, he looks for information about that case and finds that the murderer name is Kyle Flinch and he is jailed. He goes to the jail where the suspect is sentenced and asking about what number 23 means to Kyle. Sparrow is sure that Kyle was the one who killed the girl and wrote the novel as his warped literary confession; however, Kyle said that he is jailed for a mistake he had never done because he had never killed anyone and he also said that he is not the author of that novel. Sparrow is mad finding the fact that Kyle is not the writer of the novel and he doesn’t believe it, he even says Kyle is lying. However, he believes what Kyle said after he calculates the number of that man’s name; Sparrow finds that

the calculation number of Kyle is not 23, and he sure that Kyle is not a killer. Sparrow’s judgment on Kyle can be seen in time-line 01:00:57

Sparrow:“He was real convincing about his innocence.”

Agatha :“well, killers usually are. his fingerprints were on the knife. her blood was on his hands when he dialed 911.”

Sparrow:“no, he's innocent.”

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Agatha:“all because his name doesn't add up to 23?”(01:00:57)

Sparrow believes in what Kyle has said just because of his obsessive thought that consider as a cursed number is add up to Kyle’s name.

Another scene that shows Sparrow’s OCD is can be seen in time-line 01:14:30 when he is still curious about who is the writer of the novel and the one who killed Laura Tollins.

Sparrow:“It was you. you moved the skeleton.”

Agatha:“Please don't do this, walter.”

Sparrow:“Then how did you know, unless... your maiden name is pink.”

……… ………

Sparrow:“You wrote it.”(01:14:20)

His judgment toward everything always depends on number 23 calculation until he suspects his wife and says that his wife possibly be the writer since her maiden name is pink which its numbers is add up to 23, according to Sparrow.

Sparrow’s OCD toward number 23 looks clearer now, he finds number 23 in his wife by calculating her maiden name only and immediately suspects his wife as a murderer, in fact, he calculate his own full-name to finds number 23 in his name after his first and last name don’t add up to number 23. Here we see how

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3. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Sparrow

The last pathology that Sparrow has is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. It is a reaction toward traumatic experience. PTSD possibly happens few months or years after traumatic event had happened.31 And in Sparrow’s case, he suffers PTSD after 13 years of his traumatic experience. His PTSD is caused by the traumatic experience when he killed his girlfriend. And Sparrow’s traumatic reaction occur in some variant ways when he gets impulses that raise his PTSD, avoiding the indication or stimulus associated with his traumatic experience, emotional distress, and intrusive memory of his trauma in his mind.

We can see his PTSD is described in some scenes, and the writer will discuss it one by one. The first scene that describesSparrow’s PTSD isin minute 1:14:20. In this scene, Agatha leads Sparrows to an old-building where Sparrow has been nursed soon after his suicide-effort was failed. There are files belong to Sparrow and the master copy of the number 23 then Agatha shows them as the proof that the one who has written the novel is Sparrow. However, Sparrow keeps stand off and does not want to hear her explanation. Then Agatha gives him a trumpet that Sparrow used to play when he was with his girl friend in his past, and when Sparrow touches it a flash back of his memory is happening and he throws it away immediately as his reaction in avoiding stimulus associated with his traumatic experience. Then when he holds a bracelet, a flashback of his repressed memory happens again and Sparrow shows the same response to it (see the

31 31

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pictures below which are taken from the scene when Sparrow gets stimulus from the bracelet.

Sparrow:“No! Get out of here!”(01:16:10)

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The pictures above are the snapshots of the scene when Sparrow is trying to run away from the building to avoid the stimulus that related to his ex-girl friend death (01:16:25), even though he gets out of the building, his intrusive memories are increase. There second picture on the right side above is one of the intrusive memories that shows when he run. Sparrow’s effort to avoid the

stimulus that can remind him about his past is unsuccessful because individuals who suffer PTSD usually will have more intrusive memories when they avoid the stimulus.32

Then he decided to go to Edward Hotel to calm himself down like he used to do, he come in to room number 23, and in that hotel he finds chapter 23 that is missing from the novel, chapter 23 was written down in the wall. And after he reads that chapter, he can remember every detail of his repressed pas. That room was the same place where he tried to isolate himself soon after he killed his girlfriend and wrote an obsession novel about number 23 that contains about his life that was haunted by number 23, and after the novel was done, he tried to commit suicide.

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Sparrow: “Chapter 23: you can call me fingerling, but my real name is

Walter, Walter Paul Sparrow. What you have read so far is not the whole truth. Much has been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty. I once read that the only philosophical question that matters is whether or not to commit suicide. I guess that makes me a philosopher. You could say it was my inheritance. After my mother's death my father couldn't cope. He didn't leave a note, just a number. That number followed me from foster home

to foster home, till college when I met her, Laura Tollins.”

(01:17:40)

After reading the chapter 23 that he finds in the wall, Sparrow remembers all the memories he has forgotten. He remembers that his father suicide soon after his mother death, and that was happened when he was a little boy. His father left nothing but some notes about 23. He was too young to have that accident and his psyche apparatus is not capable to solve the situation so that he tried to repress the problem, as an individual personality development from the post-birth to genital phase is influence how strong or weak psyche they will have to face problems in the future.33 So, the number 23 is associated to his father suicide soon after his mother death, and that tragic incident become his childhood trauma that he had tried to repress into his under-unconscious mind will be triggered when he finds some thing that related to that number in his present life. And as the writer has discussed before, Sparrow tries to figure everything out how they are connected to number 23 by calculating of the numbers that are contained in them as the anticipation of his phobia toward number 23, that Sparrow says: “He didn’t leave

a note, just a number. That number followed me from foster home to foster home,

till college.”It means his Phobia and OCD that he suffers after his father suicide.

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Therefore, his phobia in the present toward number 23 may influences his unconsciousness that related to his father death, while his PTSD is influenced by his girlfriend death.He had repressed those two experiences because he couldn’t achieve the truth/reality as the way it was and that makes he cannot face the conflicts that happen in his internal world and external world in the present because repression spends a lot of psyche energy so that it could weaken his personality.34 And the novel—which is the representation of his past since it was written by Sparrow before he committed suicide and he wrote about his real experience in it— has a big role in triggering something that has been repressed by Sparrow, so that is why his personality is disturbed soon after he reads it because his repressed past that has been buried in his unconscious tries to pass through his consciousness. As the result, Neurosis impulses appear in Sparrow.

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusion

The writer analyzes the main character of the film the number 23 to understand what the neurosis he suffered is and how they are described on the film. And after analyzing the film the writer gets the conclusion that Sparrow as the main character of the number 23 suffers neurosis is caused by his trauma in his past that had been repressed and placed in his under-consciousness is trying to penetrate his consciousness after he reads the novel which is a representation of his past. As the impacts of his neurosis, sparrow suffers specific phobia, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sparrow’sspecific phobia and OCD are related to number 23, while his PTSD is influenced by his girlfriend’s death who was murdered by Sparrow himself.

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that the writer can reveals his specific phobia. ForSparrow’s PTSD,moreover, the writer reveals it by paying attentions to characterizations through internal and external actions.

B. Suggestion

In analyzing film, the researcher should use the appropriate theory or approach in order to have the maximal comprehension of the film it self. In this thesis, the writer uses theory of Abnormal Psychology viewed from Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis concept to reveal the main character’s Neurosis in the

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alloy, Lauren B. and friends. Abnormal Psychology: Current Perspective. New York: The McGraw Hill Companies. 2004.

Anggadewi Moesono, Psikoanalisis dan Sastra. Depok: Pusat Penelitian Kemasyarakstan dan Budaya Penelitian Universitas Indonesia. 2003. Beulah C. Bosselman. Neurosis and Psychosis. Springfield. Illinois. U.S.A:

Charles C Thomas Publisher. 1950.

Boggs, Josseph M. and Petrie Dennis W. TheArt of Watching Films. 1999. Farkhan, Muhammad.Proposal Penelitian Bahasa & Sastra. Cella: Jakarta. 2007. Freud, Sigmund. An Outline of Psycho-Analysis. New York: W.W. Norton &

Company.Inc. 1969

Imam S. Arif. Dinamika Keperibadian: gangguan dan terapinya. Bandung: Reflika Aditama. 2006.

Kuswara, E.Teori-teori Kepribadian. Bandung: PT. Eresco. 1991. Lausen, John Howard. Film the creative process. 1964.

Nevid, Jeffry S. and friends. Psikologi Abnormal. Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga. 2005.

Rosenhaim, JR, Edward W.what Happens in Literature. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1960.

Storr, Anthony. Freud; peletakan dasar psikoanalisis. Pustaka Utama Grafiti: Jakarta. 1991.

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APPENDICES

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 Synopsis of the Number 23

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