THE ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN SERÉ PRINCE HALVERSON’S NOVEL THE UNDERSIDE OF JOY
A PAPER
BY:
DWI KHAIRANI
REG. NO. : 102202021
DIPLOMA III ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM
FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH SUMATERA
MEDAN
It has been proved by
Supervisor,
Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M. Hum NIP. 19630216 198903 1 003
Submitted to Faculty of Cultural Study, University of North Sumatera in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for Diploma (D-III) in English
Approved by
Head of Diploma III English Study Program,
Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A. NIP. 19521126198112 1 001
Approved by the Diploma III of English Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Study,
Accepted by:
The Board of Examiners in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Diploma III (D-III)
of English Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Study, University of North Sumatera.
The examination is held on July 2013
Faculty of Cultural Study, University of North Sumatera
Dean,
Dr. Syahron Lubis, M.A. NIP. 19511013197603 1 001
Board of Examiners Signature
1. Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A. (Head of ESP)
2. Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M. Hum. (Supervisor)
AUTHOR'S DECLARATION
I am, DWI KHAIRANI, declare that I am the sole author of this paper. Except where the
reference is made in the text of this paper, this paper contains no material published
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Name : DWI KHAIRANI
Title of Paper : The Analysis of the Main Characters In Seré Prince
Halverson’s Novel “The Underside of Joy”
Qualification : D-III/ Ahli Madya
Study Program : English
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ABSTRACT
ABSTRAK
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank and praise the Almighty God Allah SWT for
blessing and giving me opportunity, health, and ability to accomplish this paper. secondly,
blessing and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad SAW, who has brought us into the time
of humanities. In writing this paper, I face many troubles, and without the help from other
people, it is impossible for me to finish it. Therefore, I would like to deliver my thanks to :
• My lovely parents, Suwito and Maimunah Br. Lubis, for loving, caring, praying, and
supporting both of moral and material support during my academic years and during
completing my study at USU.
• Dr. Syahron Lubis, M. A. as the Dean of Faculty of Culture Studies.
• Dr. Matius C. A. Sembiring, M. A., the Head of Diploma III English Study Program,
who has shared his time to guide me in the process of my study.
• Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.Hum., (Papi) as my supervisor, who gives his time to
supervise and correct my paper. And also gives constractive criticism, so I can finish my
paper.
• Drs. Chairul Husni, M.Ed. TESOL., as my reader, who gives the corrections and gives
constructive criticisms in completing this paper.
• All lecturers who have given me knowledge and valuable taught in English Diploma Study
Program.
• My lovely friends : Rummy Hadina (Makdina), Tisa Miranda Sinuhaji (Tante), Siti
• Papi’s daughters : Mariaty Angelina Nababan (the mother of Lebayatun Bocors),
Carolina Lumban Gaol (Sweety Nande), Mariana, Juanita Lumban Gaol (Anita), Rizky ( Kidok). I will not forget our togetherness, our spirit, and our cooperation. I love you.
• My sisters : Sri Ira Ameliani (Ira cucu Giok), Norvika Pasaribu (Vika), Cristin Pauline
Dwinata (c’tin), Apriana Lubis (Apri), Sri Wahyuni Harahap. Thank you for everything, sisters.
• All my friends at D-III English 2010 in class A and B, thank you very much for all of you.
Finally, I realize that this paper is still far from being perfect. Therefore, I welcome
any constructive criticisms and suggestions towards to this paper.
Medan, July , 2013
The writer,
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2.2.1 Main Characters and Peripheral Characters………... . 6
ABSTRACT
ABSTRAK
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Literature has been classified into prose fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction prose.
From the classification, the writer decides to discuss the prose fiction, which is novel.
Alternbern and Lewis (1966: 14) say, “fiction is interpreted as prose narrative, it’s
imaginative, usually in logical and contain the truth of dramatization in the relationship of
human being”. Fiction is not created by dreaming at all, but using the comprehension of
narrative prose in the life. Fiction is concerned with the place of individual in the
environment in the story. And the environment is a background or setting which characters
speak, and act.
The main characters have the important role in a novel, which appear in every part
and also dominate the story. They always appear as the subject or the object to influence the
story. Their main depend on domination, many conversations, story about them and their
influence of the story entirely. And the main characters could be more than one in a novel,
they are an antagonist and protagonist.
Through the function of the characters’ performance, the main characters are divided
into Protagonist and Antagonist. Altenbernd & Lewis (1966 : 59) say, “protagonist is a
character which is admired, and one of the kind of its admire popularly called hero—a
character who use the morals, and has the values that is ideal for the reader”. Usually, a
protagonist is the kind person, gets much sympathy and emphaty from the reader, and its
performance is suitable with the reader’s hope. Meanwhile, the antagonist is the character
who causes the conflict. It moves against a potagonist directly and indirectly. An antagonist
acts contrast with protagonist, and usually it is the enemy of protagonist.
The writer is interested in analyze this novel which entitled The Underside of Joy,
elements of fiction, it has some events that contain conflicts, and it has many characters by
various characterizations. By this novel, the writer tries to analyze the main characters. That
novel tells about the step mother, Ella Benne, as the antagonist. And the birthmother, Paige,
as the protagonist who have contrast characterization with Ella. Usually, a step mother is a
killer mom but in this story the step mother is a kind mom. She loves her step-children like
birth-children. On the contrary, the birthmother is an unkind mom, she leaves her husband
and her children while they are too young. But, after her husband’s death, Paige comes to
Elbow to visit her children, and she wants her rights as the birthmother of her children. She
wants Annie and Zach live with her in California. Ella can not refuse Paige’s request because
she does not have the rights of the children, but Ella can not live without the children because
she loves them so much and they do too. Actually the children love their two moms and want
to live together, but Paige does not want to live together with Ella. Because of an accident,
finally Paige wants to live together with her children and Ella in Elbow.
1.2 The Problem of the Study The problems of this study are:
a. How is Ella Benne portrayed as the protagonist?
b. How is Paige portrayed as the antagonist?
1.3 The Scope of the Study
Base on the problem, then this study is focused on finding out the antagonist and
protagonist characters in the novel of The Underside of Joy.
1.4 The Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study are:
b. To clarify how Paige is character.
1.5 The Method of the Study
The writer uses descriptive qualitative method in doing this paper. Since there are
many books must be read to complete this paper, the writer uses library research. Firstly, the
writer reads the novel, and then selects each chapters. Secondly, the writer chooses the text in
each chapters to make it as the quotations. After that, the writer interpretes the data by using
some books about literature from the library, and browsing from internet. And the last, the
writer analyzes the data and makes conclusion.
Here is the chart of the method:
The reader The source of data
(The Underside of Joy)
The data is read and selected to get the quotation
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Novel
KBBI (1996 : 694) defines, “Novel is a narrative prose which is long, has spectrum of
someone’s life story with the people around him by showing the characterization of the
character”. It means that the story in a novel could be affected by the character because the
character run the story. Novel can show something freely, present it more, more detail, and
involve more problems which is more complex, those are the elements to build a novel. In
common, novel consists of some chapters in which chapter has different story but related
each other. The relation in each chapter, sometimes, has caused and consequence relation,
and it could be the continuation from another chapter. So, the whole story of the novel
consists of the entire chapters.
2.2 Character
Abrams (1981 : 20) says, “character is the person who is performed in a narrative
prose or drama, and it is interpreted by the reader which has quality of moral and the certain
tendency such as expression in conversation and what he has done in action”. It means that a
character with the personal quality is related to the reader to gets the message and the reader
interprets the character by seeing his action and conversation. A character has strategic
position to delivers the message, moral, or something that would be given to the reader.
2.2.1 Main Characters and Peripheral Character
Main characters are the characters that often appear in almost event, the main
characters are the important part in the novel because they have role to run the story. So they
Peripheral character is the character that appears once or sometimes in a novel, and
may be relatively in short portion. That is called peripheral character because of often
provides, supports, and illuminates the protagonist.
2.2.2 Protagonist and Antagonist
By seeing the characterization which is had by the character in a novel, it could be divided into protagonist and antagonist. Siswanto (2008 : 144) says, “Protagonist is a
character which its characterization is loved by the reader”. Usually, it is kind and has
positive characterization, such as honest, generous, humble, smart, and independent.
Siswanto (2008 : 144) says, “Antagonist is a character which is despised by the reader”. It
shows as a character which has bad and negative characterization, such as liar, arrogant,
ambitious, and envious.
The writer also reviews from her senior’s papers (2012) that discusses about the main
characters. But in this paper, the writer analyzes the main characters little bit different, she
prefers and concerns to discuss about the protagonist and antagonist.
2.2.3 The ways to describe the character in fiction
Dialogue is showing the verbal behavior, which is conversation. The dialogue is used by characters to describe the characterization of the characters. The dialogue formation can
be long or short, but not all the dialogues can describe the characterization. But, the well
description of character is having effective and functional dialogue, which shows the
development of the plot and it also describes the characterization.
Action refers to nonverbal behavior, it is physical. What people do in create the action and behavior, could show as reaction, response, character, and attitude that are as the
Thoughts and feeling are the situation of the mindset and feeling of the characters. What the characters think, what they feel, and the most problem could be described as the
characterization. Thoughts and feeling could be found in behavior verbal and nonverbal
because action and dialogue are the concrete form of thought and feeling.
Statement of the character is showed by the character as the reaction to an event, problem, situation, dialogue, and behavior of other characters in the novel. It is the reflection
of the characterization.
Statement by other characters are giving their reaction to what the main characters have done, through their attitude, opinion, and comments. And the reaction of the main
character also the way to inform the characterization in the novel to the reader.
The description of the environment can identify and explain how the characterization in the novel, because it can support the way to describe the character.
Physical description is important thing to describe the characterization. It makes the reader can imagine how the character perform in the novel. Whether it has long hair, sharp
nose, slim, thin and narrow eyes. The function of physical description is showing the
characterization through the appearance.
2.3 Plot
Plot is an important part in a novel, because it consists of some events and the
sequence of the events. It creats the story in the novel. Plot as a media for understanding the
life of the character in a novel or to show the characterization which needs to plotting in his
life. Plot is what character does and what incident that determine the character. The parts of
Plot are the incidents, conflicts, and the climax. And plot needs characters to makes all of that
Stanton (1965: 14) says that plot is a story that consist of the sequence of events, but
each events just related by casual sequence, and an event causes the other events happen. It
means that the plot is the arrangement of the events in a story into a casual sequence.
Kenny (1966: 14) says that plot as the events which are showed in not simple story,
because the author arranges the events base on the relation of casual sequence. So, plot is
related to some events in the story which are caused by the action, attitude, and behavior that
cause effects. And the relation of each events should be casual sequence, which is not only
arranged by chronologically but it is also developed sequently. That makes the story not
simple.
Abrams (1981: 137) says, “plot in a fiction is the sequence events, it is showed in the
arrangement and the presentation the events to reach the emotional effect and specific artistic
effect”. The events in the plot can cause the emotional effect to the reader, and the specific
artistic effect can make the story is interesting to read by the reader.
The events in the story are applicated by the action, behavior, and the attitude of the
characters. In the general, the events are showed in the story from the acting and behavior of
the characters, even verbal behavior or dialogue and nonverbal or physical. Plot is the
reflection of characters’ behavior in acting, thinking, and forcing the problem in the story.
But, not all the behaviors are called as plot, and not all the events that happen in life are plot.
The events, actions, and behavior are the part of plot. Whether they are specific, containing
conflict, related each other, or interesting to tell. Because plot is dramatic .
The arrangement of the plot can begin from anywhere, such from conflict that
develops not only begin from the introducing of the characters but also in the middle of the
A story can have singular or more than one plots. If it is singular, so the conflict that
is built and the climax that is gotten also singular. But if the story contains more than one
plot, actually consist of the main plot and sub-plots. The main plot has the main conflict
which become the main problem that is told in the entire of the story. Meanwhile, the
sub-plots are additional conflicts which back up, and affirm the main conflict to get the climax.
The conflicts in the sub-plots are not as important as the main plot. The sub-plots could be
run and finished by themselves, but must be related to each other and still related to the main
plot.
Abram (1981: 137) says, “ what is character but the determination of incident? What
is incident but illustration of character?” It means that the characterization of the character is
formed by the events that happen and meanwhile, the events are description of the character.
So, plot can creat the characterization.
2.4 Theme
Theme is the basic of the story, the main idea, and the meaning of the story. It shows
that theme is the unity to combine the entire of the fiction elements. Because the first step to
write down the story is having main idea. If the main idea is clear, so that the story is clear
too. And the theme is also clear.
Theme is the generalization about human life that can be drawn from the outcome of
the conflict and from the support provided by tone, attitude, atmosphere, and setting. In
attempting to come to grips with the meaning of a story, the reader should not be misled into
accepting the statement of any of the characters as a necessarily accurate or complete
Theme is implied rather than explicitly stated. But in many fictions, theme is explicit
so that the reader should find the theme by themselves. And to find the theme could be by
what the character acting, thinking, and feeling.
2. 5 Setting
In literature, the setting is the important element to run the story. It shows from it’s
function to clear the story, because setting is containing three important part, they are place,
time, and society. Burhan Nurgiantoro (1981: 216) says ” setting is called as foothold on
understanding the place, time relations, and social environment where the occurrence of the
events describted. In a fiction work, sitting is divided into three kinds: place, time, and
society. Place is related to the geography, where the events happen such as in town, country,
and etc. Time is related to date, hour, day or night, and the history. The last, society is related
to people’s life.
Although the setting is intended to identify the depicted situation in the story,
essentially the existence of setting element is not just a state where, when, and how the
situation of the events take the places, but it is also related to the image of tradition, character,
social behavior, and public opinion at the time when story is written. From the study of the
setting would be known the extent of conformity and correlation between behavior and
temperament with the community leaders, social situation, and opinion of society. Besides,
the condition of the area, geography, social structure, also determines the characteristic or
character of certain figures. Therefore, the function of setting in a literary work can not be
separated from other problems such as, themes, characters, language, the use of medium
literary, and problems that arise, all of that are unseparated part.
The successful setting must be integrated with the theme, character, style, implication
must be able to form the certain theme and plot in the dimentions that associatedwith the
place, time, area, and certain people with specific characteristics as a sequences of the
environmental situation or era, way of life, and ways of thinking.
To determine the accuracy of hte setting in a work can be seen from several indicators
such as general locale, history time, social circumtances. Based on the indicators, that wiil be
seen the suitablility of literary work, it does not mean that the problem is seen only beyond
the scene of the incident, while the occurence of events, and social situation, but also from its
context relation to people’s behavior and the characteristic of the characters according to the
situation when the work is created. Hence from the study that is conducted must know the
extent of fairness, logic of events, developments the character in accordance with the
prevailing opinion of society nowadays.
2.6 Point of View
Point of view is the “narrative point of view,” how the story is told more
specifically, who tells it. There are two distinctly different types of point of view and each of
those two types has two variations.
In the first person point of view, the story is told by a character within the story, a
character using the first person pronoun, I. In the narrator is the main character, the point of
view is the first person protagonist. If the narrator is a secondary character, the point of view
is first person observer. In the third point of view, the story is not told by a character but by
an “invisible author,” using the third person pronoun (he, she, or it) to tell the story. If the
third person narrator gives us the thoughts of characters (He wondered where he’d lost his
baseball glove), then he is a third person omniscient (all knowing) narrator. In the third
person narrator only gives us information which could be recorded, then he is a third person
Different points of view can emphasize different things. A first person protagonist
narrator would give us access to the thoughts of the main character. If the author does not
want us to have that access, he could use the first person observer, for example, or the third
3. THE ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS
3.1 Ella Benne
Ella Benne is the protagonist in The Underside of Joy. She is thirty five years old
woman who has freckles in the body, she has blond hair, and she is tall. base on her age, it
shows that she is a mature woman. She can manage herself, her family and also her problems.
She always thinks before doing something because she is responsible with what she does.
Sometimes she is spoilt woman, she often spends time with her husband by having coffee and
talking about everything until dark. They enjoy the night together while the children are
sleeping. She always uses her quality time with her husband by talking about some topics,
they are from Annie and Zach, the picnic planning, until the crazy town gossip. And she is
also an active woman, she always does housework, plants vegetables in her garden, and feeds
the dog and the chickens. She never stops working at home. And because she is a busy
mother, so she seldom has make-up on her face. She always has simple appearance.
She is a simple woman who doesn’t concern too much to her clothes, her hair, and
her make-up. She tends to shows her inside beauty than outside beauty, because inside beauty
is the real beauty. Inside beauty refers to a good heart, which her action suitable with her
heart. So, it creat a good personality. Although her face is not beauty but if her heart is good,
her appearance will be good in people’s view. Many people will love her and much
goodnesses will come to her life. That is the important thing for Ella, and those are the reason
why Joe marries her.
Meanwhile, outside beauty sometimes is needed but not always looks beauty.
Because many things hide in it. Someone can hide her badness, meagreness and weakness by
outside beauty such as using make up, wearing good dress, and having branded things. She
people who concern to the outside beauty is a liar, unconfidence with herself, and also
dishonest to herself and other people. She always wants to have good appearance in people’s
view, although she is not. That causes her is not confidence with herself and makes her to be
attention seeker. She doesn’t have inside beauty and everything she has and does are fake.
Ella prefers having inside beauty to outside beauty, and it makes her has natural
appearance. She speaks and acts properly, nothing is hidden. By having natural appearance,
she has blessing felling that makes her life is happier and has good characteristic. She is
always grateful to God for everything she has now, such as her health, her children, and her
family who love her. And she never complain for her limitation and her weaknesses. Beside
that, having natural appearance also shows that she has strong self-sufficiency, and it could
be seen from her willing to feeds the children by herself, takes care of the children and tries
to be a good mother for them.
Although she has inside beauty, but it doesn’t mean her life is happy forever. She can
not birth a baby for her family, whereas it is the important thing for a woman to continue her
lineage. She does not want her husband dissapointed too long because of that, so she decides
to divorce her husband.
She looks like an absent-minded woman while she comes to Elbow, North California,
for the first time. It is the cause of she is frustated after getting divorce with Hendry. She does
not know where to go and clear destination to run her new life as a widow who can not birth a
baby. She goes lonely to the place that she does not know at all. In Elbow, she does not know
what to do and to whom she could ask something, because she is in the strange place.
In that town, she meets and marries a widower who has two children. She is very
happy because she has two children although she can not birth a baby. It makes her
She is a domestic woman which one is home lover. She loves doing housework,
staying at home, and servicing her family. There is a sense of pleasure for herself while she
can do all her duties as a mother at home. She tries to be a good mother for her step—
children by preparing their breakfast, cleaning the house, taking care of them, and teaching
them some lessons. She teaches them new vocabularies, pronunciation, and also counting at
home before they enter school. She loves everything that she does at home.
“… on a Saturday morning, making strong coffee, preparing a
breakfast appetizer of cookies and milk for our children.” ( The
Underside of Joy : 6)
Usually a home lover is a traditional woman type. She is responsible for her family
and her house. She doesn’t need to work out to earn some money for herself and her family,
she just stays at home and takes care of the children. Because, for the traditional woman type,
family is number one and she must be responsible for her family. She gives her best to her
family, for example giving her love, cooking the delicious food, and preparing family’s
needed.
She is also a children lover. Because most of her time, she spends to take care of
Annie and Zach. She plays with them, she teaches new vocabularies, she supervises them
while they feed the dog and the chicken, she watches favourite film on tv with them, and she
sleeps together with them. Many things she does with her step-children, and it makes her
loves them like a birth children. And she does not want to lose them, although their birth
mother comes and picks them up.
Indirectly, Ella has changed the image of step mother, which is known as the killer
mother, the rude one, and also frightening. But it does not happen to Annie and Zach, they
Zach. So that’s why while Joe has died, she still takes care of the children. It’s because of her
past that she is a woman who can not birth a baby. So, while she gets step-children, she leves
them so much, because she knows how sad she is while she can not have a child. After
having Annie and Zach, she has to take care of them well, because they are the biggest God’s
endowment for her life. She loves them so much and she does not want to leave them. She
promises to feed and to keep them by herself.
She becomes a kind person because she has genuine love to the children. A kind
person has much love in her life not only for herself but also for the other. And even loves in
God is more, it will make her life be happy and much goodness will come to her life. And it
happens to Ella’s life, many people love her and always pray for her. Because she has taken
care of the children while they lose their mother and their father.
”thanks God my grandchildren have you for their mother.
I thank God every day for you, Ella Benne.” ( The Underside of
Joy : 32 )
Ella is an integrity woman who knows what is right and wrong to do. An integrity
does by using her heart and her knowledge to decide something, because she acts according
to a sense of what is right and wrong. While she finds a letter to Annie and Zach from Paige,
she doesn’t read it because the letter address to the children not to her, so she does not want
to open and read it. Although her mother-in-law ask her to read it, but she does not. She is
consistant from the beginning doesn’t want to open it, and let the children read by
themselves when they can read and understand the meaning what they read. But before they
read it, Ella has given it to Paige to explain her what actually happen to the letter, and why
“I have something for you. Some of the card and letter you send Annie nad Zach. The ones they never opened.” Paige looked up. “you mean, were never allowed to open?” ( The Underside of Joy : 354)
Ella is also a fair person. She judges the problem not only from her point of view but
she looks from the avidences about that problem. A fair person usually has comfortable and
happy life, because she uses her comman sense to solve the problem. She should not fight to
the others to get the same thing that they want, and she doesn’t mind if she gets punishment
for her fouls. It shows that she is not an acquisitive person, she knows what is her rights and
what is not. After knowing the true story from Paige’s aunt, aunt Bernnie, she realises that
Paige is their birth mother but she is their mother who takes care and love them everyday.
For the first time she hears that, she does not agree but after thinking it again and again,
finally she agrees with aunt Bernnie that Paige deserves to live with with Annie and Zach,
because she is their birth mother. And it’s better for Paige and the children, so she decides to
go to Paige’ house and tells her about it.
“Paige is their mother; she deserves to be their mother. But I see
myself in you, and I understand your pain—and your love.” ( The
Underside of Joy : 350)
3.2 Paige
She is a schizophrenia who gets physicist distraction. She always frightened and feels
unsafe in her own house. She has hallucination for her mother who has died and always
follows her. It shows that she is a person who is feud, she can not forgive and forget
someone’s faults easily, and also a quiet and closer person who doesn’t want share her story
to somebody else to help her free from her frightened. And because she doesn’t want share
socialization with other person is important. So, that’s why she does not have friends and
always alone.
Usually someone becomes schizophrenia because she can not forget her bad
experiences in her past and also can not forgive it. It would be adverse herself because many
physicist ilnesses can force her. It begins from stess to much and finally can disturb her
thought and the bad things will happen to her life, she could be crazy. Although it sounds
terrible, but it could be recovered
Paige becomes schizophrenia because she has traumatic in her past, and she can not
forget that. she keeps the story in herself, she does not want to share it to the others. It always
makes her worried and frightened. And the trauma can not be deleted easily, need much time
to lose it. So Paige tries to lose her trauma by leaving her children, because she gets that
trauma while she is a child. She can not look at her children, since it makes her remembers
her bad experience in the past. She always feels frightened and afraid of her children, she
thinks that her children will get the same thing with her past. It makes her unable to be a
mother for her children.
“Paige kept telling me what a terrible mother she was. That should have never had a baby. She cried all the time. She looked at Annie like she was nothing more than an odd-shaped lamp.” ( The Underside of Joy : 249)
Because of that, she becomes a selfish woman. She does not care about her children,
husband and her responsibility as a wife and mother anymore. She tries to go out from the
trouble without any discussion with her husband. She just thinks herself, thinks the best
things for her life, ignore people’s judgement about her, and does not have shame and feel
guilty. And it makes her be egoistic and also a bad mother for her children, because she never
“Please stop calling. I know you are trying. This isn’t what I wanted, either. What if something had happened to Annie or Zach? Think about that, Joe. I think I can live with leaving, but not if I’d hurt them.”( The Underside of Joy : 258)
By leaving her children, she becomes a selfish mother. The selfish person is a person
who does not have love to the others any more. The important thing for her is herself, she
only thinking for her best, her needed, and her own happiness. She also becomes a bad
mother, she doesn’t care about her children, her husband, and her responsible as a wife and
as a mother.
“She abandoned my grandbabies, Ella. Zach was only two months old. He was still taking the breast! Do you how much he screamed and cried those first weeks, while we tried to get him used to the bottle? She has no rights as their mother. You are their mother.” ( The Underside of Joy : 239)
And the way she does to lose her frightened makes her becomes hedonism. She only
thinks her own happiness and only care to herself. She wants to show her wealth to the other
people, that it makes her be arrogant. She needs an admission that is the great woman. She
does all of that to overcome her illnesses, to make people think that her life if wonderful. She
tries to hide her weaknesses by manipulating her appearance to other people. She shows her
big house, her large swimming pool in the house, her good outside appearances. She only
thinks the best things for her life, she ignores other people’s judgement about her, and she
does not have guilty.
It also makes her be anti-social, who does not have relationship in the social life. She
is closed with her environment, and does not want to have communication. It could be seen
from Paige’s life who does not have friends in her life, and many people hate her. She lives
alone, no friends, no family, and no socialization. She prefers alone to have family and
friends. Because she has a big secret in her life and she does not want to share it and anyone
4. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
4.1Conclusions
After analyzing the main characters of The Underside of Joy, the conclusions could be
drawn as follows:
a. The description of the character in the novel is clear enough because from the statements or
sentences in the novel can show the character.
b. The division of each characters are equal because in one chapter explain one character.
4.2Suggestions
The suggestions for analyzing the main characters are put forward as follows:
a. In analysis the characters in a novel, it is important to know and understand about the
character.
b. In analysis the characters, it needs more the analysis than the description.
c. The writer hopes that this paper will make the reader can understand more about character,
especially the main characters in The Underside of Joy. And the reader is interested in
REFERENCES
Abrams, M.H. 1981.A GlosarryOf Literature Terms. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Altenbernd, Lynn dan Leslie L. Lewis. 1966. A Handbook for the Study of Fiction. London: The Macmillan Company.
Foster, E.M. 1970. Linguistics and the Novel. London: Metheun and Co Ltd.
Jones, Edward H. 1968. Outline of Literature: Short Stories, Novels, and Poem. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Nurgiantoro, Burhan. 1995. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gajah Mada University Press.
Halverson, Sere Prince. 2012. The Underside of Joy. New York: Plume, Penguin Group Inc.
Roberts, V. Edgar and Henry E. Jacobs. 1995. An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Sembiring, Matius C.A. 2012. Buku Pedoman Program D-3 Studi Bahasa Inggris. Medan: Unpublished.
Siswanto, Wahyudi. 2008. Pengantar Teori Sastra. Jakarta: Grasindo.
APPENDICES
BIOGRAPHY OF SERÉ PRINCE HALVERSON
Seré Prince Halverson worked for twenty years as a freelancecopywriter and creative
director while she raised kids and wrote fiction. She is a mom and a stepmom. Her husband
and she have four grownup children and live in Northern California. The Underside of Joy is
her debut novel. It is published by Dutton (Penguin) on January 12, 2012, and is being
translated into a dozen languages.
She become a writer because she loves to write, and she is blessed with an utter lack
of any other talent. Such as can not sing, dance, or hit a softball far enough to make it to first
base. Sad but true. She read and write stories from an early age. Books open her up and make
SUMMARY
Ella Benne lives happily in Elbow, North California, with her husband Joe
Capozziand her two stepchildren Annie and Zach Capozzi. Her life is happy by having cute
children, store, and vegetables garden for daily life. But the happiness lose from Ella’s life
and one by one the problems appear after Joe’s death.
Ella tries to roam to live her new life as a widow of Hendry’s, but she does not
know where to go, until she stops in a small town in the North California, it’s Elbow. In that
town Joe and Ella meet, and they marry. In that moment, Annie is three years old and Zach is
six months. And Paige, Joe’s wife, has leaves him and the children for four months because
she gets Schizophrenia that makes her depression. Joe and Ella have married for three years
and Ella feel happy with her new family, although she can not birth a baby.
In the beginning of Summer, Joe, goes to the ‘first rock’ to climb the ridge but he slip
and he fall down to the sea and does not appear. Suddenly, Frank, Joe’s bestfriend, comes to
Joe’s house and inform the bad news to Ella. Ella is panic and she hope her husband will be
fine because he is a good swimmer. Ella and Frank come to the beach where the accident
happen. They are waiting for the good news about Joe but until night they do not get the
information about Joe. Finally, they decide to go home and come back for the next morning.
In the next morning, a tourist from Swiss found Joe’s body is floating. It makes Ella is so sad,
panic, and unbelievable about it while she know her husband has died. Ella does not know
what she should say to her children about their father. She tries to hide the bad news from the
children, but finally the children know that their father has gone to the heaven. Annie is so
sads and cry hystericaly.
The news about Joe’s death has heard by Paige, Joe’s ex-wife. She come to Joe’s
house and give sympathy for that one.Her coming makes Ella surprising and feeling so
as mommy. By that event, Paige frequently comes to meet with the children and sometimes
take the children to her house in Las Vegas in a few days. It makes Ella unhappy although
she know that Paige is their birthmother.
A week after Joe’s death, Ella came to the store to look around and check the store. In
Joe’s workshop, she find Paige’s new address, some letters from Paige, and some insurance
bills of the store that has not been paid by Joe. Joe never tell to Ella about the problem of the
store, he always keeps the problem. Finally, Ella calls Frank to explain what actually happen
to the store.
Ella feel more stress after receiving a letter from Paige, it state that Paige as the
birthmother of Annie and Zach and she want the children live with her. Paige want the case is
decided in the court, and Ella can not refuse that. After doing some defences, finally the court
decides that the children will live with Paige and Ella may come to meet with the children
base on the schedule that made by Paige.
Finally, Ella comes to Las Vegas to meet Zach and Annie. But Paige refuse her
because it’s not the time, so she must wait for the time. In Las Vegas, she lives in an
apartment. While she is waiting the agreement from Paige to come to her house, she goes to
Paige’s aunt’s home. There, she ask many questions about Paige. How is young Paige, why
she leaves Joe, and why she never calls the children. Paige’s aunt tells all about Paige to Ella,
and finally Ella know what actually happen to Paige, and why she leave Joe and the children.
Ella is happy when Paige brought the children to her apartment, she miss the children
so much. But Paige just gives one day to Ella to be with the children. After Ella’s time is over
with the children, she takes the children to Paige’s house. And if she wants to meet the
children again, she must wait the time. Ella comes not in the time, she wants to inform Paige
that the children actually want to live together with their mama and mommy. But Paige refuse
two children. That decision makes Annie and Zach are very happy can live together with their