i
THE INFLUENCES OF MITCH’S BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MORRIE’S DEPENDENT BEHAVIOR AS SEEN IN MITCH ALBOM’S
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
A THESIS
Presented as a Partial fulfillment of the Requirement To Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
In English Language Education
By Name: Widi Astuti Student Number: 011214158
ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
PAGE OF DEDICATION
God leads us by strange ways;
We know He wills our happiness,
But we neither know what our happiness is, nor the
way
We are blind; left to ourselves,
We should take the wrong way; we must leave it to
Him
Author Unknown
Dedicated with love and
gratitude to:
My beloved parents, my
lovely brother and
unbelievable friends whom I
love.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... i
PAGE OF APPROVAL ... ii
BOARDS OF EXAMINERS ... iii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv
PAGE OF DEDICATION ... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... vi
ABSTRACT ... viii
ABSTRAK ... ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... …………. x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1
1.1. Background of the Study ... 1
1.2. Objective of the Study ... 5
1.3. Problem Formulation ... 5
1.4. Definition of Terms ... 5
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 6
2.1. Review of Related Theories... 6
2.1.1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 6
2.2 Critical Approaches ... 10
2.2.1. The Meaning of Behavior and Motivation ... 11
2.2.2. The Meaning of Relationship ... 15
2.2.3. Theory of Friendship According to Beebe ... 17
2.3. The Relationship between Psychology and Literature……… 19
2.4. Theoretical Framework ... 20
2.5. Criticism... 21
2.6. Context of the Novel ... 24
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ... 26
3.1. Object of the Study……… .. 26
3.2. Approaches ... 28
3.3. Procedures... 29
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS... 30
4.1. Morrie’s Characteristics in Tuesdays with Morrie ... 30
4.1.1. Open Minded ... 30
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS... 50
5.1. Conclusions ... 50
5.2. Suggestions for Teaching Implementation ... 50
5.3. Suggestions for Implementation of Tuesdays with Morrie …... 51
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 53
ABSTRACT
Astuti, Widi. (2007). The Influences of Mitch’s Behavior towards Morrie’s Dependent Behavior as Seen in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. Yogyakarta: English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teaching Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University
This study discussed an influence of the relationship between Mitch and Morrie, towards Morrie the main characters in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. The novel was based on the true story experience of Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz, (Mitch’s mentor when he studied in Brandeis University). It told us about Mitch’s friendship with Morrie Schwartz, from the very first time they met in Sociology class until the day that Morrie was claimed to be dying because of an unforgiving illness, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The aim of this study was to discuss Morrie’s significant attitudes towards his relationship with Mitch Albom. There were two problems discussed in this study, namely Morrie’s characters and Morrie’s dependent behavior.
There were two sources used in this study namely, the primary data, which was the novel itself, and other sources taken from books, journals and the Internet. Theories which were used in this study were theory of characters, the meaning of behavior and motivation as well as the meaning relationship and theory friendship according to Beebe. Since this study also analyzed the influence of Mitch’s behavior toward Morrie’s dependencies, the approach used in this study was psychological approach.
The conclusion showed that Morrie’s characters were open minded, lonely, patient, attentive, tough, compassionate and helpful. Morrie’s characters in Tuesdays with Morrie seemed to be the background of Morrie’s lonely life. The loneliness that Morrie had been going through had made him to be vulnerable that led him to be dependent.
It was recommended that future researches examined the psychological needs of Morrie to understand his attitudes towards Mitch Albom. As for English teachers it was suggested that they use the novel to teach Extensive Reading I and Speaking IV.
ABSTRAK
Astuti, Widi. (2007). The Influences of Mitch’s Behavior towards Morrie’s Dependent Behavior as Seen in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. Yogyakarta: English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teaching Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University
Studi ini membahas tentang pengaruh hubungan antara Mitch dan Morrie, terhadap Morrie tokoh utama dalam novel Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. Novel ini berdasarkan pada kisah nyata antara Mitch Albom dan Morrie Schwartz (mentornya ketika masih belajar di universitas Brandeis). Novel Mitch Albom ini menceritakan tentang persahabatan Mitch dengan Morrie Schwartz, sejak pertama kali bertemu di kelas sosiologi sampai pada saatnya Morrie dinyatakan terkena penyakit tulang mematikan (ALS).
Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk mengamati tingkah laku-tingkah laku Morrie yang berarti terhadap hubunganya dengan Mitch Albom. Ada dua masalah yang di bahas dalam novel ini yaitu karakter Morrie dan sikap Morrie yang tergantung.
Ada dua sumber yang di gunakan dalam studi ini, data yang utama adalah novel itu sendiri dan sumber yang lain adalah buku-buku, jurnal dan internet.
Teori yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah teori penokohan, arti tingkah laku dan motivasi dan arti hubungan dan teori persahabatan menurut Beebe. Karena studi ini juga menganalisa tentang pengaruh sikap Mitch terhadap sikap Morrie yang tergantung, maka pendekatan yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan psikologi.
Kesimpulan menyatakan bahwa karakter Morrie adalah terbuka, kesepian, sabar, perhatian, tabah, penuh belas kasih dan penolong. karakter Morrie dalam Tuesdays with Morrie menjadi latar belakang kehidupan Morrie yang sepi. Kesepian yang Morrie alami membuatnya menjadi rapuh sehingga membuatnya menjadi seorang yang tergantung.
Di sarankan untuk para peneliti selanjutnya memeriksa sisi psikilogi Morrie, untuk lebih memahami sikap Morrie terhadap Mitch Albom. Untuk Para guru bahasa Iggris di sarankan agar mereka menggunakan novel ini untuk mengajar Extensive Reading I dan Speaking IV.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My biggest thanks go to the Almighty Jesus Christ whose greatest love and care strengthen my way in doing this thesis. I Thank God for always being there for me through nights and day, good and bad times.
I also thank God for sending me the great persons to help me, pray for me, support me, and encourage me to finish this thesis.
I would thank God for sending me the kindest advisor Mr. Herujiyanto, a wise advisor who always helps with his suggestions, attention, motivation and correction.
I would like to thank God for sending me kind and everlasting friends like Mbak Nopee, my soul mate whom I can always count on for everything, Della, Lia, Marina, Flor, Rini, and all the member of class F. I would also like to thank to my family in CEC, especially Cie Lan, Cie Wen who have inspired me and opened my eyes to everything in life. Uni, who was my Roommate and also my partner in crime thanks for being a good listener. To all the things around me thanks for being the witness of everything I said and did. For the girl in the next door Cie Ends thanks for the patience to be my neighbor, and not to forget to all friends in CEC whom I share my days during the two years working Ka’ Eno Cefuk, Lia, Ima, Tessy, Shanti, Shinta, Cecil, Dame, Nia, Upik, Ko’ Adi, my dearest pal, Yadi, Pak Eko, for accompanying me watching the big matches. Mbak Eva, the Putra Bangsa kindergarten teachers, and Putra Persada teachers like Mbak Ida, Buk Eri and all the persons that I cannot mention one by one
thanks for all. I also thank the creatures that I never realized of their existence in accompanying me. May all beings be happy.
I would like to thank God once again for sending me people who keep reminding me to do this thesis like, Bu’ Utt and family for the support, Sr. Margaret who lets me waste her time by checking my thesis patiently, my lovely English students and my Sunday school students and all the people who have ever been a part of my life.
My special “Thank God” is for giving me such a great family, my Dad who taught me to be a strong girl, the best Mother who gives me unconditional love and automatically hugs me when I’m cold and hands to wipe every tear I. to my Brother from whom I learn many things and someone who gives me a reason to work harder than I thought I could do. Thank to the tear, blood and sweat I shed during the process of making this thesis.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter mainly discusses four main things about Mitch Albom’s novel, Tuesdays with Morrie. They are the Background of the Study, the Objective of the study, the Problem Formulation and the Definition of Terms.
The Background of the Study deals with the reason why Mitch Albom’s novel Tuesdays with Morrie is selected as the facilitating data of this study. The Objective of the Study is limited by only dealing with the problems, which are found in the Problem Formulations. At the end of this chapter the Definition of Terms is presented. It is concerning with special words and their explanation used in this study to avoid the readers’ misunderstanding towards the certain words.
1.1Background of the Study
Human are created with different personalities. They are blessed with strength and weakness. Each of them is special because, he or she has her or his own way of thinking, dressing, talking and other characteristics. Something that will lead us to know what sort of person they are, is by the way they communicate with other people.
only ways, the best way to know someone’s personality is through communication. The way people talk and what people say will lead us to know what sort person he or she is.
Buscaglia says that communication is the art of talking with each other, saying what we feel and mean, saying it clearly; listening to what the other says and asks making sure that we are hearing accurately (84). Communication is something easy to say but sometimes it is hard to do, for instance, there are some cases where a daughter cannot talk to her mother, father cannot talk to his son and wife cannot talk to her husband. Those situations happen because not everyone can be a good listener and not everyone can be a good person to talk to. There has to be closeness between them.
The story of Tuesdays with Morrie tells us about the friendship between a lecturer and his student. A friendship between Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesdays with Morrie and his lecturer, Morrie Schwartz from the time that they met in the sociology class to the time that Morrie was dying because of an unforgiving illness he suffered. He teaches people that life is such a precious thing to waste. We never know “how and when our life will end.”
claimed that he was dying of an unforgiving illness called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He did not much mourn on that bad news because he thought that it would not change anything. Although he is dying, he does not lose his spirit to go on with life.
He exercises his wisdom to the entire things that happens in his life and his past life strengthens his step. He does not want to look back on his past life which would remind him of losing people he loved. Until the day he finds Mitch, one of his students in Brandeis University. With Mitch, he can be so open to share his ideas about many things in life. There is something in Mitch that reminds him of his past life. He said that Mitch was like him when he was young. Someone who will talk to no one when there is a problem.
When Morrie says “I hope that one day you will think of me as your friend” Morrie is suggesting that he like to make friends. He wants to get along with people or friends. He sometimes spends his time joining young people on the dance floor without worrying about his age and status.
Morrie was nine years old when he lost his mother so that he had to take care of his sick brother and father. He always wished that his father would talk to them or kiss them good night to ease their loneliness. Morrie always wanted that his father could be someone he and his brother could count on after their mother died. In fact he had to stand on his own feet and carry the burden himself to take care of himself and his brother.
In Morrie’s childhood Morrie did not feel the way other children felt when they were kids. Morrie had many words to say to his father but it seemed to be hard to say them. For all Morrie’s life Morrie had never been talked so openly to anyone like when he talks to Mitch. He starts to like Mitch because he thinks that Mitch is the one that he can share all his thoughts with.
On Mitch’s graduation day Morrie sheds a tear, he thought that it would be his very last time to see Mitch and there would not be a time for them to share their views and there would be nobody to ease his loneliness anymore. On that day Mitch promised Morrie to keep in touch, but Mitch did not make it until he found out that Morrie was dying. He had to take the medication to lengthen his life and to ease his pain.
1.2Objective of the Study
The aim of this study is to look into one’s significant attitudes on the friendship with one of his or her former students as seen in Morrie, the main character of Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.
1.3Problem Formulation
Considering the background above I would like to formulate the problems, which appear in the novel, as follows;
1. How is Morrie, the main character of the novel described? 2. What can Influence Morrie to be dependent on Mitch?
1.4Definition of Terms
Before I discuss the novel I would like to clarify the importance of the terms related to the title. This is to avoid the readers from misunderstanding and having confusion in following the discussion.
Influence: as Hornby says, influence is defined the power to affect somebody‘s action. Character s or beliefs, especially by providing example for them to follow, winning their admiration or making them afraid to disagree (437). In this study, influence means something that brings effect on someone’s life. It refers to Morrie’s past life.
6 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
In this chapter I would like to discuss five main topics namely the Theoretical Review, Critical Approaches, Theoretical Framework, Criticism and Context of the Novel. They are used to analyze and comprehend Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie better.
2.1. Review of Related Theories
2.1.1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Holman and Harmon define that character is the idea of moral or constitution of human personality, the presence the moral value of the creature in art in the form human being. The character is also short description of a person who has some definite quality (18).
After reading some books about theories I find out that according to M.H Abrams in his book entitled A Glossary of Literary Terms (20) characters are, “The person represented in dramatic or native work, who are interrupted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say and what they do the action.”
E.M. Foster in Aspect of Novel distinguishes the character in two they are: round character and flat character (46-51).
Round character is the primary doer who can make the reader and the spectator take interest and surprise because of her or his action. It means the
character that is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularity. The round character is unpredictable because he or she is changed in the story.
Flat character sometimes is called type’s character in two-dimensional characters. It refers to a character that is shaped in single idea or quantity. The character is described briefly. The author usually does not present them with many individualizing details. He or she is static and does not grow or change in the story.
The flat character is predictable. He or she always behaves and talks in the same way. That kind of character does not play very important role neither in the role nor in the play. His or her deeds are easily predicted because they do not have significant changing in action.
Barnet, Berman, and Burto (71-72) defined four things to figure out what characters’ play in the novel;
1. From What the Characters Say
The reader is able to predict what the author describes the personality of the speaker from the way they say and the words that they say. It gives us a clue whether the actor is protagonist or antagonist. The reader can determine the person from the statement he or she utters.
2. From What the Characters Do
class, good or bad person. The reader will understand the characters through his or her attitude. It can be the reflection of the character. The reader will be able to predict the characters personality from the things that the characters do.
3. From What Other Characters Say about the Main Character
The comment and the opinion of other character can be used to analyze the main character. What other characters say about the main character is needed to get an additional information and clear description about certain characters in the story. The author gives the descriptions of the character’s personality through the other character’s judgment toward the character in the story.
4. From What the Other Characters Do
The action of other people towards a character also determines the analysis of the characters. It is very important to know the character of the main character such as lazy, wicked, careless person etc. The other characters’ response in specific event in the story can be the reflection of the character’s motives. It may help the readers to understand the character’s personality.
Related with that, according to Murphy in Understanding Unseen there are several ways in which an author attempts to make his or her characters understandable and come alive for his or her readers, so that the readers will be able to know the personality of the characters. They are personal description characters as seen by another, seeing by other characters, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts and mannerism (161-173). However I only choose six ways to understand the characters of Morrie, the main character of Tuesdays with Morrie so I can get clues to find his characteristics. They are;
1. Characters as Seen by Another: The author describes the character through other’s views and opinions.
2. Speech: The author can give the readers an insight into the character of the persons in the book through what the person says.
3. Past Life: By letting the reader learn something about the person’s past life the author can give a clue to the events that have helped to shape a person’s characters.
4. Reactions: The author can give a clue to a person’s characters by letting the readers know how that person reacts to various the situations or event. 5. Direct Comment: The author can describe or comment on a person’s
character directly.
2. 2 Critical Approaches
To understand others’ literary works in more detail; the readers should use critical approach. A critical approach provides a method for the readers to gain a higher value of understanding of the work being read. For instance we can say that it brings us a better understanding of its nature, function, and positive values.
approach. When the analyst employs this approach he or she insists that each character’s behavior can be referred to the psychology of human being. So the characters’ thought and behavior can be traced more profoundly by using this approach. In this thesis the analyzing will focus on the psychological approach.
In this part I adopt some theories to support the analysis. The theories I used are theory of behavior and motivation, theory of relationship, and theory friendship and the relationship between Psychology and Literature.
2.2.1. The Meaning of Behavior and Motivation
Abrams states that motivation is defined as internal process that influences the direction, persistence and vigor of goal directed behavior (282). Motivation keeps human beings to their goal to prevent from losing his way to achieve his goal. Motivation also makes human beings behave in a certain behavior that support them in achieving their goal. Therefore, motivation always influences someone’s act or behavior.
It requires awareness to know that there is a motivation when individual’s behavior is performed, but it needs at least the understanding of his or her past time before the individual is able to identify his or her reason that suggest him or her. Jung stated that “The concept of unconscious motives suggests that even with careful reflection and interrogation the person is unable to identify motives.” The motives are usually formulated when he or she has learned the information about his or her background (8-9).
In his book Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, Bandura claims that human’s motivations come from their interpretation about stimulus events which bring them to organize the information they brought before finally derived them into beliefs that lead them doing a positive or negative action (183). The greater effort can mobilize people into a real action if they are confident they can do it (301). “One of the cognitively based sources of motivation relies on goal setting and self evaluate reaction to one’s own behavior” (467).
within the person and the psychological environment in which that person is immersed” (225).
Lewin says that the motivation construct that is used for motivation to person was tension. “Tension exists when a potential need becomes a need in fact.” If one wants to understand behavior, one must understand all the forces that are related to that behavior. According to him, there are two factors that lead someone to do something; they are physiological needs and psychological needs. Physiological needs related to the physic need, such as hunger, thirst, to experience specific type of contact and rest; while psychological needs connected to the emotions of someone’s need. It can be going to dance or finish the homework, it can be anything that satisfied or unsatisfied our deep desire (226-227).
Abraham Maslow in Petri’s book Motivation: Theory and Research suggests that we are all driven by five motives, they are:
1. Physiological Needs
People cannot dispute the fact that psychological needs are the most basic to human life. All of us will feel better if our body has been fed and watered. All the things that relate to someone’s personality or someone’s behavior will basically be based on the psychological needs.
2. Safety Needs
dance to night if they thought there was going to be disaster tore their house. Safety needs are primarily triggered in emergency situation.
3. Belongingness or Love Needs
When the inside of the body is well taken care of, then it will have affection from others, to have companionship in loneliness, those would make someone feel that they are surrounded by people who love them.
4. Esteem Needs
When all of the previous three needs are satisfied, this need becomes important for people. In this need we want to strive for achievement, to demonstrate adequacy, to show others that we are competent and that we can be independent and free. We also want to have prestige, recognition, and attention for our efforts.
5. Self Actualizations Needs
“These are our desires to become all that we are capable of becoming.” Self-actualization is the total and complete fulfillment of our inner destiny. The self-actualized person is a very positive one. His or her behavior is motivated by a new set of needs. Self-actualization constantly stimulates people to test their ability and expand their horizons.
growth, which leads us to the higher motivation such as esteem and self-actualization. Just as we do not concern our self with feeding food to survive each say, so we do not take a proof of our worth (by being loved and approved of by people) once we have passed that stage (302-305).
2.2.2. The Meaning of Relationship
According to Stenberg, there are three basic points in relationships, Intimacy, Passion and Commitment. Intimacy is the term that deals with the feeling of closeness. Romantic and sexual attraction is a part of passion. Commitment involves the decision that love exists and the relationship should continue (228).
The three basic points in relationships can form seven types of relationships. They are:
1. Liking: This relationship is built with the feeling of closeness without involving romantic and sexual attraction and the decision for continuing the relationship.
2. Companionate Love: This relationship is also categorized by Sternberg as platonic friendship. It is a close relationship between two people in which sexual desire has been suppressed.
4. Empty Love: Commitment exists in this relationship, but no sexual desire and intimacy.
5. Fatuous Love: Sexual desire and commitment appear in this relationship, but the feeling of closeness is not part of it.
6. Infatuated Love: The only thing that is important in infatuated love relationship is sexual desire. People cannot find the existence of closeness and commitment inside the relationship.
7. Consummate Love: The consummate love relationship exists in marriage. A marital couple who agrees to have intimacy and commitment takes sexual intercourse as something that completes their relationship. The main purpose of sexual desire in this relationship is to enable the couple in bringing the new generation into the family.
Buscaglia says that there are some obstacles in building a good relationship (37). They are described like: Lack of Communication, Selfishness, Dishonesty, Jealousy, Lack of trust, Perfectionism, Lack of flexibility, Lack of understanding, Lack of respect and Apathy.
Furthermore, Buscaglia explains that there are seven advices to develop the relationship with others (150) they are;
1. Expect to invest a great deal of time and energy in relationship, lasting relationship does not just happen, they are created.
3. There are times when people may be able to give up on relationship, but never give up on relating.
4. Divorce, fighting arguing will never solve human problems; better to try to understand, warmth, and flexibility.
5. Do not become involved in pettiness, ego, and childish, hurts, these will only serve to degrade human relationships and prevent closeness.
6. Learn to listen to others.
7. Do not allow the relationship to die or neglect.
2.1.3. Theory of Friendship According to Beebe
According to Beebe (412) in his book entitled Inter Personal Communication Relating to Other states an explanation about the nature or friendship. He says that a friend is someone we trust, the one whom we share a good and bad time with. Someone who will always be there for you, even in the worst time, hold your hand when you are lonely and wipe your tears when you cry.
Beebe (43) also takes the opinion about friendship that there are three reasons about friendship they are:
1. The need of Inclusion
join with and perhaps we need to invite others to join us in certain situation. It will be different to treat one to another because everybody is not the same.
2. The Need for Control
It suggests that someone also need some degrees of dominion over the relationship we establish with other. Someone must exercise control in order to predict how others will respond. He or she also needs to be controlled by others because he or she desires some level of stability and comfort in his or her interaction with others.
3. The Need of Affection
People need to give and receive love, support warmth and intimacy, although the amount is different from person to person. From that statement I can draw a conclusion about the need of having a companion, the man’s inclusion, control and affection needs. It is better if they can actively seek other as friend, because of these needs social isolation can negatively affect our physical and mental health. Research suggests that the most stressful event in life is losing a friend or companion.
From that statement I can also conclude that friends are the main influence for someone’s personality. As evidence there are many people who trust their friends rather than their parents when they had problems.
2.1.4. The Relationship between Psychology and Literature
James says that psychology is the science of mental life, both the phenomena, such as feelings, desires, cognitions, reasoning, decision, etc, and their conditions (15), while literature is the work of imagination or a creative writing which relates to human expression. As an expression is, literature also” hold the mirror up to man,” in which the author can communicate his or her feeling of his or her fictional character and then make them look alive. The author can use the understanding, which is provided by psychologist in order to enrich his or her story, and in other way the psychologist can giant their understanding of human behavior by drawing for the deep sensitivity of a good author.
According to Wellek and Warren Theory of Literature, psychological has four possibilities of understanding: first is the study of psychology of the author as a person; second is the process study creativity; third is the study of type and application of psychological conditions which as applied in literary work; fourth is the study of the effect of literature towards the readers (90).
in the creativity of the artist or analyze the fictional character’s motivation and behavior. It is clear, that literature and psychology are two different fields, but they influence each other. Literature may contain the application of the psychology rule in the work (93).
2.3. Theoretical Framework
I apply five basic theories to help in solving the problem in this study, namely Theory of Character; Theory Behavior and Motivation, Theory Relationship and Friendship and The Relationship between Psychological and Literature. Those theories are used in order to reveal the subject matter I want to discuss in this thesis so that I will get the deeper understanding about the theories to help to finish the thesis.
I explore the characteristic of the main character through the way he thinks, speeches and actions use Theory of Character and Characterization. This way will make the love that is presented through their characteristic revealed easily.
The deeper understanding of Theory of Motivations used to give a brief explanation about motivation. The motivation of the main characters in the novel is presented from his speech, thought and action. This way will make it easy to find out the motivations that can cause the main characters in the novel feel comfortable to be friends.
because people do not understand how much or what kind of upkeep, time, work, love and caring is required or because people are too lazy or afraid to try. A relationship is a living thing, it needs and benefits from the same attention to detail that an artist lavishes on his art (193).
Theory of friendship is used to find out what kind of relationship that they have. It has motivated Mitch and Morrie to see each other again. The relationship between psychology and literature in used to give a brief explanation about relation between those different field, psychology and literature, so that the readers can understand that actually, these two fields complete each other.
2.4. Criticism
Tuesdays with Morrie is a non-fiction story which is based on the Author’s own experiences. This novel has 192 pages and divided into 27 chapters. It is printed in the United States of America, published by Double day, New York. Tuesdays with Morrie has been published in thirty one languages in thirty six countries and it was bestseller in Japan, Australia, Brazil, and England.
Michigan's famed men's basketball recruits who all became starters as freshmen during the early 1990's.
Tuesdays with Morrie’s popularity is continued by the film version of it. The film won the EMMY awards in 2000. It also won “The best actor” and “The best supporting actor” (NN http://www.albom.com/morrie.htm accessed on March 31st, 2007 at 14 p.m.).
Although Tuesdays with Morrie is a best selling novel in many countries, but it still gets many reactions from public. In 1978, Professor Morrie Schwartz was facilitating an unusual class in sociology at Brandeis University. They called it “Group Process.” In this class they study how to interact with other people in areas such as anger, jealousy, sensitivity, trust and many things. (http://en.wikipedia.org//wiki Tuesdays with Morrie accessed on October 15th , 2007 at 14.06 p.m.):
“We are to stand, facing away from our classmates and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than five inches before we stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment. Finally, one student crosses her arms over her chest, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton iced tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool. For a moment, I am sure that she is going to thump on the floor. At last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulder and yanks her up harshly.
‘Whoa! Several students yell. Some clap. Morrie smiles.
If someone wants others to trust him or her, he has to be able to trust others. If someone is untrusting, that usually means that someone is not completely trustworthy either. The faults someone accuse others can often be found within himself or herself. How we can trust someone if we do not know what sort person he is, people cannot trust someone that easy. Nothing in this world will be what people want it to be, so when we trust someone it is possible if he or she will cheat on us.
As the 20th century Torah Scholar, Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, describes: “when you see a fault in others, turn the thinking and analysis to yourself. If you don’t have the entire fault, you probably have it slightly. And even if the weakness never pondered it, you almost certainly saw someone else doing it and you were pleased.”(Michtav M’Eliyahu, volume 5, page 123).
Rabbi Desslar suggests that whenever someone wishes to criticize others, someone should project the criticism upon himself. It is impossible to detect anything around us unless someone is sensitive to it. It is only talented artist who can see the beauty of something that would otherwise go unnoticed to a layman. It is only someone who has experienced some level of pride and arrogance within himself will notice pride and arrogance in others.
It does not mean that you have to be a perfect person, but at least you become someone better. You know how to interact with people and how to treat people as a human. You do not need to think about others foibles because everybody has his or her own foibles. People say no body in this world is perfect. You do not need to talk about people’s faults behind their back. You have your own fault which can be worse than people you talk about so before you talk about someone’s weakness you would better reflect it to yourselves. You are not even better than people you talk about. It is better for people to think about their own self and how to fix every single mistake that he or she had done.
2.5. Context of the Novel
Charlie marries Eva, a kind woman who gives Morrie and his brother the love and affection they need. She gives Morrie what he needs like his desire for books and education. She is the one that raises Morrie and David with good education until Morrie becomes prominent professor in Brandeis University.
Morrie Schwartz earned his undergraduate degree from City College in New York, and his master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1946 and 1951 respectively. He wrote three books on sociology in the 1950s and 1960s. He began teaching at Brandeis University in the sociology department. Among his students was future sports writer and television host Mitch Albom. Schwartz continued to teach at Brandeis into his 70s, when amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) made it too difficult for him to continue his life.
26 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter is divided into three parts namely the Object of the Study, the Approaches and the Procedures. The Object of the Study concerns the work of literature analyzed in this study. The Approaches used to analyze the novel. The Procedures contain the steps of doing this study.
3.1. Object of the Study
The little of the book, which would be analysed in this study, is Tuesdays with Morrie, the novel is written by Mitch Albom, 47, the No. 1 Sports Columnist in the Nation for 13 years. This novel is based on the true story of the author himself. He published this book for the sake of his late lecture who had loved him for all his life.
Morrie was Mitch’s sociology lecturer in Brandies University; Morrie was one of the oldest lecturers while Mitch was one of the youngest students. Even though they come from different generation they can still be friends. They often spent the time together and talked about many things in life. On the graduation day Mitch promised Morrie to always keep in touch with him but he broke his promise. He never visited Morrie, someone whom he used to know very well in Brandies University.
Mitch was a hard-working person who sought happiness. He tried to find his own happiness by spending most of his time working. He was working hard as
a Sport Columnist for Detroit Free Press. After few years passed by, Mitch saw Morrie in one of television programs Ted Koppel’s Nightline the title of that program was ”A professor’s final course: His own Death” that was the time that he found out that Morrie was dying, and he remembered the time when he promised to always keep in touch with him.
After the graduation day Morrie lived in a suffering. He became a dependent one. He got an unforgiving illness that would melt his bones until he would totally stay in bed and wait for the final moment to come and there was no medicine could cure it. He starts to commute everywhere by his wheel chair, with someone who would push it. He became totally dependent on someone. He could not even lift his own hands and put some food into his mouth. Morrie was a strong person who can enjoy his embarrassing dependency. He felt like he was back to his childhood he never got.
Losing someone in life is the hardest thing to face for someone. Morrie had bad experiences of losing someone in his past life. He lost his mother and father when he was not there to know what was happening, and then the telegram came and stated about his mother’s death, and on other occasion he found out his father death by the call that stated his father death. That was why when he lost Mitch for years and then he got him back he hug him so tight and never let him go again. He felt like finding something that he missed for so long.
This study focuses on the influence of Morrie’s past life towards Morrie’s dependencies. I used psychological approach, which involves the theory of psychology to understand the literary works. The reason I chose this approach is because the influences of someone’s behaviors on one’s personality can be revealed by psychological theories. That is why psychological approach is the most appropriate approach in discussing the problems in this study.
The study discusses the psychological implication in the novel which is dug up from the relationship between the main characters, Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom. To get the complete analysis, the study needs to explore the characteristics of Morrie Schwartz, the main character of this novel. Therefore, the exploration of the character’s personality uses theory of character and characterization.
The exploration of the main characters’ personalities reveals a characters’ habitual responses, attitudes, desire, motivation, like and dislike, the inner working of the minds both emotional and intellectual, which precede actions. Psychological implication in the relationship between Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom and the dependency behavior between them are using Theories of Friendship and Theory of Relationship. Since the study analyses on the characteristic on the main characters and psychological implication among them, the study employs the formalist approach.
3.3. Procedures
To find out the description of the main character in this novel, some steps are needed to be done. First, in order to get the information about the characters, it is a must to read the novel several times. The next step is to find and discuss the main character of the novel. Third is to determine the description of the main characters in the novel and the contribution of this novel to human being.
Fourth, is to provide the evidences to support the analysis. Fifth step is to provide the comments, events, opinions, and atmosphere of the story. The environments and setting of the novel are also discussed. After formulating the problems of the discussion, a critical analysis is made by using psychological approach. By doing so, the answer to the problems could be found out.
30 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter discusses Morrie Schwartz as described in the novel and analysis of his dependent behavior.
4.1. Morrie’s Characteristics in Tuesdays with Morrie
After reading the novel, there are significant and important characteristics of Morrie Schwartz. He is described as an open-minded, lonely, patient, attentive, compassionate and helpful. Morrie’s characters can be found through his speeches, what people say about him in the direct comments of Mitch Albom, who was one of his students in Brandeis University, Morrie’s past life, Morrie’s thoughts and Morrie’s behavior. These are the characteristics that will be discussed:
4.1.1. Open-minded
Morrie Schwartz is an open-minded person. It shows from the way he accepts his students from various religion and different philosophies without any considerations. He does not take only one religion because he thinks that every religion has positive values to be learned. Mitch Albom who is the student and the author of this novel at once describes his open-minded characteristic below through direct comment.
Because of his open-minded thought, Morrie also feels closely to various students who have different cultures and religions. “His teachings before his death are transcended from all religious differences” (82). He is also a follower from many philosophers. One of them is Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi’s teaching that Morrie likes best is “each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn”. Many of his lessons are inspired from all the philosophies of life that he has learned from many religions.
Morrie is interested in studying about Buddhist teaching, he is inspired by it very much. “He opened his eyes and He exhaled.’’ “You know what the Buddhists say? Don’t cling to things, because everything is impermanent (103)”. It shows that Morrie receives Buddhist teaching. He does not focus his knowledge on one religion that he believes but he also learns other religions that he read from books.
Once in an unusual sociology class they called “Group process” Morrie had a special exercise for his students to do. Morrie wanted them to stand facing away from the whole class and fall backward, relying on another student to catch them. They could not do it, only one girl in that class wanted to do it. She fell backward and suddenly someone caught her back so she did not fall to the ground. To this girl Morrie said
The quotation shows that Morrie is an open-minded person. He would like to tell the students that if they trust someone they have to trust him or her with all his heart so that they can rely on him or her in any condition.
4.1.2. Lonely
Morrie lost his mother when he was eight years old. He starts to live with David, his brother who limps because of polio that he suffers and his father, Charlie Schwartz. His father is a Russian immigrant and he is barely speaking English. In this novel Charlie Schwartz is described as a quiet person, he seems to draw a line with his children Morrie and David. He rarely talks to his children or kisses them good night. That will be one of the reasons why Morrie always feels lonely.
“In the evening he watched his father eat in a silence hoping for- but never getting-a show off affection communication warmth (75). Charlie is considered a quiet father who rarely has conversation with his children and he seems to enjoy doing something himself. “Charlie Schwartz was a quiet man who liked to read newspaper alone under a street lamp on a Tremont Avenue in the Bronx” (135).
This quotation shows that Morrie is lonely because of the situation that a father who should be the one whom he can share everything with rarely talks to him as father and son, or man to man. He misses all the moments that he should have spent with his family.
Losing his mother makes him feel like a heavy burden is on his shoulder. His loneliness becomes more complete since his father died because of the heart attack. Father, whom he never has any chance to talk to, to show his affection and this is the time that Morrie has to lose the moment that he has never had with his father forever.
“Morrie looked at the body of the man who had scolded him and molded him and taught him to work, who had been quiet when Morrie wanted him to speak, who had told Morrie to swallow his memories of his mother when he wanted to share them with world.” (139)
This paragraph shows that Morrie keeps something that he wants to share with his father. Something that he cannot reveal until his father died and he would never have a chance to say it for all his life.
This paragraph also tells that Morrie’s father does not even let him to say what he feels. He asks Morrie to keep it by heart and not to talk about that again. It comes up in to an unutterable pain inside him. All he needs is just someone to talk to and someone who will let him reveal all his feeling. His loneliness reminds him of all the memory of his parents when they were alive.
There is regret inside Morrie to his parents for leaving him and his brother without any good bye. That would be another reason for Morrie to entertain himself outside, like what Mitch say in the paragraph below;
“He had always been a good dancer, my old professor. The music didn’t matter. Rock and Roll, big band, the blues. He loved them all. He would close his eyes and with a blissful smile begin to move to his own sense or rhythm. It wasn’t always pretty out there. He didn’t worry about a partner. Morrie danced by himself.” (5)
Mitch said that they had worked as a team; they just needed to use the gesture when they wanted to say something:
“They worked as a team, often needing no more than silent glance to understand what the other was thinking. Charlotte was a private person, different from Morrie, but I knew how much he respected her, because sometimes when we spoke, he would say “Charlotte might be uncomfortable with me revealing that” and he would end he conversation.” (148-149)
Because of those reasons Morrie seems to feel s lonely that he always tries to find someone that he can rely on. He finds it in Mitch Albom his student when he was still teaching in Brandeis University.
4.1.3. Patient
This characteristic is described by Morrie reaction facing his suffering without complaining. When the doctor sentenced that he got an unforgiving illness called ALS and he would have only couple years to live, he knew how to overcome his feeling. He faced all his suffering patiently, he did not spend the rest of his time to mourn and regret what had happened.
Morrie always knows how to spend his dying time. He is concentrating on the rest of his life in good things. Just like what he states:
“Sometimes, in the mornings,“ he said. That’s when I mourn I feel around my body, I move my fingers and my hands- whatever I can still move- and I mourn what I’ve lost. I mourn the slow, insidious way in which I’m dying. But then I stop mourning.” just like that “I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life. On the people who are coming to see me…” (56)
From the patience in facing his death, Morrie is able to see life in a different view and how others treat him.
time we’d spent together, for all the kindness and patience Morrie had shown me when I was young….” (27). Therefore, Morrie’s patience can be shown through his reaction when he faces his suffering patiently without complaining and Mitch’s statement about Morrie’s guidance for Albom when he needed someone to understand him and someone to listen.
4.1.4. Attentive
For all his life, Morrie has been a good listener. It is described in this quotation:
He told his friends that if they really wanted to help him, they would treat him not with sympathy but with visits, phone calls, a sharing of their problems the way they had always shared their problems, because Morrie had always been a wonderful listener. (12)
It shows that Morrie likes to pay attention to others. Even if he is in the worst condition he still wants to hear everybody who wants to share his or her problems. He does not want people to think that he is weak because of his dying.
Mitch Albom is Morrie’s student and best friend in Brandeis University, he knows Morrie quiet well. He describes Morrie as a good listener just like when Morrie listens to him when they are talking. Morrie can listen to people who talk to him and focus on his speakers only. Mitch’s direct comment about Morrie to show the statement above is:
It is not easy to listen to people like what Morrie does, people tend to be a speaker rather than to be a listener. Albom says that Morrie is a good listener, he can listen to people who talk to him very well, and as if they were the only one in the world he is talking to. Morrie thinks that when people talk to him they really need to be listened to, that is why he always gives them his best ears to listen.
“When I’m talking to you now, Mitch, I try to keep focused only on what is going on between us. I am not thinking about something we said last week. I am not thinking of what’s coming up this Friday. I am not thinking about doing another Koppel’s show, or about what medication I’m taking.” (135)
Albom says that many people like to visit Morrie when he is dying. They visit Morrie for just a little talk, because Morrie gives a good attention to the people. Morrie does a lot of favor for others that people would like to pay him back in return, by accompanying him in his suffering.
The reason they want to visit Morrie in his dying time is because they feel sorry about Morrie’s condition. They want to be there for Morrie just the way when Morrie was there for them when he was healthy just to listen to them when they spoke to him. Albom also says:
But really listening to someone without trying to tell them something, pick them up, recruit them, or get some kind of status in return how often do we get this anymore? I believe many visitors in the last few months of Morrie’s life were drawn not because of the attention he paid to them. Despite his personal pain and decay, this little old man listened the way they always wanted someone to listen. (138)
they will automatically know where to go, because Morrie will be the only one to listen when they have problems.
4.1.5. Tough
Morrie is a tough person although he is physically weak. He is tough because he has a strong will to face his life through his pain. The pain that he has never seems to be a problem for him. He tries to convince himself that dying is not a big deal for him. All that he has now is just strength to face his last few days. He realizes that he is no longer able to do everything by himself; he always has somebody do something for him.
It is something painful to find out that someone is going to die from illness. People might get depressed or mourn his life and they seem like they lose their spirit of life. Morrie has his own way of facing his death by doing something useful for others. He does a lot of thing for people around him. He still has ears to listen to people who share their problems when they come to see him. He still has lips to say something, which people will long to hear. He teaches people about his dying condition that nothing in this world will last forever, he teaches people to be strong to face all the things that may happen in this life. This statement is just like what Mitch says about Morrie:
Morrie would walk that final bridge between life and death, and narrate the trip. (10)
Morrie is dying of an unforgiving illness. He will have only a little time to live, therefore he wants to do many good things for people he loves so that the things that people will remember about him is; all his kindness for his life and his strong will to survive:
“Am I going to withdraw from the world, like most people do, or am I going to live? I decided I’m going to live- or at least try to live- the way I want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure.” (21) Life keeps turning and when it turns, no one can pull it back. It is like sometimes when we regret mistakes we have done, suddenly when we realize it; it is too late. We are only human beings we cannot predict when we will die. For this reason we ought to do the best in every single thing that we do everyday so whenever we die we leave a good memory for people we have left. Then when we die, we will die in honor.
In another conversation Morrie shows that he still wants to live normally ignoring his disease.
“There are some mornings when I cry and cry and mourn for my self. Some mornings I’m so angry and bitter. But it doesn’t last too long then I get up and say, I want to live…”(21)
Morrie joins the meditation when he was healthy so it could help him to control his feelings, anger, hatred and all the human feelings, which are sometime uncontrollable and unpredictable.
“There were health care workers now staying through the night and all those visitors during the day, former students, fellow professors, meditation teachers, tramping in and out of the house “(102).
The meditation teacher may help Morrie to be a tough person through the mediation he taught to Morrie. Meditation might help Morrie to face all the suffering in his life. By doing the meditation he thinks that he can let all his feeling go, the hatred, pain and the shadow of his past life.
4.1.6. Compassionate
Morrie realizes that being compassionate is something hard to do. Feeling pity or sorry for others’ suffering is neglected by people nowadays because many of them think that it is not their business. However, for Morrie, it is different. He sees compassion to others is important because human beings are social creatures that cannot be separated from their relationship with others.
Morrie’s encounter with compassion started when he was young. He was looking for a job, which did not exploit others. Although plowing high education, he did not choose a job which guaranteed a successful future. In fact, he chose working at a mental hospital. These statements are supported by Albom.
Albom says about Morrie’s past life:
through a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Having rejected medicine, law, and business Morrie had decided the research world would be a place where he could contribute without exploiting others.” (109)
In mental hospital, Morrie observed mental and recorded their treatments. While the idea of working in a mental hospital is common nowadays, it was a new surprising idea in fifties because there were only few people who worked at mental hospital. However, Morrie thought that people needed others when they could not face the obstacles in life. He felt sorry for the patients who could not feel happiness. One of the patients whom Morrie took notice of was a middle-aged woman. Morrie took care of her and noticed what the woman needed so he could help her. This statement shows his compassion:
One of the patients, a middle–aged woman, came out of her room everyday and lie facedown on the tile floor, stayed there for hours, as doctors and nurses stepped around her. Morrie watched in horror. He took notes, which is what he was there to do. Everyday, she did the same thing: came out in the morning lay on the floor, stayed there until the evening, talking to no one, ignored by everyone. It saddened Morrie. He began to sit with her on the floor, even lay down alongside her, trying to draw her out of her misery. Eventually, he got her to sit up, and even to return to her room. What she mostly wanted, he learned, was the same things many people want- someone to notice she was there. (109-110)
From this patient, Morrie learns that wealth cannot buy happiness. People may have a big house so much saving in his account but if he does not have love then money will never mean a thing. Morrie feels sorry about everything that happens in mental hospital. His feeling is stated below:
Morrie’s compassion can also be seen in his dying condition. Although he is dying, but he can still be able to serve people who want to share their problems.
4.1.7. Helpful
When Mitch was still Morrie’s student, Morrie became a very helpful teacher. Even when Mitch has graduated from Brandeis University, Morrie still helps Albom in finding his true happiness. Mitch once neglected and forgot him after the graduation. For Mitch, Morrie is not an ordinary teacher who teaches knowledge and science, but he is a teacher who helps his students to search for their identities. It states by Albom:
I seek my identity in toughness- but it is Morrie’s softness that draws me and because he does not look at me as a kid trying to be something more than I am, I relax. (30)
Everyone needs a helpful teacher to develop his/her full potential. However, it is difficult to find a teacher who really understands his/her students and gives his/her students a right direction in their life because sometimes a teacher only takes care about the physical education but not spiritual education for developing his/her students’ mentality. For Mitch, his relationship with Morrie is deeper than a relationship between a student and a teacher. It is closely like a relation of man to man. Mitch assumes Morrie as his helpful guidance to understand the important thing in this life. In his view, Mitch sees Morrie as helpful and guidance.
“You need someone to probe you in that direction. It won’t just happen automatically.” I knew what he was saying. We all need teachers in our lives. And mine was sitting in front of me. (65)
When Mitch needs a helping hand to ask the solution to his problem in his life, Morrie will be the one who is ready to listen to his problem: it states in the passage below:
Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head. Sometimes it is all right alongside their beds.(192)
From this quotation, Mitch wants his reader to know that Morrie was a great teacher. Morrie was a favorite teacher in Brandeis University so when his students find out the news that Morrie was dying they come to see him. They come from Boston, New York, California, London, and Switzerland. They all said, “ I’ve never had another teacher like you.” (113)
The characteristic of helpful persn can be seen from his willingness to be on television’. He also has a “Tuesday’s class”. It is held in his house to help answering the problem which Mitch thinks it is difficult to answer by himself. It is depicted from the statement below:
All I knew was this: Morrie my old professor wasn’t in the self-help business. He was standing on the tracks, listening to death locomotive, and he was very clear about the important thing in life. I wanted that clarity. Every confused and tortured soul I knew wanted that clarity.” Ask me anything,” Morrie always said. (66)
“…What am I going to do without my hands? What happens when I can’t speak? Swallowing, I don’t care so much about-- so they feed me through a tube, so what? But my voice? My hands? They’re such an essential part of me. I talk with my voice. I gesture with my hands. This is how I give to people.” “How will you give when you can no longer speak?” Kopel asked. Morrie shrugged. “Maybe I’ll have everyone ask me yes or no questions.” (70)
Therefore, it can be concluded that Morrie is a helpful person. It can be shown through Mitch’s statements from his view and direct comment, and Morrie’s reaction like “He started a project called Greenhouse, where poor people could receive mental health services” (43).
Mitch is an ambitious man. He buries himself into a never-ending business for prosperity, position, and power. We can say that he is a workaholic so that he never cares about his personal life, like his spiritual life, his relationship with God and loving relationship with others. Therefore Morrie says to him:
“The thing you spend so much time on-all this work you do-might not seem as important. You might have to make room for some more spiritual things.” (84)
Morrie says to Mitch:
‘Mitch” he said, laughing along, “Even I don’t know what spiritual development really means. But I do know we’re deficient in some way. We are too involved in materialistic things and they don’t satisfy us. The loving relationship we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted.” (84)
cry, because we never own them. Here Morrie is trying to help Mitch to find the meaning of life.
4.2. Something that Influence Morrie to be Dependent on Mitch
Morrie becomes a dependent behavior because of his lonely background in his past life. His mother’s death haunts him and his father’s affection that he never gets in his life. Here Morrie’s loneliness will be shown through others characters and his own statement in this novel.
On the graduation day Morrie said to Mitch “he asks if I will stay in touch and without hesitation I say, “of course.” when he steps back I see that he
is crying.”(4)
This statement shows that Morrie does not want to lose Mitch, since he considers Mitch as someone whom he used to spend all his days in Brandies “Mitch you are one of the good ones” (4) he said to Mitch.
After the graduation Mitch never has contact with his friends at college even with his old professor, someone whom he promised to stay in touch on the graduation day. He sinks himself in doing many things in his job. Losing his favorite uncle makes him realize that life is so precious. It makes him spend most of his time doing the best he could. He thinks that if he works hard he will soon achieve the happiness before he suddenly gets sick and dies.
“He rocked against me, not letting go, his hands reaching up for my elbows as I bent over him. I was surprises at such affection after all these years, but then, in the stone walls I had built between my present and my past I had forgotten how close we once were.”(28)
Mitch is not the only one who is interested in visiting Morrie. When Morrie was sick, there were many people visiting Morrie. They were a group discussion student, meditation teachers, and someone who wants to take his picture for a magazine. But among those people Morrie was only interested in talking to Mitch.
The phone rang again,” Morrie can you talk?’ Connie asked. I am visiting with my old pal now,” he announced
“Let them call back.” (33)
Mitch himself does not know the reason why Morrie can be so welcome to him, remembering that he has left his old professor since the last time he promise him to stay in touch.
I cannot tell you why he received me so warmly. I was hardly the promising students who had left him sixteen years earlier, had it not been for “ NIGHTLINE” Morrie might have died without ever being to see me again.”(33)
They used to spend their time talking about life. It is awkward sometimes talking to people of different ages but they seem to be comfortable to make the time. Morrie is always exited to see Mitch. It is shown in his statement “Where shall we visit today?” he asks cheerily when I enter his office” (46). He always wants Mitch to come. He does not want to lose Mitch again so at the end of Mitch visits Morrie says “ So you’ll come back next Tuesday?” he whispered” (52).
Morrie has experienced the bitterness of losing parents and he knows exactly what it feels like to be alone and no affection.
“…. Tears fell down his nose. “ I lost my mother when I was a child…… and it was quite a blow to me…I wish I had a group like yours where I would have been able to talk about my sorrows. I would have joined your
group because…”
His voice cracked.
“…. Because I was so lonely…” (72)
He lost his mother seventy years ago and the pain still remains whenever he talks about his mother he burst into tears.
He was eight years old. a telegram came from the hospital, and since his father, a Russian immigrant, could not read English, Morrie had to break the news, reading His mother’s death notice like a good student in front of the class …. “We regret to inform you.” (73)
After his mother died he takes over the family. He has to work hard to make money for buying food. He has to take care of his father and his brother, a Russian immigrant father who barely speaks English and his limp brother of polio. Morrie was a nine-year-old boy who has to take care his family.
The thing he missed most was that father and son could ever do “Communication”. Morrie always wants to have a conversation with his father, a conversation between father and son, or man to man or just come to his room and kiss him good night. “In the evening, he watches his father in silence, hoping for, but never getting- a show affection, communication, warmth” (75). His father seems to be enjoying his own.
“This is part of what a family is about, not just love but letting others to know there’s someone who is watching out for them. It’s what I missed so much when my mother died.” (92)
In his words Morrie said that family is a place where we can understand that there would be someone watching out for us in all condition. Like what he said in this sentence “….. Knowing that your family will be there watching out for you nothing else will give you that, not money, not fame” (92).
Morrie learn from his past experience that he has no love covered him when he was a child. He thought that family should be the only shelter to run when there is rain or danger. Morrie lost all the moments with his mother and father. He never felt such warmth affection from his parents. From that experience he promised himself not to do this to his children.
“In this way even he was dying he showed respect for his children’s worlds. Little wonders that when they sat with him there was a waterfall of affection, lots of kisses and jokes and crouching by the side of the bed, holding hands.” (93)
Morrie does not let his son to be hunger for love. Morrie does something to his children that his father did not do to him when he was a child.
