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By
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ULTY OF DHARMA 2017 Sarjana Sast Requiremennt tra Letters
ANTY RETTNARI
: 1242140665
THE IMPORTANCE OF SARA KIMOTO IN TSUKURU
TAZAKI
’S PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT AS SEEN IN
HARUKI MURAKAMI’S
COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND
HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PUTI FARRAH ANANTY RETNARI
Student Number: 124214065
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
“
And once the storm is over, you won
’
t remember how you made it through,
how you managed to survive. You won
’
t even be sure, whether the storm is
really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you
won
’
t be the same person who walked in.
That
’
s what this storm
’
s all about.
”
To you:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In this section, I would like to dedicate my greatest thanks to those who have supported me to finish this undergraduate thesis. I thank God who always gives me strength and blessings to finish this thesis.
I would like to thank my advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum., for the suggestions and guidance so that I am able to finish my undergraduate thesis. I also thank my co-advisor, Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari, S.S., M.Ed., for all the comments so I can improve my thesis well. I would also like to give thanks to all the lecturers and all the staff who help me during my study in Sanata Dharma University.
My greatest gratitude goes to my parents, Emy Dyah Margiarekta and Imran Nangtjik, and my grandmother for the endless support and prayer. My sister, Puan Fairuz thank you for always cheering me up. Thank you Joanna Naomi for always giving me many advices all this time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... ii
APPROVAL PAGE ... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ... v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ... vi
MOTTO PAGE ... vii
DEDICATION PAGE ... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x
ABSTRACT ... xi
ABSTRAK ... xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 5
C. Objectives of the Study ... 5
D. Definition of Terms ... 5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ... 7
A. Review of Related Studies ... 7
B. Review of Related Theories ... 10
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 10
2. Theory of Personality Development ... 12
C. Theoretical Framework... 17
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 18
A. Object of the Study ... 18
B. Approach of the Study ... 19
C. Method of the Study ... 20
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 22
A. The characteristics of Tsukuru Tazaki ... 22
1. Tsukuru’s Characteristics before He Meets Sara ... 22
2. Tsukuru’s Characteristics after He Meets Sara ... 33
B. The Importance of Sara Kimoto in Tsukuru’s Personality Development ... 40
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 49
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 51
ABSTRACT
RETNARI, PUTI FARRAH ANANTY. The Importance of Sara Kimoto in
Tsukuru Tazaki's Personality Development as Seen in Haruki Murakami’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Yogyakarta; Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This study discusses Tsukuru’s personality development on Haruki Murakami’s novel entitled Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. This novel tells about the life changes of Tsukuru Tazaki. Tsukuru is the main characters in the novel. The writer chooses to analyze Tsukuru’s personality development because his personality develops after he meets Sara Kimoto. Sara is the significant person who motivates Tsukuru to change his personality.
This study has two objectives. The first one is to identify the development of the main character’s personality. The second one is to identify the importance of another character towards the main character’s personality development.
ABSTRAK
RETNARI, PUTI FARRAH ANANTY. The Importance of Sara Kimoto in
Tsukuru Tazaki’s Personality Development as Seen in Haruki Murakami’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Yogyakarta; Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Penelitian ini membahas tentang perkembangan kepribadian Tsukuru Tazaki dalam novel berjudul Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage karya Haruki Murakami. Novel ini menceritakan tentang perubahan kehidupan Tsukuru Tazaki. Tsukuru merupakan tokoh utama di novel ini. Penulis memilih untuk menganalisa perkembangan kepribadian Tsukuru karena kepribadiannya berkembang setelah ia bertemu dengan Sara Kimoto. Sara merupakan orang penting yang memotivasi Tsukuru untuk merubah kepribadiannya.
Penelitian ini mempunyai dua tujuan. Tujuan yang pertama adalah untuk mengidentifikasi perkembangan kepribadian dari tokoh utama. Tujuan yang kedua adalah untuk mengidentifikasi pentingnya karakter lain terhadap perkembangan kepribadian tokoh utama.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kepustakaan. Penulis menggunakan novel berjudul Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage karya Haruki Murakami sebagai data utama. Sedangkan sebagai data sekunder, penulis menggunakan beberapa buku tentang teori sastra, teori psikologi dan sumber lain dari internet. Penulis menggunakan pendekatan psikologi karena digunakan untuk menganalisa perkembangan kepribadian Tsukuru Tazaki.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
A literary work is a way to express the ideas, feelings or aspects of life that is used by the author. A literary work contains some aspects of life as seen through the author’s point of view. By reading a literary work the readers can get some
lessons which are related to the issues in the real life. It means that a literary work is not only to entertain but also give a message for the readers.
Literature as a work of art is the medium that one of the function is used to retell the experiences of the author in reality. As it is stated by Wellek and Waren, “literature represents life and life is a social reality and this world becomes the
object of literary imitation” (Wellek and Waren, 1956: 94). A literary work is also
as a medium to reveal human characters and condition from another person’s point of view. Through literature, people have the opportunity to study human characters from a different perspective, not only from a psychological research. Altough literature and psychology might be different, but they both are exploring human’s life. Their purpose is to describe human’s condition. In a literary work, the author
describes human’s condition through a story while in psychology study, the
researcher studies human’s condition scientifically. Hudson stated that instead of giving emotional and intellectual pleasure to the readers, “literature through the
the representation of human life can reveal human’s condition and its morality
among the society and even some social issues in a real life.
Novel as one of literary works becomes a way for the author to narrate his/her experiences. Discussing about novel and the elements which appear in a novel, Harmon and Holman, said that “the use of a novel is customarily restricted to
narratives in which the representation of character occurs either in a static condition or in the process of development as the result of events or actions” (Harmon and Holman, 2009: 374).
There are many elements in a novel. One of the important element is characters. According to Mikics, “characters come to mean an individual, named
personality, in literature or life” (Mikics, 2007: 54). Based on his explanation, the
characters can be found in a novel or in the real life. However, the author has to make the characters in a novel as real as a human being so the readers can understand the whole story. Furthermore, a character has a personality. The personality can develop when he/she grows up and faces things in his/her life throughout the story.
Rohrberger and Woods also said that “the character in the novel must be
credible, that is, the readers must accept them as believable people” (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 20). Thus, even though the characters in the novel is fictional, it is possible for the readers to explore human condition not only from psychological study but also through a literary work.
their life as they have experienced many things. The development can be on the physical appearances and in the personality. Meanwhile, the characters, who are same as human being, also experience many things. The physical or the personality of the characters have to be developed by the time and events they faced during the story. The development does not only happen in human being life, but it can happen also in the character’s life in the story. So it shows that the character in the story
can reflect the life of human being.
In this study, the writer analyzes Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. It is the thirteenth novel by Haruki Murakami. The most interesting
point in this novel is the personality of the main character. Tsukuru Tazaki, the main character in the novel, who is a 36 years old engineer works for a railroad company. In high school, he has two boys and two girls as his best friends. Their surnames represent a color. Unlike his four best friends, his name does not represent any color at all which makes him “colorless”. One day, during his second year in college, his
friends announce that they do not want to see or talk to him anymore. After being left by his closest friends, all Tsukuru could think about is dying. Tsukuru’s new
girlfriend, Sara, encourages him to meet his former friends again in order to find out the reasons why they cut him off from the friendship.
Tsukuru’s personality is interesting to be discussed. In the beginning of the
Then, he meets Sara. He falls in love with her. Sara is also the person who pushes Tsukuru to revisit his past life to find out the reason why his friends leave him behind. After visiting his friends, Tsukuru comes back to Tokyo with a different personality. In some ways, Sara has changed Tsukuru’s personality.
According to Hurlock, “the changing of personality does not occur of their
own accord, and usually the changing is the result of multiple revision on the thought and feelings related to the person’s self concept” (Hurlock, 1974: 124).
Based on Hurlock’s explanation, someone’s personality can change or develop
because it is influenced by several factors. The personality changes can also be classified into three major categories. First, the changes are for better and for the worse. Second, some are quantitative or qualitative. The last is some changes occur slowly and some are rapidly (Hurlock, 1974: 120-122).
This study focuses on the importance of another character in the personality development of the main character. An approach is needed to get a deep analysis of this study, so the writer uses the psychological approach to analyze this novel. This novel is worth studying because it shows the changing in someone’s personality
B. Problem Formulation
1. How does Tsukuru Tazaki’s personality develop in the novel?
2. How does Tsukuru’s personality development reveal the importance of
Sara Kimoto?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problem formulations above, this study has two objectives. The first objective is to identify the development of the main character’s personality.
The second objective is to reveal the importance of another character towards the main character’s personality development.
D. Definition of Terms
There are several terms that are used in this study. They are personality, and personality development. However, to avoid misunderstanding, the writer needs to
define all of the terms. The first one is personality. As Allport in Hurlock’s book defines that “personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those
psychological systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought”
(Hurlock, 1974: 7). In this study, personality means the psychological system that every person has and it determines his or her characteristic behavior and thought. The definition of personality by Allport is used to help the writer in analyzing the main problems.
and evoking process within an individual. It determines the person’s uniqueness in
speech, in reactions to people and things, in mannerism, in fantasy, and in any other ways directed toward the specific goals to adjust to the environment” (Hurlock,
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Since the book is interesting to be discussed, there are many comments and review about this novel. In this chapter, the writer found that there are some articles discussed Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage and a study related with the topic of this study. They can help the writer in analyzing this novel as the reference.
Patti Smith from The New York Times, reviews about how Sara in some ways has influenced Tsukuru’s personality. Sara encourages Tsukuru to see his former friends again.
Tsukuru’s girlfriend Sara, has no color in her name, but she is definitely color -coordinated. When she prods him about his early life, Tsukuru hesitantly relays the scarring story of the loss of his four friends. She senses he will not be whole until he confronts the submerged questions of his past, which seem to be coursing toward the future. As wounds develop a protective crust, the soul flows dangerously beneath them. Sara sometimes seems more therapist than love interest, but he is deeply drawn to her. He expresses love, she fondness. But her driving curiosity spurs him to action. It is not the acuteness
of suffering but desire that propels him. With Sara’s assistance he
systematically finds his friends, located as close as his boyhood home of Nagoya and as far afield as Finland. To tackle the unresolved takes tremendous courage. He boldly seeks out each finger of the once harmonious hand, inadvertently unveiling its terrible secret (nytimes.com, 2016).
In his review, Smith emphasizes that Sara seems more like love therapist rather than love interest for Tsukuru. Meanwhile, the writer disagree because the
writer sees Sara, who is Tsukuru’s girlfriend, as the significant person in Tsukuru’s
them shows that love can heal his personality. The writer wants to show that
Tsukuru’s personality can develop because he really love Sara and he considers her
as the important person in his life. Another article that discusses about Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is proposed by Toby Lichtig (2014):
The grace with which Mr. Murakami builds to this uncomfortable realization is characteristic of this tender novel. So too is the author's hold over his readers as we urge Tsukuru on. It is through the liberation of love that he may find his place in the world. Tsukuru's—and our—relief when he finally submits to desire, to the messy multiplicity of life, is palpable. We are told: "It was a wonderful thing to be able to truly want someone" (www.wsj.com, 2016)
His quotation above shows that he can find his place in the world through love. While the writer sees that it is not only a place in the world that Tsukuru is looking for, but also the truth that his friends leave him sixteen years ago. Because after all these years, he is still questioning why the four of them leave him behind
without any explanation. With Sara’s help, he can finally meet his friends again. It
shows that the love that he feels to Sara makes him believe that this time he will fight for the one that he loves.
Meanwhile, there is a study from Tyagita Ratna Wardhani that is related to the topic of this study. In her thesis, she analyzed the factors influencing Jacob’s
Personality Development in Stephanie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn. Firstly, the
researcher analyzed the personality of Jacob in Breaking Dawn by mentioning his
characteristics before it develops. Jacob’s characteristic before changing are free,
revealed the factors that influence Jacob’s personality development. In her thesis,
Wardhani mentioned that there are three factors which infuenced Jacob’s
personality development; family, environment, and emotion. Jacob and the members of his family is not really close thus it influenced Jacob’s personality who at first is a free person becomes rebellious. The environment where he lives also influenced his personality who at first is a bad-tempered person becomes calmer. Jacob who is sarcastic, pessimistic and inferior changed into polite, pessimistic and superior. The last factor that influenced his personality development is emotion. Because of Jacob loves Bella, he becomes calmer and superior.
On the other hand, there is a difference between this study and Tyagita Ratna
Wardhani’s undergraduate thesis. Wardhani in her thesis, wants to find out the
factors that influence the personality development of Jacob in Stephenie Meyer’s
Breaking Dawn. The factors that influence Jacob’s personality development are family, environment and emotion.
This study is different from the previous study. In this case, the writer finds out that it is not only family, environment and emotion which influence someone’s personality but also the significant people can cause someone’s personality to develop. The writer focuses on the way Sara, who is Tsukuru’s girlfriend becomes
the significant person, come into Tsukuru’s life and helps him to develop his
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Character is one of the important elements in the story. The author delivers the main idea of the story through the characters. In this study the theory of character and characterization are important in order to analyze the characters in Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. Characters, as Abrams
defines, are the persons represented in a literary work and have particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities and can be seen through what the persons say or the dialogue and from what they do or the action (2009: 46). In his book, Abrams also states that a character may remain stable or unchanged in outlook and disposition from the beginning until the end of a literary work or it may undergo a radical change either through a gradual process of development or as the result of a crisis (2009: 46).
In order to analyze the characters in a literary work, there should be an observation towards the dialogue and the actions done by the characters in the story.
While characterization according to Murphy is “the concept of creating characters”
(1972: 161-173). There are nine ways of an author to reveal thecharacterization to the readers.
a. Personal Description
The author describes the character through the character’s appearance, for
b. Character as seen by another
The character is described through the eyes and opinions of another character in the story. Thus, the reader gets a reflected image of the character (Murphy, 1972: 162).
c. Speech
The author describes and give us insight into the character through what she or he says. The readers then can understand the characteristic of the character when she or he speaks in the conversation with another (Murphy, 1972: 164).
d. Past life
By letting the reader learn something about the character’s past life, the author
may give a clue to events that have helped shape the characterization of the
character. It is described by the person’s thought or the conversation and meeting
with another person (Murphy, 1972: 166). e. Conversation of others
The author can also describe the character of a person through the conversations of other people (Murphy, 1972: 167).
f. Reactions
Thsse author describes the character by letting the readers know how that person reacts to various situations and events (Murphy, 1972: 168).
g. Direct comment
h. Thoughts
The author gives direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about (Murphy, 1972: 171).
i. Mannerisms
The author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies
which may also tell the readers about the character (Murphy, 1972: 173).
The theory of character and characterization are needed to get a deeper
analysis on Tsukuru’s personality. In this study, the writer only uses several ways
which are suitable to analyze the main character in the novel. In addition, the author does not use all of the ways to characterize the main character. So it is still possible that the writer only uses several ways to analyze the main character’s characteristics.
2. Theory of Personality Development
Literature is a part of art which is the form of any written work. While psychology is a scientific study of human behavior. Psychology studies about
human’s mental condition, behavior and many more in scientifically.
However, literature is an expression of human life from another person’s
point of view or the author. In literature, the readers could also study human’s
Since characters must be accepted as believable person (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 20), then they can be anlyzed through the perspective of psychology. The characters are considered as a human being that exist in a literary work, his/her personality can be analyzed through psychology as it deals with human’s psyche. Therefore, the psychological theory can be used in this study to help the writer in analyzing the personality of the characters in the story.
Every person has their own personality. It is indeed that a person may have a different personality from the others. Allport in Hurlock’s book defines personality as the dynamic organization within the individual of those psycho-physical systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought (1974: 7). It means that the personality of a person can determine the characteristic behavior and thought.
Someone’s personality pattern is not inherited since birth. The personality may
develop as a person experiences many things throughout his or her life. As Hurlock
explains, the personality pattern is “the product of learning during the course of
prolonged social relationships with people both within and outside the home”
(Hurlock, 1974: 19).
According to Hurlock, there are three major factors that determine someone’s personality development. “First, the individual’s hereditary endowment; second, early experiences within the family; and third, important events in later life outside
the home environment” (Hurlock, 1974: 19). Hereditary is the first factor that can
determine someone’s personality. There are some features such as physique,
On the other hand, the family also plays a big role in determining someone’s
personality. As Rainwater explains in Hurlock’s book, “personality is formed from the interaction of signicifant figures (first, the mother, later the father and siblings,
later extrafamilial firgues) with the child” (Hurlock, 1974: 19). It shows that before
someone socialize with other people outside home, his personality is shaped by his or her family interaction. Lastly, when a person interacts with the people outside
home, it is also shaped his or her personality. It may cause someone’s personality
develops. Based on the explanation above, it means that the personality of someone develops as it is also influenced by the experience the environment where he/she lives.
In her book, Hurlock explains that it is a common thing for a person who is not satisfied with his or her personality. After that, when a person dislikes one of the personality then he or she will try to change or improve the personality patterns.
According to Hurlock, changes in personality pattern were devided into three major categories (Hurlock, 1974: 120-122):
a. Better versus worse
This personality change depends on the situation or condition of someone’s
b. Quantitative versus qualitative
In her book, Hurlock states that “in qualitative changes, an already-present trait usually an undesirable one, is replaced by another trait, usually a desirable one” (Hurlock, 1974: 121). In her book, Hurlock gives an example in the case of selfishness, a qualitative change would mean that selfishness was eliminated and replaced with generosity. While in quantitative changes, characteristics already present are reinforced, strengthened or weakened.
Based on her explanation, it means that the quantitative changes of someone’s personality can be strengthened or weakened. But the qualitative changes mean
someone’s personality changes very radically because some factors. It means that
the previous characteristic is replaced with new characteristics. c. Slow versus rapidly
According to Hurlock, personality changes are slow and gradual. “It happens because every change involves the breaking of a previously learned habit and the learning of a new habit to replace it” (Hurlock, 1974: 122). It means that it takes time for someone to change or develop his/her personality so it cannot take place over night.
In addition, there are several conditions which responsible for personality change in someone. Hurlock says that changes in personality do not occur of their own accord. Usually they are the result of multiple revisions in the thoughts and
feelings related to the person’s concept of self. According to Hurlock, the
changes in roles, strong motivation, changes in the self-concept and use of psychotherapy (Hurlock, 1974: 124-130). However, there are only some conditions which are related in this study.
First, changes in significant people. Personality of someone can develop as the result of the change in the concept of significant people in his or her life. The significant people can be the family, friends, lover, spouse, employer, and children. As Hurlock explains, “when the significant people in an individual’s life change, and when someone tries to adapt the pattern of his/her behavior, attitudes, beliefs,
values and aspirations to theirs, changes in someone’s personality pattern are
inevitable” (Hurlock, 1974: 126). Briefly, from time to time, there is a change in
the concept of significant people to a person. If there is a gap or a big difference between the individual and the significant people, the individual will be motivated to develop his or her personality to narrow the gap.
Second, strong motivation. According to Hurlock, “when the motivation to improve the personality pattern is strong enough, changes can be effected (Hurlock, 1974: 127). Changes in someone’s personality can be the result of strong motivation
to improve someone’s personality pattern. People are strongly motivated to change
those traits to improve their social relationships in order to get greater social acceptance.
Third, changes in the self-concept. Hurlock defines that, “the self-concept is
the core of the personality pattern” (Hurlock, 1974: 128). It means that when there
change in his/her personality pattern. However, changes in self-concept is difficult as people grow older, and usually the changes occur slowly.
Based on Hurlock’s explanation above, there are eight conditions that may
influence someone’s personality pattern. However in this study, the writer does not
use all of them. For example in order to change someone’s personality, not every person needs psychotheraphy. The personality can change without any professional help because people can do it by themselves or by the significant people.
There are some conditions which are related to this study. They are significant people, strong motivation and changes in self-concept. Those conditions are used because it can be applied in this study. The three of the conditions that the writer
used affect the main character’s personality development.
C. Theoretical Framework
The writer needs to find out Tsukuru Tazaki’s characteristics before and after
he meets Sara Kimoto. The writer uses the theory of character and characterization
also Murphy’s method in order to indetify Tsukuru’s characteristics.
Then, the writer uses the theory of personality development by Elizabeth
Hurlock. The writer relates Tsukuru’s personality development to Sara Kimoto who
is Tsukuru’s girlfriend at the present time. In this study, the writer wants to show
how Tsukuru’s personality development is influenced by Sara. The way Sara helps
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. It is the thirteenth novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. Murakami’s books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as in other
country. His works have been translated into 50 languages.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage was first published by
Bungeishunu in Japan 2013. The novel sold one million copies in a month. On 12 August 2014, the English-language edition was released worldwide and it was translated by Philip Gabriel. The novel was listed as bestseller book of BookScan, NPR’s, and New York Times in the “Hardcover Fiction” category. Colorless
Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage was also awarded as Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Nominee (2015), New York Times Notable Book of the Year (2014) and Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction (2014).
This novel is about a life of Tsukuru Tazaki. Back in highschool, Tsukuru has four closest friends. His friends have a color in its meaning of their surnames except Tsukuru Tazaki. It makes him feeling “colorless”. Later, Tsukuru has to go to a
college in Tokyo while his friends stay in Nagoya. One day without no explanation his friends suddenly reject him and decide not to see him anymore.
having a dinner with Sara Kimoto, his curent girlfriend who works at a travel agency. They starts to see each other since the first time they met. As time goes by, Tsukuru tells Sara about the story of his four bestfriends in highschool. Sara pushes Tsukuru to meet his former friends again to know the reason why his friends suddenly leave him without no explanation 16 years ago. Sara tells Tsukuru that she will not commit to him unless he can solve his old problems. That is the reason why Tsukuru has to visit his friends again or he will lose Sara.
B. Approach of the Study
In this study, the writer wants to discuss the importance of Sara’s character in
Tsukuru’s personality development. The writer wants to reveal more about two
main characters who have a close relationship in the story and also the personality development of Tsukuru that caused by another character.
In order to anwer the problems formulated in the previous chapter, the writer uses psychological approach. The psychological approach is applied in this study because the development that occurs in Tsukuru’s personality is caused by the
influence of another character. Lewis Leary in his book says that “the psychological approach is an approach that applied principles of the modern psychology to characters or situation within a literary work or to the person who wrote the work” (Leary, 1976: 57).
Rohrbereger and Woods state that psychology and literature are related. Literature discusses human beings and their lives through the writer’s point of view
with the mind and behavior. The psychological approach will bring the writer and the readers to the analysis of the work psychological point of view of human being (1971: 6-15). Psychological approach is needed in order to analyze a character’s condition from the character’s thought, action and personality.
The focus of this study is to find out the importance of another character in the main character’s personality development. The reason why the writer uses
psychological approach is because the writer analyze the psychological side of the main character. Therefore, the psychological approach is suitable to study the topic.
C. Method of the Study
The writer divided the data sources into two parts, the primary data and the secondary data. The primary data of this study was Haruki Murakami’s Colorless
Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. While the secondary data were taken
from some books, articles, and also the internet sources which can be used to support and anlyze this study.
In writing this study, there were some steps taken. The first step was reading Haruki Murakami’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage so that
the writer could comprehend the whole story and its details in the story which were essentials in the process of writing this undergraduate thesis. The second step was the writer decided the topic of this study which was the importance of another character in the main character’s personality development in the story.
thesis were taken from various sources such as Theory of Literature, An Introduction to the Study of Literature, A Handbook to Literature, A New Handbook
of Literary Terms, Reading and Writing about Literature, Personality
Development, Understanding Unseens, American Literature: A Study and Research
Guide. All those books really helped the writer in analyzing the problems of this
study. Besides from printed sources, the writer also used the internet source to help doing this thesis.
Before analyzing the main problem of this study, the writer applied the theory of character and characterization to get deeper understanding about the characteristics of Tsukuru. Next, the writer analyzed the importance of Sara in Tsukuru’s personality development by using the theory of personality development.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter will be divided into two parts. In the first part, the writer discusses about the personality development of the main character that is described in the novel. It is used to show how the main character is characterized and how the personality of the character is developed. The writer analyzes Tsukuru Tazaki’s character before he meets Sara and after he meets Sara. After knowing that the personality of the main character develops, the writer continues analyzing the importance of Sara Kimoto in Tsukuru Tazaki’s personality development as revealed in the story.
A. The characteristics of Tsukuru Tazaki
Tsukuru Tazaki is the main character in Haruki Murakami’s novel Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years Years of Pilgrimage. In order to analyze Tsukuru’s personality development, the theory of character by Abrams and theory of characterization proposed by Murphy are used to see the way the author characterizes Tsukuru. In this part, the writer needs to analyze the characteristics of Tsukuru Tazaki. In order to analyze Tsukuru’s characteristics and his personality development, the writer uses Hurlock’s theory about personality development.
1. Tsukuru’s Characteristics before He Meets Sara Kimoto
his four friends tell him not to see them anymore. Tsukuru does not know the reason why he is abandoned by his friends sixteen years ago. Until one day, he meets Sara. Sara helps Tsukuru in finding out the reason of him being abandoned by his friends. a. Reserved
In the beginning of the story Tsukuru is characterized as a reserved man who is unwilling to show feelings. The story begins with the description of his routines in college. It seems like he has no desire to make friends or do outside activities. Tsukuru repeats the same activity everyday. He prefers to be alone. It can be seen from the description of his daily activity in college.
When the sun rose, so would Tsukuru─he’d brush his teeth, throw on whatever clothes were at hand, ride the train to college, and take notes in class. He clung to this daily routine. He only spoke to people when necessary, and after school, he would return to his solitary apartment. He didn’t read any newspaper, didn’t listen to music, and had no sexual desire to speak of (Murakami, 2014: 2).
The quotation above shows Tsukuru’s activity during his college life. He only
speaks to people when necessary so most of the time he spends his time alone. He wakes up in the morning, goes to school and back straightly to his apartment as soon as the class is over. He does not have the spirit to live a life by having a relation with other people. Based on Murphy’s theory, the characteristic of a character can be seen from the way the author describe a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies
(Murphy, 1972: 1730. From the statement above, the writer can see the characteristic of the main character as a reserved man by using Murphy’s theory.
her eyes and looked at him. “I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t,” Tsukuru said.
“I guess I’m basically not very outgoing (Murakami, 2014: 21).” Tsukuru’s
characteristic can be seen from the conversation between him and Sara. Tsukuru does not mind if he does not have any friend in Tokyo. He also admits that he is not very outgoing. He prefers to spend his time alone. Based on the conversation of the main character with another character, the writer can analyze the characteristic of the main character by using Murphy’s theory. In his book, Murphy states that the characteristic can be seen through his speech (Muprhy, 1972: 164). From his words, Tsukuru admits that actually he is a person who is not very outgoing. He rarely express his feelings, so it does not matter if he does not have a friend at all.
Back in high school, Tsukuru has four best friends. He meets them in high school. Two boys and two girls. The five of them are classmates at a public high school in the suburbs of Nagoya. He feels comfortable with his four friends. Even though Tsukuru is the only one who lives in Tokyo, but whenever there is a school vacation he will come back home immediately. Nagoya is his hometown. The only place where his family and friends live. So he does not mind if he does not have any single friend in Tokyo. Tsukuru learns that people in Tokyo are different from his hometown. He never meet anyone he feels like getting to know better. He also reads constantly, more than he ever had before.
the truth what just happen with the group. But Ao refuses to tell him and he says that Tsukuru had better ask himself. After that, he goes back to Nagoya as seldom as possible.
When I did return, I tried not to leave my house and once I was done with whatever I had to do, I came back to Tokyo as quickly as I could. My mother and older sisters were worried and asked me if something had happened, but I never said anything. There was no way I could tell them (Murakami, 2014: 31).
The quotation above shows that Tsukuru also does not have a close relation with his family. It can be seen from the way he thinks that there is no way that he can tell his problem to his family. It means Tsukuru keep all his problems just for himself. Tsukuru is the only son in his family. He has two older sisters. According to the story, he does not really close with his father. Tsukuru’s father runs a real estate business in Nagoya. His father is busy all the time so he is rarely at home and does not have much time to spend the time with Tsukuru.
Truth be told, he didn’t remember his father all that well, nor did he have particularly warm memories of him. He could not recall ever going anywhere with his father, from the time he was small until he was grown up, or even having a friendly talk, just the two of them. His father was basically an uncommunicative person and besides, work kept him so busy that he was rarely around (Murakami, 2014: 289).
It shows that Tsukuru, as the only son in the family, is not really close to his father. So when his father died, Tsukuru cannot remember a good memory that they may have shared together. But on the other hand, he is also not very close to his mother. It can be seen when his mother visits him in Tokyo. As a mother, she senses that Tsukuru may has a problem that he cannot share to anyone. When Tsukuru is not going home for New Year’s holiday, his mother visits him immediately to
She found that Tsukuru had started to act and speak a little oddly. When she saw how much her son had changed in the space of a few months, she was speechless. But Tsukuru attributed it to ‘normal changes you go through when you’re my age.’ What he really needed, he told her, were clothes that actually fit him now, and his mother totally accepted his explanation. She’d grown up with a sister and, after her own marriage, was more familiar with how to raise her daughters. She had no idea how to raise a boy (Murakami, 2014: 41).
The quotation above shows that even with his mother, Tsukuru still cannot tell about his problem. Although physically, he may has changed, he acts normally as if nothing happens. In addition, another proof that shows Tsukuru does not have a close relation with his family is when his father died, Tsukuru comes back to Nagoya for his father’s funeral. But soon after that, “Tsukuru continued his work
in Tokyo building railroad stations, without much contact with his family. His visits to Nagoya remained few and far between” (Murakami, 2014: 48).
From those quotations above, it helps the writer to analyze Tsukuru’s personality as a reserved man. Also from the way he thought when he thinks that he cannot share his problems to his family, even when his mother comes to Tokyo and asks him whether there is something she should know, Tsukuru remains silent and acts normally. As Murphy states that someone’s characteristic can be seen from the way he/she thinks. Tsukuru’s thoughts and from the conversatation he has with his mother, it proves that he tends to have a difficulty to communicate with other people. Especially for expressing his feelings.
When he got up, he’d take a shower, wash his hair, and always brush his teeth after eating. He made his best to keep busy. At night, he read for two hours or so, mostly history or biographies. A long-standing habit. Habit, in fact, was what propelled his life forward. Though he no longer believed in a perfect community, nor felt the warmth of chemistry between people (Murakami, 2014: 42).
Tsukuru does not make a close relation with anyone since then. As it is stated in the novel, Tsukuru does not believe in a perfect community. He does not feel the warmth of chemistry between him and the people around him. He continues his flat daily life in Tokyo just like he did in Nagoya. It is said that “being banished didn’t
have any immediate negative effects on his daily routine (Murakami, 2014: 3).” It means that he already has the difficulty to socialize with other people. He also has a monotone life before he meets his friends and after his friends leave. That is the reason why it is difficult for him to socialize with the others.
When he meets Sara for the first time, he still does not want to reveal his thoughts or feelings to Sara. Because it seems odd for him to share his problems to someone he has just met. Tsukuru still believes that it is not necessary for people around him know about his life, especially about his past life.
Tsukuru, of course, had no idea what Sara was thinking about. And he didn’t want to reveal to her what was on his mind. There are certain thoughts that, no matter what, you have to keep inside. And it was those kinds of thoughts that
ran through Tsukuru’s head as he rode the train home (Murakami, 2014: 35).
In the book Understanding Unseens An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students, Murphy states that there are several ways
that can be used by the author to characterize a character in the story. As it has been mentioned in the previous chapter, that the author gives direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about and the author can also describe a person’s mannerism, habit or idiosyncrasies to tell the readers about the character in the story (Murphy, 1972: 173). By using several ways to characterize the character, Tsukuru Tazaki can be categorized as a reserved man. It can be seen from the the way he thinks and from his habits.
b. Lacking self-confidence
Besides characterizing Tsukuru as a reserved man, the author also characterizes him as a person who is lacking self-confidence. It can be seen from his thoughts. When he is still in the group, there is something in his thought that bother him. His four friends have one thing in common: their surnames all contain a color.
Tazaki was the only last name that did not have a color in its meaning. From the very beginning this fact made him feel a bit left out. Of course whether or not you had a color as part of your name had nothing to do with your personality. Tsukuru understood this. But still, it disappointed him, and he surprised himself by feeling hurt. Soon, the other four friends began to use nicknames: the boys were called Aka (red) and Ao (blue); and the girls were Shiro (white) and Kuro (black). But he just remained Tsukuru. How great it would be, he often thought, if I had a color in my name too. Then everything would be perfect (Murakami, 2014: 6).
However, all five of them are from suburban, upper-middle-class families. Their parents are baby boomers; their fathers are all professionals. At least their families were peaceful and stable. Tsukuru often compares himself to his friends in the group. He thinks that if he has a color in his name, then everything will be perfect. He will be the same as the others.
Tsukuru’s best friend, Aka, is the one with the best grades. Ao is good in
sports. Shiro is beautiful and has a natural talent in music. While Kuro although she is not as beautiful as Shiro, she is independent, tough and a great reader. Tsukuru has no special skills or talent. Thus, it makes him to feel like he is lacking of color. Another proof that shows Tsukuru’s personality can be seen below:
Tsukuru Tazaki was the only one in the group without anything special about him. He wasn’t especially interested in academics. His grades were slightly above average. He didn’t mind sports but never was interested enough to join a team. He had no deep interest in the arts, no hobby or special skill. He wasn’t especially outgoing and could never relax around people he’d just met. There was not one single quality he possessed that was worth bragging about or showing off to others. At least that was how he viewed himself. Everything about him was middling, pallid, lacking in color (Murakami, 2014: 10).
There is also a moment that shows Tsukuru’s personality who is lacking self
confidence. It is when Tsukuru tells Sara about himself “I feel more often how dull and insignificat I am for other people” (Murakami, 2014: 32). From those quotations show how Tsukuru sees himself. According to Murphy, someone’s characteristic can be revealed from what the character says (Murphy, 1972: 164). The quotations above, strengthen the writer’s opinion that Tsukuru is lacking
Murphy’s theory, the writer can characterizes Tsukuru as a person who is lacking
self-confidence from the way he thinks and his speech.
Another statement that shows Tsukuru’s personality is from his thought that
maybe he is fated to always be alone in his entire life. All of friends who come to his life are searching for something and in the end they will leave him behind.
Maybe I am fated to always be alone, Tsukuru found himself thinking. People came to him, but in the end they always left. The came, seeking something, but either they couldn’t find it, or were unhappy with what they found (or else they were disappointed or angry), and then they left. One day, without warning, they vanished, with no explanation, no word of farewell. ‘Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki,’ he said aloud. I basically have nothing to offer to others. If you think about it, I don’t even have anything to offer myself (Murakami, 2014: 100-101).
Based on his way of thinking, Tsukuru can be categorized as a person who is lacking self-confidence. This can be seen through Murphy’s theory. It is stated in the book that the thought of the character may give a clue to his/her characteristic (Murphy, 1972: 171). Therefore, based on Tsukuru’s thoughts and the conversation with Sara, it gives clue that his personality is lack self-confidence.
c. Pessimistic
Tsukuru is not only characterized as reserved and lacking self-confidence but he is also a pessimistic person. This can be seen when he has the fear that one day he will be separated from the group. Although Tsukuru is happy and proud to be included in the group, still he has the fear of being left by his friends.
community, or be forced out and left on his own. The fear that he would be separated from the group and end up entirely alone (Murakami, 2014: 12).
But actually, none of these concerns seem to bother the other four. Tsukuru thinks that one day he will be separated from the group because his name does not represent any color at all. Based on Murphy’s theory, the thought of the character can give a clue about someone’s characteristic, Tsukuru way of thinking gives the
clue that he is a pessimistic person.
After his friends leave without any reason many years ago, Tsukuru still does not want to find the truth. He thinks that no matter what the truth was, it will not save him. It can be seen from his conversation between him and Sara below:
“If it had been me, I would have stayed there and not left until I got the bottom of it,” Sara said.
“I was not strong enough for that,” Tsukuru said. “You did not want to find out the truth?”
Tsukuru stared at his hands on the tabletop, carefully choosing his words. “I think I was afraid of pursuing it, of whatever facts might come to light. Of actually coming face-to-face with them. Whatever the truth was, I didn’t think it would save me. I’m not sure why, but I was certain of it” (Murakami, 2014: 31).
From quotation above it can be seen that Tsukuru is pessimistic about his problems. He wants to forget it instead of finding out the truth. Another proof that shows Tsukuru is pessimistic over his problems is when he has a conversation with Sara, “I’m not saying I didn’t feel like knowing the truth. But after all these years,
I think it’s better just to forget about it. It was a long time ago, and it’s all sunk within the past” (Murakami, 2014: 32).
the past and find out the truth. He thinks that searching for the reason or correcting a misunderstanding is beyond him. When his friends tell him that they do not want to see or talk to him anymore, he cannot say anything or ask for their reason. Because he is shock. He feels that he might never recover. Murphy says that the clue to the characteristic of the character can be seen through the speech of the character when he/she speaks in the conversation with another in the story (Murphy, 1972: 164). Tsukuru’s pessimistic personality can be seen by his speech.
Before Tsukuru meet Sara, he dates several women. He has fairly long-term, serious relationships with all of them. He does not want to just play around. But he cannot make it. He feels that he was not seriously attracted to any of them. He likes them but he feels that the problems are at him, not with any of the women he dates. Tsukuru is afraid that if he really loves someone, the one that he loves might be gone without a reason and he will be left alone. Just like his high school friends who leave him behind. Another conversation that shows Tsukuru’s personality can be seen below:
“You could only have a relationship with women you didn’t have to totally open up to.”
“I might have been afraid that if I really loved someone and needed her, one day she might suddenly disappear without a word, and I’d be left all alone.” “So consciously or unconsciously you always kept a distance between yourself and the women you dated. Or else you chose women you could keep that distance from. So you wouldn’t get hurt. Does that sound about right?” Tsukuru didn’t reply, his silence an affirmation (Murakami, 2014: 88).
to be totally open up to. Because he is afraid that if he get too attached with the women he dates, he will be left all alone again. He is afraid of being hurt by someone he loves. Tsukuru’s speech in those quotations above gives the clue to the writer that Tsukuru’s personality is pessimistic.
The analysis above shows Tsukuru’s personality before he meets Sara.
Before he meets Sara, Tsukuru’s personality is reserved lacking self confidence and pessimistic. It is not easy for him to reveal his feelings to the others. He has a flat-monotone life, so he does not have any single friend since his four friends leave him. Tsukuru also does not have a close relation with his family. He tends to keep all of his feelings alone without share it to anyone including his family.
He once dates several women before he meets Sara but actually he is not attracted to them. Because he is so afraid that the people he loves will leave him all alone again. So he prefers not to be open about his true feelings and his personality to the women he dates. Tsukuru thinks that maybe since he was born he is fated to always be alone. Therefore, Tsukuru is characterized as a person who is reserved, lacking self confidence and pessimistic.
2. Tsukuru’s Characteristics after He Meets Sara Kimoto
In this part, the writer discusses the changing of the main character’s personality. Tsukuru’s personality develops after he meets Sara Kimoto. Murphy’s
a. Expressive
Tsukuru meets Sara for the first time at a party to celebrate his boss’ newly constructed house. After that, they exchange email addresses. Sara is two years older than Tsukuru. She works in a travel agency. Sara is the first and the only person whom Tsukuru can share his problems with. From the first time Tsukuru met Sara, Tsukuru is attracted to Sara’s appearance. This can be seen from the way he thought when they meet for the first time.
“From the first time he saw her, Tsukuru had liked Sara’s looks. She wasn’t typically beautiful. Her prominent cheekbones gave her an obstinate look, and her nose was narrow and pointed, but there was something indefinably vital and alive about her face that caught his eye. He wasn’t normally conscious of it, but there was one part of his body that was extremely sensitive, somewhere along his back. The day they met they talked for a long time, though he couldn’t recall much of what they said. What he did recall was the special feeling on his back, and the indefinably thrilling sensation it brought to his mind and body. One part of him relaxed, another part tightened up. But what did it mean? Tsukuru thought about this for days. So he emailed Sara and invited her to dinner. He was determined to find out the meaning of that feeling, of that sensation” (Murakami, 2014: 14-15).
According to the story, from the first time Tsukuru see Sara there is something in Sara that makes Tsukuru want to know more about her. Part of his body relaxed wherever he is around Sara. He does not know what is the meaning of that sensation. He thinks about it for days and finally he invites Sara to dinner because he wants to find out the meaning of that feeling. Tsukuru’s reaction gives the clue that he feels something new that he never experiences before. He is curious about it. This what makes him to finally invite Sara to dinner.
alone. He also tells Sara that it is the first time in his life that anyone has rejected him so completely. Tsukuru has never told about this to anyone before, but with Sara he can tell her everything. It can be see from the conversation between him and Sara, “Why are we talking about this?” Tsukuru said, half to himself, trying to sound upbeat. “I’ve never talked to anybody about this before, and never planned to.”Sara smiled faintly. “Maybe you needed to talk with somebody. More than you
ever imagined” (Murakami, 2014: 33).
Based on the conversation above, it can be seen that Tsukuru has never told his problems to anyone before. Tsukuru shows his personality by his reaction toward the conversation with Sara. This is based on one of Murphy’s theory, “the author describes the character by letting the readers know how that person reacts to various situations and events” (Murphy, 1972: 173). It means that the readers can see the characteristic of the character from the way he/she reacts. Tsukuru’s reaction emphasizes that he feels a little bit surprised to finally share his problem to another person. It shows that since he meets Sara, Tsukuru realizes that finally he can express his feelings that he has kept over the years.
In this analysis, Tsukuru’s personality develops as a reserved man in the beginning of the story then becomes more expressive by express his feelings to Sara. His personality development shows when he tells Sara that he loves her more than anything.
“I love you, Sara, and I want you more than anything.”
Over the phone he heard a rustling sound, as if she were fumbling for something. She gave a small cough, then made a sound he took to be an exhalation.
“Of course,” Sara said. “I mean, it’s not even four yet. You can say whatever you want. Nobody’s listening in. They’re all sound asleep.”
“I truly love you, and I want you,” Tsukuru repeated (Murakami, 2014: 276).
From the conversation above, it shows that Tsukuru experiences personality development. At first, when the people walk away from his life, he will forget about what just happen and continue his life. He keeps his feelings just for himself. He has never shared it to the others. But deep down in his heart, the feeling of being left by the people he loves still bothers him. So since he meets Sara and he is attracted to her physically and emotionally, he makes a decision to tell Sara what he is truly feel about her. He tells Sara that he loves her and wants her to stay. Based on Tsukuru’s speech, it gives clue to the reader that Tsukuru dares to express his
feeling towards Sara.
b. Confident
The other development on Tsukuru’s personality after he meets Sara is the
confident characteristic. Five days after Tsukuru tells Sara about what happen between him and his four friends, Tsukuru invites Sara to dinner. Sara accepts Tsukuru’s invitation and says that there is something she wants to talk about.
Tsukuru has no idea what that might be. But the thought of seeing her again cheer him up. When he does not see her for a while it is as if something are missing from his life. He has not feel this way in a long time.
Seeing Sara regularly makes Tsukuru’s personality develops. He is a person
can value himself more. Before he meets Sara, he thinks that his personality lacks of color so people will throw him away as soon as they realize that Tsukuru has nothing to offer from his characteristics. So thus, he becomes a person who is lacking self-confidence. Tsukuru’s personality becomes confident also can be seen when he takes the chance to visit his friends again.
After hearing Sara’s suggestions, Tsukuru thinks that maybe Sara is right.
This is the right time for him to see his friends again. He believes that he can do it. That the thing about seeing his friends again is something he has to do. Otherwise, the problem will still haunt him. Tsukuru’s ability to believe in himself to see his friends again can be seen from his conversation with Sara below:
“The firstthing I’d like to know is this if you know where these four friends are now, do you want to see them again? Even if you find out that some of what I’m going to tell you is unpleasant? Facts you might wish you hadn’t found out about?”
Tsukuru nodded. “I can’t guess what those might be, but I do plan to see the four of them, I’ve made up my mind.”
Sara gazed at his face for some time before speaking (Murakami: 2104, 113-114).
Based on Murphy’s theory that has been mentioned in the previous chapter
before, “the author can also describe the character of through the conversation with other people” (Murphy, 1972: 164). From Tsukuru’s conversation’s with Sara, it
gives clue about his personality development. It is clearly seen that the conversation shows Tsukuru now becomes confident to see his friends again. The thought that he is a person who lacks of color slowly fade away.
Tsukuru also convinces himself that if he cannot see his friends on the day he comes, he will think about another way. “If he wasn’t able to meet with them
approach” (Murakami, 2014: 123-124). It shows that he will not give up that easily. No matter what happens, he needs to talk again with his friends. So then he really starts to visit his friends one by one. He is not afraid to ask them the reason why they leave him many years ago.
Soon after that, he also confesses his feelings to Sara. He tells Sara that he loves her and wants her to stay. It shows to the reader that Tsukuru’s action proves
that after he meets Sara, he is more confident about himself. He wants the people that he loves stay in his life rather than running away for no reason like usual. It shows that Tsukuru is confident enough to start a serious relationship with Sara. “Tsukuru, you need to hang on to her. No matter what. If you let her go now, you
might not ever have anyone elese in your life. No matter what, he had to make Sara his” (Murakami, 2014: 298).
According to Murphy, the author can give direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about (Murphy, 1972: 171). Therefore, all the quoatations above help the writer in order to analyze the characteristics of Tsukuru after he meets Sara. His personality develops from lacking self-confidence become confident. It can be seen from his reaction and his thoughts. His confidence can be seen when he takes chances to visit his friends and speak to them again. He also believes that Sara has the same feelings, so he tells her straightforwardly that he loves her.
c. Optimistic
wants to have a serious relationship with her. Tsukuru finally agree to give Sara a list of his four friends’ names. She wants Tsukuru to visit his old friends in order to
find the reason why his friends leave him many years ago. Sara tells Tsukuru that if Tsukuru still wants to have a serious relationship with her, then he needs to come face-to-face with the past. He has never feel like this before. He really wants her to stay in his life. So, he will do anything to make her stay. It means that he should talk again with his friends and find out the reason they leave many years ago. He should do what Sara suggests to him to prove that what he feels with Sara is different. He used to be a person who is afraid of being in a serious relationship. But since he meets Sara, he wants to prove her that he does not feel like that anymore.
“And the same thing might hapen with you and me,” Sara said.
“No, I don’t think so. It’s different with you. I really mean that. I want to open up my heart to you. I truly feel that way. That’s why I’m telling you all this (Murakami, 2014: 88).”
That is Tsukuru’s reaction when he has a conversation with Sara. By telling her, “No, I don’t think so. It’s different with you” it shows Tsukuru’s optimism
towards his relationship with Sara. He convinces her that he will try to open up his heart to Sara. He is optimistic that this time, his relationship with Sara will work out.
Another quotation that shows Tsukuru’s optimistic personality is seen in what he thought when he is waiting for Sara’s asnwer.
to her right away. And give her everything I’m capable of giving – every single thing” (Murakami, 2014: 297-298).
Tsukuru’s optimism can be seen from the quotation above. According to
Murphy’s theory in the previous chapter, the characteristic of the character can be
described through how the character reacts to various situation and events (Murphy, 1972: 168). Based on his theory, the writer analyzes Tsukuru’s personality development becomes optimistic from the way he reacts to Sara. When Sara says that maybe the same thing may going to happen to their relationship, Tsukuru convinces her that it will not. He is sure that what he feels to Sara is different. So, he will try to open up his heart to Sara.
He is no longer a pessimistic person. He knows that Sara also loves him. Therefore, he thinks that right after when Sara says she loves him too, he will proposes her right away. He will do anything to make Sara stay.
B. The Importance of Sara Kimoto in Tsukuru’s Personality Development
In the previous analysis, Tsukuru’s personality develops after he meets
changes in social pressures, changes in roles, strong motivation, changes in self-concept and the use of psychotherapy (Hurlock, 1974: 124-130).
Hurlock’s theory is applied in this thesis in order to find out which
conditions are contribute to Tsukuru’s personality development. In this case, the condition which is responsible for Tsukuru’s personality development is the
significant person. The significant person in Tsukuru’s life also helps him to change
his self-concept by giving him a strong motivation. Hurlock states that “the influence from the significant people bring about personality changes depend on how much their attitudes, values, and so on differ from those of the individual. If there is a great disparity, the individual will be motivated to develop his or her personality” (Hurlock, 1974: 126).
According to the story, Sara is considered as the significant person in Tsukuru’s life. Sara’s influence to Tsukuru’s personality development is shown
‘I’ve never experienced that myself, but I think I can imagine how stunned you must have been. I understand that you couldn’t recover from it quickly. But still, after time had passed and the shock had worn off, wasn’t there something you could have done? I mean, it was so unfair. Why didn’t you challenge it? I don’t see how you could stand it.’
Tsukuru shook his head slightly. ‘The next morning I made up some excuse to tell my family and took the bullet train to Tokyo. I couldn’t stand being in Nagoya for one more day. All I could think of was getting away from there.’
‘If it had been me, I would have stayed there and not left until I got the bottom of it,’ Sara said.
‘I wasn’t strong enough for that,’ Tsukuru said (Murakami, 2014: 30-31).
From the conversation above, it can be seen that Tsukuru is afraid to talk to his friends again and ask the reason why they treat him that way. Tsukuru thinks that it is better just to forget about it. He is 36 years old now and because it happens many years ago, he believes that it will sink within the past. Tsukuru also has never discussed it with anyone before. Sara is the only one who Tsukuru can tell about his problem.
Another proof that shows Sara encourages Tsukuru not to be afraid to talk with his friends again is can be seen below:
“But more than sixteen years have passed. You are an adult now, in your late thirties. The pain might have been terrible back then, but isn’t it time to finally get over it?”
“Get over it,” Tsukuru repeated. “What exactly do you mean?”
“I get the feeling that the time has come for you to find out why you were cut off,
