COMING OF AGE: AN ANALYSIS OF A YOUNG ADULT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IN ELLEN HOPKINS’ YOUNG ADULT NOVEL CRANK.

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Rizky Fajarrani, 2013

COMING OF AGE: AN ANALYSIS OF A YOUNG ADULT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IN ELLEN HOPKINS’ YOUNG ADULT NOVEL CRANK

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

COMING OF AGE: AN ANALYSIS OF A YOUNG ADULT CHARACTER

DEVELOPMENT IN ELLEN HOPKINS’ YOUNG ADULT NOVEL CRANK

A Research Paper

Submitted to the English Education Department of the Faculty of Languages and Arts Education of the Indonesia University of Education as Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for Sarjana Sastra Degree

By:

RIZKY FAJARRANI 0804630

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS EDUCATION INDONESIA UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

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Coming of Age: An Analysis of a Young Adult

Character Development in Ellen Hopkins’

Young Adult Novel Crank

Oleh Rizky Fajarrani

Sebuah skripsi yang diajukan untuk memenuhi salah satu syarat memperoleh gelar Sarjana pada Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra

Februari 2013

Hak Cipta dilindungi undang-undang.

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PAGE OF APPROVAL

Coming of Age: An Analysis of a Young Adult Character Development in Ellen

Hopkins’ Young Adult Novel Crank

By: Rizky Fajarrani

0804630

Approved by:

First Supervisor

Dr. Rd. Safrina Noorman, M.A. NIP. 196312291990022001

Second Supervisor

R. Della N. Kartika Sari, S.Pd., M.Ed. NIP. 197704142001122003

Head of English Education Department Faculty of Languages and Arts Education

Indonesia University of Education

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ABSTRACT

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ABSTRAK

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COMING OF AGE: AN ANALYSIS OF A YOUNG ADULT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IN ELLEN HOPKINS’ YOUNG ADULT NOVEL CRANK Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1.8 Organization of the Paper ... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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2.1 Young Adult: Characteristic and DevelopmentError! Bookmark not

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2.2 Coming of Age ... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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5.1 Conclusions ... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter revolves around introduction of the research including the

background of the study, research question, the aim of the study, the scope of the study, the significance of the study, research methodology, clarification of terms

and the organization of the paper.

1.1 Background

Young adults or adolescents are those between 12- to 20-years of age who experience a period of transition from childhood to adulthood (Bucher and Hinton, 2010, p.2). This transition involves various developments, namely

biological, psychological and social development (Karunan, 2006, p.5). Karunan (2006) further states that these developments occur simultaneously at different

paces for each adolescent within each gender, being impacted oftentimes, by structural and environmental factors.

Every adolescent or young adult is maturing, but each may take a different

road and going at different speed on his or her journey from childhood to adulthood (Manning and Bucher, 2009, as cited in Bucher and Hinton, 2010, p.2).

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to be an adult. Therefore, Bucher and Hinton (2010) further state that it is important to know adolescents or young adults on an individual basis and to use

this knowledge to select appropriate young adult literature.

One of the common themes of young adult literature is coming of age. Terminologically, the expression coming of age is usually used to mean „to reach full legal adult status‟ (Millard, 2007, p.11). Millard (2007) further says that the

moment of coming of age is usually occur in twelve and nineteen-years-old. In

this case, adolescents try to reach full legal adult status variously between cultures, especially in relation to such cultural markers as alcohol, sexual consent,

driving license, and marriage.

There are some previous studies that have been conducted focusing on coming of age issue within young adult literature. For instance, Fox (2010) on her journal entitled “Girls Coming of Age: Possibilities and Potentials within Young

Adult Literature” centered on the voices and of experiences of young girls,

coming of age. Fox (2010) found out that girls are bombarded with images of skinny models that help to perpetuate pervasive body image problems, and the need to be “perfect”. Fox (2010) also uncovered that these oppressions construct

girls‟ identities through their process of coming of age.

The issue of coming of age is often adapted in a story of young adult fiction.

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when she went to visit her father. She experiences many problems in her coming-of-age period such as becoming a drug user, being raped by a teenage boy and so

on. In other words, the story describes a teenage character who has to face her life with some problems. The ways she overcomes her problems are interesting to be

analyzed. In addition, the writer wrote her novel in an unusual yet unique way by writing the stories of Georgia like a poem. Hence, this study focuses on how the

the issue coming of age is addressed in the novel Crank by Ellen Hopkins.

1.2 Research Question

This study raises one question, that is:

How is the issue coming of age addressed in the novel Crank by Ellen

Hopkins?

1.3 Aim of the Study

In line with the problem of the study above, this study attempts to reveal:

The way coming of age issue is addressed in the novel Crank by Ellen

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1.4 Scope of the Study

The study investigates the way Georgia‟s coming of age is addressed in the novel entitled Crank which was written by Ellen Hopkins. Some problems which

come up in her coming-of-age period are taken to be the data.

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study focuses on how coming of age is described in the novel entitled

Crank which was written by Ellen Hopkins. It is expected that the study offers a different point of view in understanding the issue of coming of age in young adult

literature.

1.6 Research Methodology

1.6.1 Research Design

This present research is conducted using qualitative method due to the data

used in this research is in the form of text. The data which are in the form of words, phrases, and sentences are critically selected as textual evidences to answer the research question. The research analyzes the way coming of age issue is

addressed in the novel Crank by Ellen Hopkins.

1.6.2 Data Collection

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analysis. The data which are in the form of words, phrases, and sentences are critically selected as textual evidences to answer the research question.

1.6.3 Data Analysis

The data analysis is presented through the following procedures:

 Reading and re-reading the novel being investigated in attempt to find

the issue of coming of age of adolescents;

 Making the list of problems faced by the main character, Georgia, in

the coming of age stage occurs in the novel.

 Choosing the problems from the list which lead the main character to

the maturity. The purpose of making the list and choosing the problems from the list is to analyze and give textual evidences which

are needed for the research.

 Framing those textual evidences using thinking framework of young

adult, coming of age and also identity theory ;

 Analyzing and interpreting the result of data collection;

 Presenting the conclusion of the result and also providing suggestions

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1.7 Clarification of Terms

In this study, there are some terms that need to be clarified in order to avoid

misunderstanding of the concepts underlying the title of the study. Those terms are:

1. Adolescents

Adolescents or young adults are those between 12- to 20-years of age who experience a period of transition from childhood to adulthood (Bucher and

Hinton, 2010, p.2).

2. Coming of Age

Terminologically, the expression coming of age is the term that usually used to mean „to reach full legal adult status‟ (Millard, 2007, p.11).

Millard (2007) further says that the moment of coming of age is usually occur in nineteen and twelve-years-old.

3. Identity

Identity belongs to an individual as a subject or as a member of part of

particular social group (Barker, 2002, p.109). Barker (2002) further says that identity is thought to be a universal and timeless core, an „essence‟ of

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1.8 Organization of the Paper

This research consists of five chapters. It is organized as follows:

CHAPTER I

This chapter focuses on introduction of the research including the background of the study, research question, the aim of the study, the scope of the

study, the significance of the study, research methodology, clarification of terms and the organization of the paper.

CHAPTER II

The chapter covers the theoretical frameworks and also literature reviews which stand as the foundation of the study.

CHAPTER III

The chapter consists of the research methodology, discussing the steps and

procedures of the study, and the data resources in conducting the study.

CHAPTER IV

The chapter presents the research findings and discussion. In this part, the

discussion of the research is elaborated.

CHAPTER V

The last chapter provides a conclusion which is the interpretation of the result and

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter focuses on the research methodology which explains the

method applied in the present research. It revolves around the subject of the study, the research questions, the research methodology, the technique of data analysis,

the context of the research, and the data presentation.

3.1 Subject of the Study

The study focuses on an analysis of a young adult novel which represents the ways coming of age issue is addressed in the novel Crank by Ellen Hopkins. The analysis is centered on the main character named Georgia who experiences some teenagers’ conflicts in her coming of age stage. The novel was chosen to be

analyzed because the novel portrays the life of a girl who is going through her teenagers’ life and facing some problems which change her become a more

mature girl than before. It is in line with the discussion of the research that

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3.2 Research Question

This study raises one question, that is:

1 How is the issue coming of age addressed in the novel Crank by Ellen Hopkins?

3.3 Research Methodology

This present research is conducted using qualitative method due to the data used in this research are in the form of text. Qualitative method is a study approach in which the researcher tends to explore the unknown variables, asks the

broad and general questions to the participants, collects data of words, and reports all the study in a subjective way (Creswell, 2003, p. 12). The data which are in the

form of words, phrases, and sentences are critically selected as textual evidences to answer the research question.

As mentioned by Alwasilah (2002), qualitative research principle emphasizes that every finding is based on data; therefore findings are becoming more valid before stated as a theory. The data of qualitative method are used to

develop concepts and theories that help people to understand the subject of the study (Hancock, 2002, p.2). Hence, the data in this research are used to develop

the elaboration of concepts and theories which have been discussed in previous chapter.

Regarding to the procedure of the research, content analysis is applied in

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Crank. Content analysis is a procedure for the categorisation of verbal or behavioural data, for purposes of classification, summarisation and tabulation

(Hancock, 2002, p.21). Hancock (2002) further states that there are two levels in content analysis; first is the manifest level or type of analysis and latent level of

analysis.

Manifest level is the basic level of analysis which implies what was actually said with nothing read into it and nothing assumed about it (Hancock, 2002, p.21).

The second level is latent level of analysis or interpretative: it is concerned with what was meant by the response, what was inferred or implied (Hancock, 2002,

p.21). Due to the application of content analysis, this research is conducted by passing through the two levels of analysis to analyze the issues of coming of age and identity in the novel Crank.

The technique of this research engages through the following steps:

 Firstly, reading the novel carefully in attempt to understand and find out the issue presented in Ellen Hopkins’ Crank. Through the reading,

the textual evidences that reflect the coming of age of adolescents and identity are gathered from the novel.

 Secondly, making the list of character’s encounters with other

characters and the conflicts in the novel about the issue of coming of

age of adolescents and identity. The purpose of making this list was to analyze and gave textual evidences which were needed for the

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 Thirdly, classifying the character’s encounters with other characters

and the conflicts in the novel in relation to the issue of coming of age of adolescents based on the theory presented in the previous chapter.  Fourthly, writing brief notes in the highlighted textual evidences to

simply identify the textual evidences that are related to the issues of coming of age of adolescents and identity of the character’s actions, conflicts, and encounters with other characters regarding her ways in

solving the conflicts of her coming of age period in the process to be mature.

 Fifthly, analyzing the textual evidences and presenting the data of

analysis framedby the related theories that have been elaborated in the Chapter II to answer the research question. The primary theoretical frameworks applied in this research are coming of age and identity,

where the analysis is engaged with respect to the fact that genre of the novel analyzed in this research is fantasy fiction.

 Lately, discussing the findings and drawing conclusions.

3.4 Context of the Research

There are some excerpts which are presented in this research from Ellen Hopkins’s Crank that portray the coming of age of adolescents. The portrayal can

be noted from the main female character’s actions, conflicts, and encounters with

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regard to the issue of coming of age to find out how the character solves her problems of her coming of age period in the process to be an adult.

In addition, the main female character’s actions and conflicts as well as her encounters with other characters are also highlighted in respect to the issues of

coming of age and identity. Therefore, the research delves further to discover in what ways the character’s actions, choices, and encounters with other characters

reflect her coming of age period and her identity as an young adult.

3.5 Data Presentation

To accomplish the data analysis of the research, the presentation of the data is formulated in a form of the table. The purpose of the table presentation is also

to answer research question in proper form. The design of the table is as follows:

3.5.1 Textual Analysis of the Immature Phase

NO. Immature Phase

Narrative

Events Textual Evidences Textual Analysis

1. Unable to marriage, its bitter amen. Interested?

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marriage.

“ Could I save her? ………..

I hadn’t see Dad in eight years. No calls. No cards. No presents. He was self-serving bastard “How could she love him so much?”. reflect how Georgia is considered as the immature person. In fact, she is in the process

of thinking adults’

matters although her decisions are not mature enough.

3.5.2 Textual Analysis of the Mature Phase

NO. Mature Phase

Narrative

Events Textual Evidences Textual Analysis

1. Accepting

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The complete presentation of the data is available in the appendices section.

process of maturation In which she has finally been able to something

or someone by

considering other related aspects. It was a stunning confession.

And probably not completely accurate.

Yes, she had distanced herself through

work and stretching her affection. But

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter provides interpretations of the present research based on the findings and discussion that have been presented in the previous chapter. It also

contains the suggestions for the readers of the present research and other researchers who might have an interest in conducting the further research which is

comparable to the issues in this present research.

5.1 Conclusions

The present research has answered the research question which is formulated to discover and analyze the way of coming of age issue is addressed in

the novel Crank by Ellen Hopkins. It is based on the main female character’s actions, conflicts, and encounters with other characters within the limited circumstance. Concerning with the purpose of the research, it can be identified

that the novel presents the coming of age issue through the stage in which the main character, Georgia went through the phases relating to how she steps into

adulthood.

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character acquired the ability to make decisions for her life. The journey to the maturity is emphasized by the fact that Georgia develops the ability to finally

solve her own problems in life. It changes Georgia from a teenage girl who is simple-minded to a more mature teenager who is able to learn from her

experience.

The immature phase is characterized by the fact that the main character has no confidence in herself. The lack of confidence can be seen from three things that

reflect her behavior. Firstly, the main character is unable to face reality that relate to adults’ matters such as the divorce of the parents and unwanted pregnancy.

Second, the main character is easily influenced by her peers and other people in her circumstance. The last one, the main character makes uninformed judgment and decision without finding out the truth. Through those things, the main

character reflects a typical behavior of adolescent who seems to be lost and clueless in facing adulthood.

The next phase is mature phase in which the phase shows how the main character has experienced changes in her life so that she acquired the ability to make decisions for her life. In this case, the main character is finally able to face

reality, being less selfish and also learns to make informed judgment and decision. The fact that the main character experiences the progress toward a sense of a

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In conclusion Ellen Hopkins’ novel Crank captures the tendency of how coming of age novel describes adolescent who is in transition stage from children

to mature adult. The narrative events in coming-of-age novels move forward in time through a point of maturity. The narrative events revolving around the main character’s teenage life also indicate that there is a journey to the stage of

maturity. The journey to the maturity is emphasized by the fact that the main character is able to solve her teenage problems. It changes the main character

from a teenage girl who is simple-minded to a mature adult with higher-level of thought.

5.2 Suggestions

After conducting the research, there are some suggestions relating to the present research that can be proposed for further research. First, it would be better

for the next researchers to analyze other researchable issues or aspects that contained in the novel, such as the structure of the novel and the narrative purpose of the structure itself. The research conducted in other aspects or issues may

provide various perspectives of understanding the novel for the readers.

Second, the next researchers may conduct a similar issue in other literary

texts such as short stories, poems, drama scripts or song lyrics. The further study is suggested to elaborate more about how the issue coming age construct the identity of

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Regarding the issue of coming of age adapted in the young adult literature, it

would be the improvement of literary works if the researchers discover the power of a

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as of June 21, 2012. Available online:

http://via.library.depaul.edu/etd/34

Gauntlett, D. (2002). Media, Gender,and Identity: An Introduction . London: Routledge.

Hall, S. (2000). Who Needs Identity? In P. Du Gay, J. Evans, & P. Redman, Identity: A Reader (pp. 9-30). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Hancock, B. (2002). An Introduction to Qualitative Research (2nd ed.).

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Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu Hopkins, E. (2004). Crank. New York: Simon Pulse Edition.

Karunan, V. P. (2006). Adolescents Development: Perspective and Frameworks. AMERICANA - E-Journal of American Studies in Hungary. 4(2). Current as of August 30, 2012. Available online:

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Kellner, D. (1992). Popular Culture and the Construction of Postmodern Identities. In S. Lash, & J. Friedman, Modernity and Identity (pp. 141-117). Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.