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  ii  Maranatha Christian University    

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ………..………..

ii

ABSTRACT ……….………

iii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background of The Study

………..….……

1

Statement of The Problem

……….…….………

2

Purpose of The Study

………

3

Method of Research

………..………

3

Organization Of The Thesis

………….……….………..………

3

CHAPTER TWO: DISCUSSION ON THE PORTRAYAL OF TWO

MAJOR CHARACTERS IN THE HOUSE OF THE

LORD….……….…

4

CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ...………

15

BIBLIOGRAPHY …..……….

18

APPENDICES:

Synopsis of The House of The Lord

……….……

19

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  iii  Maranatha Christian University    

ABSTRACT

Dalam penulisan tugas akhir untuk memenuhi persyaratan memperoleh gelar

sarjana jurusan Sastra Inggris di Universitas Kristen Maranatha, saya menganalisis

sebuah novel karya Barry Dickins yang berjudul The House of The Lord. Dalam

analisis novel ini, fokus yang dikemukakan adalah karakteristik yang dimiliki oleh

tokoh-tokoh dalam novel, perubahan karakteristik mereka serta tujuan pengarang

novel menciptakan karakter tokoh-tokoh tersebut.

Novel ini menceritakan tentang dua tokoh utama, Bertie Warble dan Johnny

Rigos. Kedua tokoh ini mengalami perubahan karakteristik dalam kehidupan mereka.

Hal tersebut terjadi karena adanya pengaruh keluarga dan lingkungan sekitar mereka

yang secara tidak langsung membentuk karakteristik mereka sehingga cara pandang

mereka dalam menghadapi permasalahan hidup juga turut terpengaruh.

Dalam analisis ini dikemukakan bagaimana individu mempunyai tanggapan

yang berbeda-beda dalam menghadapi dan menyelesaikan problematika kehidupan.

Bertie yang tumbuh sebagai anak yang manja dan tidak dewasa menghadapi

permasalahannya dengan pandangan yang negatif, sementara Johnny yang penuh

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19 Maranatha Christian University

APPENDICES

Synopsis of The House of The Lord

The House of The Lord is a novel about Johnny Rigos, the adored son

of a Greek-Australian family. Having been sexually abused by a priest, he escapes

from the horror of his Catholic school dormitory. The experience changes his life

completely and makes him decide on a plan to save humanity by his good deeds.

Bertie Warble, who comes from a White-Australian family, lays his hope and

adoration on his father. He is blinded by the love he feels for his father. However

after being demoralized by his own father and his teachers, who ruin Bertie’s

perception of good men, Bertie becomes a person who does not easily trust

anyone. Both the major characters meet and later on trust each other. They

become friends and even have more than just friends’ feelings. Johnny falls in

love with Bertie but Bertie finds Jane, his first love, thus the three of them stuck in

a love triangle. Finally, they choose their choices of life and are separated. Johnny

dies because of his own good deeds. He is murdered because he refuses to give

some bastards the money he preserves for the poor people. Bertie finally finds the

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20 Maranatha Christian University Biography of the Author

Barry Dickins was born in Melbourne, suburb of Reservoir, Victoria

in 1949. He is married to Sarah Mogridge and they have a son whose name is

Louis. Leaving school early, he worked in a factory and as set-painter for

television. Through his association with La Mama Theatre, his first play, Ghost,

was performed in 1974. His play Remember Ronald Ryan won him the Victorian

Premier’s Literary Award in 1955.

He is known as one of Melbourne’s best-loved and most prolific

writers. He is a novelist who has worked as both a journalist and also an English

teacher in Melbourne. He has written some plays and script as well. His plays

have been produced by theatre companies throughout Australia.

His works including The Banana Bender and The Death of Minnie

(1981), Lennie Lower (1982), One Woman Shoe (1984), The Bridal Suite and

Mag and Bag: Two Plays (1985), Beautland (1985), The Golden Goldenbergs

(1986), The Fool’s Shoe Hotel (1987), Royboys (1987), My Grandmother (1989),

Remember Ronald Ryan (1994), Post Office Restaurant and Other Stories (1992),

My Grandfather: Years of Hope and Vigour (1993), Joey: a Dog for All Seasons

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Family and environment can influence humans’ characteristics and

personality. The treatment of the parents during one’s childhood is also of great

importance for the development of personality, as stated that “The home is regarded

as being by far the most important factor influencing character development”

(Bakwin 38). That is why childhood experience, especially traumatic experience can

affect someone’s characteristic changes. Barry Dickins brings this issue in his novel,

The House of The Lord.

Barry Dickins is known as one of Australian’s best-loved and prolific writers.

Barry Dickins writes novels, short stories, plays, scripts, biographies, non-fictions

and children books. His plays have been produced by theatres throughout Australia.

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to introduce Australia to the world because most of his work is set in Australia,

especially Melbourne; “Dickins is best described as a humorist who employs the

people, traditions and rituals of Melbourne in his dramatic writing” (www.auslit.edu).

That is the reason why I choose Barry Dickins. There is no doubt about his ability in

writing, which makes this novel is worth analyzing.

I choose Barry Dickins’s novel, The House of The Lord because the

characters in the novel are described in great details. I used formalism approach to do

my analysis. The element that I will analyse from the novel is portrayal of the two

major characters. I am interested to analyse it because the personalities of the major

characters in the story are familiar. I agree with Keeney, who says that “A character

is obviously relevant to us and our experience if he is like ourselves or like others

whom we know. Lifelikeness, then, is properly understood as one form of relevance.

A character is relevant if there are a lot of people like him in the real world” (27).

In my analysis, I want to focus on the major characters, Bertie Warble and

Johnny Rigos. Bertie Warble, the protagonist of the novel, changes into a negative

thinking person especially towards men since he feels demoralized and insulted by

his father and also his teacher. Johnny Rigos, the other major character, becomes a

person who changes his sexual orientation because he has a traumatic experience in

his teens. He has been sexually abused by a priest in his Catholic school. Both of

these major characters have one similarity, that is bad experience in the past that

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Statement of the Problem

1.

How does the author portray the two major characters?

2.

What is the purpose of the author in creating such characters?

Purpose of the Study

1.

To show how the author portray the major characters.

2.

To show the purpose of the author in creating such characters.

Method of Research

In my analysis, I read Barry Dickins’ novel, which is The House of The Lord

as the primary text. I choose the most significant element in this novel to be

analysed. Then I search other sources and references from books and electronic

website in order to support my analysis. Finally, I find conclusion based on my

analysis.

Organization of the Thesis

The thesis is organized into three chapters. Chapter One contains Background

of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of

Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two contains the analysis of

the portrayal of the major characters in Barry Dickins’ novel, The House of The Lord.

Chapter Three is the Conclusion of the analysis. The thesis ends with the

Bibliography and the Appendices, which include the biography of the author and the

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CHAPTER THREE

CONCLUSION

After reading the novel and discussing the portrayal of the major characters in

The House of The Lord by Barry Dickins, I find that Barry Dickins brings the issues

about perception of role model and maturity. A role model is a figure who is expected

to have high-quality traits, such as physically good, having good attitude and

behavior that people adore. Maturity here explains how the two major characters

respond to their life experience.

The two major characters in the novel have their own figure of role model.

Bertie Warble, one of the major characters who narrates the story, has a perception

that a role model should be perfect. He rejects Keith and Doug Hurdle, his church

members, to be his role models because they have flaws. They are conceited and

slightly persons. He also used to make his father and his teachers his role model.

When they show their imperfections, again, Bertie searches for other role models but

he never finds the perfect role model because there is no perfect human in this world.

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16 Maranatha Christian University

model but when he feels disappointed, he learns that his life is not all about

finding a role model and he decides to serve other people by doing good deeds.

Dickins’ description of Bertie’s characteristics are immature, talkative,

dependent, diligent, intelligent, religious, observant and he loves his father. His

characteristics that change are quiet, independent, irreligious, alcoholic and he

hates his father and in the end of the story he becomes mature while his

characteristics that do not change are diligent, intelligent and observant. While

Johnny’s characteristics are described by the author as kind-hearted, naive,

thoughtful, religious and forgiving. After the bad experience, Johnny turns into an

unforgiving person to the priest and he experiences a change in his sexual

orientation while the other characteristics do not change throughout the novel.

Such characteristics are realistic and likely to be found in real life because

the two major characters as different persons will also have different perception

and different response towards life experiences. Bertie as a person who is grown

up as a spoilt child and immature, responds to his traumatic experience in a

negative manner, while Johnny, who is independent and thoughtful, keeps living

his life and still thinks positively.

I find that the author presents Bertie Warble’s character as a round and

dynamic character. At the beginning of the story, Bertie is portrayed as an

immature and dependent person. He always thinks like a child and tries to get

anything that he wants. These characteristics are triggered by his parents who

spoil him. After leaving his home, he becomes an independent person because he

lives alone and he has to take care of himself. His acquaintance with Johnny

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17 Maranatha Christian University

changes in Bertie’s characteristics; he becomes more mature in thoughts and

selfless because he does not think about himself anymore. He forgives his father

and asks for an apology from Jane, his fiancée for leaving her during her early

pregnancy period.

The author also presents Johnny Rigos’ character as a round and dynamic

character. The bad experience does not change his character to be a bad person

but helps him to be more mature. He still helps others. Even though he is

imperfect as a human, regarding his sexual orientation, Johnny becomes a role

model for people around him, especially for Bertie.

This novel is interesting to be analysed and the most significant issue here

is the characters themselves. I think the title of this novel, The House of The Lord,

represents the meaning of the church. The church itself is not about the building

but about the community who does religious activity. Bertie finds Johnny as a

church because of Johnny’s good deeds. Bertie even regards him as similar to

Jesus.

Bertie Warble, together with Johnny Rigos as the two major characters

has naïve perception of role models and expects perfection from their role models.

They depend on their role models to lead their life but when they feel

disappointed, their experiences teach them to be more mature. I believe the

author’s purpose of creating such major characters is to show how people always

try to find and get perfection in their life but there is no perfect human in this life

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18 Maranatha Christian University

BIBLIOGRAPHY

References

Bakwin, Harry, and Ruth Morris Bakwin. Behavior Disorders in Children. London: W.B. Saunders Company, 1972.

Kenney, William. How to Analyze Fiction. New York: Monarch Press, 1996.

Internet Sources

Auslit Agents. 2007. 10 Sept 2008.

<http://www.austlit.edu.au/run?ex=ShowAgent&agentId=A(d H>

Primary Text

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