A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip Calvin and Hobbes.

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Dimas Setiawan, 2013

A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip Calvin and Hobbes

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu

A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend

Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip

Calvin and Hobbes

A Research Paper

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

Requirements for Sarjana Sastra Degree

by

DIMAS SETIAWAN 0801274

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION INDONESIA UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

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A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary

Friend Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip

Calvin and Hobbes

oleh Dimas Setiawan

0801274

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

Juni 2013

Hak Cipta dilindungi undang-undang.

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PAGE OF APPROVAL

A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend Character in

Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip Calvin and Hobbes

by

Dimas Setiawan 0801274

Approved by:

Main Supervisor

Dr. Didi Sukyadi, S. Pd., M.A. NIP. 196706091994031003

Co-Supervisor

Ruswan Dallyono, M.Pd. NIP. 1970080320050011002

Head of English Education Department Faculty of Language and Arts Education

Indonesia University of Education

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ABSTRAK

Studi berjudul “A Bodily Codes Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend

Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip Calvin and Hobbes” mencoba untuk mencari representasi dari karakter khayal bernama Hobbes berdasarkan gerak-geriknya (bodily code) yang tampak pada 15 komik strip yang telah dipilih dengan sengaja.. Untuk memperoleh pemahaman yang mendalam, studi ini mempergunakan empat basic premises of experientialism yang dikemukakan oleh Buckland (2004) terhadap 9 jenis gerak-gerik yang dikemukakan oleh Chandler (2002). Studi ini menggunakan metode kwalitaif dalam hal pendeskripsian

premises dalam narasi. Studi ini menemukan bahwa Hobbes membuat 52

tampilan sebagai harimau sungguhan (15.71%), 52 gerak tubuh (15.71%), 50 sikap tubuh (15.11%), 47 kedekatan (14.20%), 43 orientasi fisik (12.99%), 42 ekspresi wajah (12.69%), 38 tatapan (11.48%), 7 kontak tubuh (2.11%), and 0 anggukan (0%). Selanjutnya, studi ini juga menemukan 5 representasi karakter Hobbes. Pertama, Hobbes merupakan gambaran dari Calvin. Representasi kedua adalah Hobbes sebagai teman dari Calvin. Ketiga, Hobbes direpresentasikan sebagai hewan peliharaan. Representasi keempat adalah Hobbes sebagai lawan dari Calvin. Terakhir, Hobbes direpresentasikan sebagai harimau yang memiliki naluri hewan liar. Oleh karena itu, di dalam komik strip Bill Watterson, Calvin

and Hobbes, Hobbes dibayangkan sebagai sesuatu yang terdekat hingga terjauh

dari Calvin.

Keyword: Bodily Codes, Basic Premises of Experientialism, Representasi, Komik

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ABSTRACT

The study entitled “A Bodily Codes Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip Calvin and Hobbes” seeks to discover the representation of imaginary character of Hobbes based on his bodily codes occurred in the 15 selected strips purposively. To obtain deeper understanding, this study applies four basic premises of experientialism proposed by Buckland (2004) towards 9 bodily codes proposed by Chandler (2002). This study uses a qualitative method in order to describe the premises in a narrative way. This study discovered that Hobbes makes 52 appearances as a real tiger (15.71%), 52 gestures (15.71%), 50 postures (15.11%), 47 proximities (14.20%), 43 physical orientations (12.99%), 42 facial expressions (12.69%), 38 gazes (11.48%), 7 bodily contacts (2.11%), and 0 head-nods (0%). Furthermore, this study also discovered 5 representations of Hobbes. The first is Hobbes as a reflection of Calvin. The second representation is Hobbes as a friend of Calvin. Third, Hobbes is represented as a pet. The forth representation is Hobbes as an opponent of Calvin. Lastly, Hobbes is represented as a real tiger which has instincts as a wild animal. Therefore, in Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes,

Hobbes is visualized as something very close to very distant for Calvin.

Keyword: Bodily Codes, Basic Premises of Experientialism, Representation,

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A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic

Strip Calvin and Hobbes

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides the introduction of the study. It includes the background, research questions, aims of the study, scope of the study, significance of the study, research method, clarification of terms, and organization of the paper.

1.1 Background

Eco (1976) says everything in the world or even in this universe that can represent or stand for something else is considered as a sign (as cited in Chandler, 2002:2). Thus, signs may refer to anything which may be interpreted to represent something. Chandler (2002) states that semiotics is concerned with everything that

can be taken as ‘signs’. It also deals with representation of signs in many forms

(Chandler, 2002:2).

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images. Generally, a comic strip is drawn and arranged in sequential panels to display brief humor with dialogues in balloons called bubble chat.

A comic strip is usually published in Sunday newspapers. It has narrative structures even though it appears in limited size (Berger, 2008). The pictures in the comic strip make the story conveyed in a more attractive appearance. Even if there is no conversation in the strip at all, the pictures can show a story to the readers. Therefore, the reader may interpret the sequence of pictures and get the story. Berger (2008:192) says that there are some conventions which readers have to learn if they are going to read a comic correctly: the way characters are drawn, facial expressions of the characters, the role of balloons, movement lines, panels of the frame, the setting, and the action. Thus, a comic strip contains many aspects that can be analyzed through a semiotic analysis.

Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes, tells about a

six-year-old-boy named Calvin who has a tiger-best friend-doll named Hobbes. From

Calvin’s point of view, Hobbes is a real tiger that always accompanied him every

time, but to everybody else Hobbes is just a stuffed tiger. The case of an imaginary friend in Watterson’s comic probably relates to children’s imagination.

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abilities (Allen and Felluga, 2002). In this case, Calvin who has already developed his social ability has a complex imagination. Some children usually have at least one imaginary friend such as their toy, doll, or something else that always accompanies them whenever or wherever they go. Generally, they invite their imaginary friends to chat, play, or do something interesting because of their lack of friends.

Since semiotics concerns meaning-making, Moriarty (2002:20-21) asserts that

‘meaning is derived only to the degree that the receiver of the message, which is

made of signs and conveyed through sign systems called codes, understands the

code’. Thus, everything in the world could be defined as a code, as long as the

receiver can interpret the code to get its meaning. A range of typologies of codes can be found in the literature of semiotics (Chandler, 2002:149). Chandler (2002) divides types of codes into three which are most widely mentioned in the context of media, communication, and cultural studies: social codes, textual codes, and interpretative codes.

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which the sign takes; preconceptual experience, the basic level categorization of the sign; metaphor or metonymy, the abstract thought which is used for creative strategies to interpret the sign; and conceptual structure, the sign’s independent and abstract reasoning (Buckland, 2004).

1.2 Research Questions

This study was conducted to answer these following questions:

1. What kinds of bodily codes are dominantly used by Hobbes as Calvin’s imaginary

friend character in Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes?

2. What are the representations of Hobbes as Calvin’s imaginary friend character in

Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes?

1.3 Aims of the Study

Based on the research questions above, this study was conducted to describe the kinds of bodily codes used by Hobbes as Calvin’s imaginary friend character in

Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes and to describe the

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1.4 Scope of the Study

The study investigates the main character Hobbes’ in Bill Watterson’s comic

strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes from the aspect of its bodily codes and its representations. Bodily codes include his ways of dealing with things which can be seen from his bodily codes, which are bodily contact, proximity, physical orientation, appearance, facial expression, gaze, head-nod, gesture, and posture (Chandler, 2002).

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is expected to reveal Hobbes’ bodily codes used in Bill

Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes and its representations. It is

expected that this study can help people to have a better understanding of pictures using a bodily code analysis.

Moreover, this topic is rarely investigated by the students in the English Department of the Indonesia University of Education as their final paper. There are two studies found which investigate pictures as their data. One is about comics by Puspitasari (2009). She investigated political ideologies which appear in Benny and

Mice’s comic book entitled Lagak Jakarta: collection edition volume 2. The other

one was a study about a semiotic analysis by Baiin (2011). Baiin applied a semiosis process proposed by Peirce in order to examine the image of masculinity in an

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1.6 Research Method

1.6.1 Research Design

This study uses a descriptive qualitative method as the research design because the data collections are in the form of pictures and texts. The focus of this study is to observe the representation of an imaginary friend character, named Hobbes, in Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes. This study

investigates the bodily codes of the character named Hobbes by using Buckland’s basic premises of experientialism (2004).

1.6.2 Data Collections

The sources of the data collection were 15 illustrations in Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes. The comic was selected purposively from

Watterson’s The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (2005). The selection of comic strips

which are used in this study is based on the existence of Hobbes in each episode. In fact that Calvin and Hobbes is not always telling about both Calvin and Hobbes

together but also the other imagination of Calvin’s while he is alone. The book was

chosen as the source of the data because its pictures consist of bodily codes namely bodily contacts, proximities, physical orientations, appearances, facial expressions, gazes, head-nod, gesture, and posture as the body.

1.6.3 Data Analysis

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1. Selecting 15 illustrations in Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes;

2. Identifying Hobbes’ bodily codes shown in the illustrations using the theory

proposed by Chandler (2002:149);

3. Interpreting Hobbes’ bodily codes using Buckland’s basic premises of experientialism (2004:43) which are the body, preconceptual experience,

metaphor or metonymy, and conceptual structure;

4. Calculating the percentage of each bodily code to determine the dominant one; 5. Analyzing the representations of Hobbes;

6. Concluding the findings.

1.7 Clarification of the Terms

In order to avoid misunderstanding, there are some significant terms that have to be clarified.

 Bodily codes

Bodily code is one of social codes’ sub-codes besides verbal language,

commodity codes, and behavioral codes. Chandler classifies bodily codes into some signs: bodily contact, proximity, physical orientation, appearance, facial expression, gaze, head-nod, gesture, and posture (Chandler, 2002).

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Comic strip is a popular art form, generally found in newspapers, characterized by continuing characters, a number of panels, and dialogue presented in balloons (Berger, 2008).

 Representation

Representation is something which stands for or in place of something else or semioticians call as sign (Chandler, 2002). Representation also means the process by which members of a culture use language (generally defined as any system which deploys sign, any signifying system) to produce meaning (Hall, 1997).

 The Body

A term ‘the body’ is used as the first premise of Buckland’s basic premises of

experientialism (2004). It is the physical form which the sign takes.

1.8 Organization of the Study

The study is organized as follows:

CHAPTER I: This chapter consists of background of the study, research questions, aims of the study, scope of the study, significance of the study, clarification of the terms, and organization of the paper.

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metonymy, Buckland’s basic premises of experientialism, Chandler’s tripartite

framework, representation, comic, and some related studies.

CHAPTER III: This chapter focuses on the research method. It discusses the steps and procedures of the study, and the data resources in conducting the study. This chapter includes the data source of the study, the research questions, the research method, the context of the study, and the data presentation

CHAPTER IV: This chapter contains the research findings and discussion. In this part, the results of the study will be presented.

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD

This chapter discusses the research method which explains the method applied in the present study in order to answer the research questions. It includes data source of the study, the research questions, research method, context of the research, and the data presentation.

3.1 Data Source of the Study

This study aims to reveal the dominant bodily code used and the representation of a character named Hobbes as an imaginary friend of Calvin in Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin and Hobbes tells about

a six-year-old-boy named Calvin who has a tiger-best friend-doll named Hobbes. From Calvin’s point of view, Hobbes is a real tiger that always accompanies him

every time, but to everybody else Hobbes is just a stuffed tiger.

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addition, the data were analyzed using Buckland’s basic premises of experientialism (2004) which consists of four elements: the body, preconceptual experience,

metaphor or metonymy, and conceptual structure.

3.2 Research Questions

This study was conducted to answer these following questions:

1. What kinds of bodily codes are dominantly used by Hobbes as Calvin’s imaginary friend character in Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and

Hobbes?

2. What are the representations of Hobbes as Calvin’s imaginary friend character in Bill Watterson’s comic strip entitled Calvin and Hobbes?

3.3 Research Method

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Alwasilah (2002) argues that theories and techniques as two of the basic concepts in connecting research within a qualitative method. In addition, Musthafa (2008) states that content analysis considers literary works as cultural objects that cannot be separated from social, cultural, and political contexts. While for Cresswell (2002), qualitative researchers seek to understand the context of the data by visiting the context and gathering information personally. Therefore, the researchers can express their views by making an interpretation of what they find through their own environments and experiences. In addition, Kothari (2004) states that qualitative research is concerned with phenomena which relate to or involve quality. Thus, it is suitably applied in this study because the study investigates the human behavior that is explained in the bodily codes.

The techniques used for analyzing the data are as follows: firstly, 15 illustrations were purposively selected from Bill Watterson’s The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (2005) with the comic strips which were published between November

18, 1985 and December 31, 1995 inside; the second technique is identifying Hobbes’ bodily codes found in the panels through his bodily contact, proximity,

physical orientation, appearance, facial expression, gaze, head-nod, gesture, and posture expressed in the front of other characters;

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(2004) which consists of four elements: the body, preconceptual experience,

metaphor or metonymy, and conceptual structure. Figure 3.1 presents an

interpreting model which is used in this present study. The bodily codes which are categorized as non-verbal signs are interpreted through the receiver’s experience and knowledge of their metaphor or metonymy, in order to get their concept or the logic even though the use of metaphor or metonymy is only an optional stage;

Figure 3.1: Non-verbal sign interpreting model adapted from Buckland (2004)

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3.4 Context of the Study

This study presents some evidence from Hobbes, which is a stuffed tiger doll in reality and real big tiger in Calvin’s point of view. The evidence was taken from

his bodily contact, proximity, physical orientation, appearance, facial expression, gaze, head-nod, gesture, and posture to Calvin.

The findings are framed on tripartite framework proposed by Daniel Chandler (2002) centered on social codes’ bodily codes. In addition, this study also adopts the Buckland’s basic premises of experientialism (2004) in order to investigate and interpret the evidence found. The evidence are categorized as the

body, preconceptual experience, metaphor or metonymy, and conceptual structure.

3.5 Data Presentation

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conceptual structure, is placed in columns. Table 3.1 shows the analysis of the data

presentation.

Table 3.1: Sample of data presentation table

“Calvin and Hobbes comic strip”

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In this case, the calculations are shown in a single table by using the formula of percentage and distributing frequency. The formula is adopted from Warsito (1992) as follows:

Note:

P : percentage f : frequency

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Table 3.2: Sample of frequency table

Bodily Codes

Frequency of the bodily codes in the comic strip (f) _Ʃ

f(n) P

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Bodily contact

Proximity Physical orientation

Appearance Facial

expression Gaze

Head-nod

Gesture

Posture

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter provides the conclusions of the present study 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 study who might be interested in conducting research which is discussed in the present study.

5.1 Conclusions

This study revealed two dominants bodily codes which were made by Hobbes, there were appearance (15.71%) and gestures (15.71%). Moreover, they were followed by 50 postures (15.11%), 47 proximities (14.20%), 43 physical orientations (12.99%), 42 facial expressions (12.69%), 38 gazes (11.48%), 7 bodily contacts (2.11%), and 0 head-nods (0%) performances which were performed by Hobbes toward Calvin in the 15 selected comic strips. However, every body language cue existed to support another cue in order to deliver the messages clearly.

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partner who influenced many things to Hobbes. The second representation was Hobbes as a friend of Calvin. Third, Hobbes was represented as a pet because in reality he was just a stuffed tiger doll which was intended to accompany the owner. The forth representation was Hobbes as an opponent of Calvin. Lastly, Hobbes was represented as a real tiger which has instincts as a wild animal.

According to the representations of Hobbes as an imaginary character, it could be said that Calvin, the only person in the strips who visualized a stuffed thing became real, gets his imagination became wilder and wilder. In other words, he visualized Hobbes led from the closest thing that had the same personality until the most distant from Calvin. The representation of Hobbes is begun from something

which appears from the identity of Calvin itself to something beyond Calvin’s

imaginations.

5.2 Suggestions

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Second, determine the relevant type of data to analyze. Many printed pictures are investigated using semiotics in order to discover the meaning of the presented signs. Moreover, it would be better for the next researchers to discuss other researchable issues in the printed pictures, such as revealing the representation according to the presented signs or the issue of ideological propaganda within.

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A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip Calvin and Hobbes.

A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary Friend

Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip

Calvin and Hobbes

A Bodily Code Analysis Used in Revealing an Imaginary

Friend Character in Bill Watterson’s Comic Strip

Calvin and Hobbes

PAGE OF APPROVAL

ABSTRAK

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY