ix
ABSTRACT
VINSENSIA HARSANTY (2008). The Study of the Main Character and His Conflicts to Convey Messages in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This undergraduate thesis deals with one of Walter Dean Myers’ novel entitled Scorpions. It is a children’s novel that tells the story of Jamal, a twelve year old boy who lives in black poverty of Harlem. It is recited in the story that Jamal has to face problems happening to him and his family. Anyway, the content of the story points out the depiction of urban life and its complexity that encourage someone to survive and to have certain attitudes. Such these values are tried to be conveyed in this discussion by considering them as the messages that the story is going to reveal.
Therefore, conveying the implied messages in the story is the objective of this study. It will be gained through analyzing the main character’s qualities, Jamal, and the conflict he owns. Considering this, the discussion will be focused on the description of the main character, the explanation of the main character’s conflicts, and finally the messages found in the main character’s description and his conflicts.
In this discussion, the writer conducted library research in which there are two types of sources that are primary and secondary sources. The primary source is the novel Scorpionsitself, while the secondary sources are the reference books and the sites from internet. Meanwhile, the theories applied are concerned with the theory character and characterization, the theory of conflict, and the theory of message. Since this study is about the intrinsic elements of the novel, the writer employs formalistic approach.
x
ABSTRAK
VINSENSIA HARSANTY (2008). The Study of the Main Character and His Conflicts to Convey Messages in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Tesis ini berhubungan dengan salah satu novel Walter Dean Myers yang berjudul Scorpions. Novel ini adalah novel anak-anak yang bercerita tentang Jamal, seorang bocah berumur dua belas tahun yang tinggal di Harlem yaitu kawasan orang kulit hitam yang miskin. Dikisahkan di dalam cerita tesebut bahwa Jamal harus menghadapi masalah-masalah yang terjadi padanya dan keluarganya. Isi cerita tersebut menunjukkan penggambaran tentang kehidupan urban dan kerumitannya yang menganjurkan seseorang untuk bertahan dan mampu menyikapinya.
Oleh karena itu, penyampaian pesan-pesan yang terkandung pada cerita merupakan tujuan studi ini. Hal ini dicapai melalui penganalisaan sifat-sifat karakter utama, Jamal, dan masalah-masalah yang dimilikinya. Atas pertimbangan ini, pembahasan akan difokuskan pada pendeskripsian karakter utama, penjelasan tentang konflik-konflik karakter utama, dan akhirnya pada pesan-pesan yang ditemukan dalam pendeskripsian karakter utama dan konflik-konfliknya.
Pada pembahasan ini, penulis melakukan penelitian pustaka di mana terdapat dua macam sumber, sumber utama dan tambahan. Sumber utamanya adalah novel itu sendiri, sedangkan sumber tambahannya adalah buku-buku referensi dan situs-situs. Sementara itu, teori yang diterapkan berkenaan dengan teori karakter dan karakterisasi, teori konflik, dan teori pesan. Karena studi ini mengenai elemen-elemen intrinsik pada novel, penulis menggunakan pendekatan formalistik.
i
THE STUDY OF THE MAIN CHARACTER AND
HIS CONFLICTS TO CONVEY MESSAGES
IN WALTER DEAN MYERS’
SCORPIONS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
Vinsensia Harsanty
Student Number: 034214030
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
ii
ASarjana SastraUndergraduate Thesis
THE STUDY OF THE MAIN CHARACTER AND
HIS CONFLICTS TO CONVEY MESSAGES
IN WALTER DEAN MYERS’
SCORPIONS
By
VINSENSIA HARSANTY
Student Number: 034214030
Approved by
Dra. Theresia Enny Anggraini, M.A.___ January 11th, 2008 Advisor
iv
GOD DOES NOT EXPECT US
TO BE MORE THAN WE ARE.
HE EXPECTS US
TO BE ALL THAT WE ARE.
JUST DO OUR BEST
AND LET GOD DO THE REST.
v
I dedicate this work for
those who have participated
in accomplishing my thesis
especially MY BELOVED
PARENTS
and
MY
vi
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my biggest gratitude to Jesus Christ and the Holy Mary whom I always plead for blessing, strength, and ideas, so that I am finally able to accomplish this undergraduate thesis. Thank God for answering my prayers.
My gratitude is also directed to Ms. Th. Enny Anggraini as my advisor for her time, advices, guidance, and patience. I really appreciate all things she has done in the process of writing my thesis. I would also like to say thank to Mr. Fajar as my co- advisor.
Furthermore, I deeply express my gratitude to my beloved parents for their prayers; spiritual, material, and financial support; and good advices. It is wonderful to have both of them as my parents since they can be the model for my life. They have made me proud of them and hopefully I make them proud of me now. My big and only brother, Vinsensius Hartanto, also deserves to get my gratitude, ”Thanks Bro for your help, support, and also for allowing me to spend
your printer ink!” He is not only the best brother but also the best friend.
Next, my sincere gratitude belongs to Dedhy. It is because of his help, support, and understanding. He has done his best to help me while I am dealing with my study especially my thesis.
vii
helps and supports. There are many wonderful and exciting moments that we have shared together, “Thanks girl for the friendship!”
I thank all my friends in class A that I can not mention one by one. It is nice to have nice friends like them
Lastly but not the least, I would like to express my gratitude to my big families in Ambarawa and Boro especially Joni. All of them have helped me much from the first time I was in Yogyakarta, “I really appreciate your kindness
and I am glad to have you as my families.”
viii
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 6
C. Objectives of the Study ... 6
D. Definition of Terms ... 6
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW... 9
A. Review of Related Studies ... 9
B. Review of Related Theories ... 12
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 12
2. Theory of Conflict... 16
B. Approach of the Study ... 29
C. Method of the Study... 30
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 32
A. The Description of the Main Character ... 32
1. Physical Description ... 32
2. Personality Description ... 33
B. The Main’s Character Conflicts ... 45
1.The Main Character’s Internal Conflicts ... 45
2.The Main Character’s External Conflicts ... 49
C. The Possible Messages Implied in the Story ... 60
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 66
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 71
ix
ABSTRACT
VINSENSIA HARSANTY (2008). The Study of the Main Character and His Conflicts to Convey Messages in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This undergraduate thesis deals with one of Walter Dean Myers’ novel entitled Scorpions. It is a children’s novel that tells the story of Jamal, a twelve year old boy who lives in black poverty of Harlem. It is recited in the story that Jamal has to face problems happening to him and his family. Anyway, the content of the story points out the depiction of urban life and its complexity that encourage someone to survive and to have certain attitudes. Such these values are tried to be conveyed in this discussion by considering them as the messages that the story is going to reveal.
Therefore, conveying the implied messages in the story is the objective of this study. It will be gained through analyzing the main character’s qualities, Jamal, and the conflict he owns. Considering this, the discussion will be focused on the description of the main character, the explanation of the main character’s conflicts, and finally the messages found in the main character’s description and his conflicts.
In this discussion, the writer conducted library research in which there are two types of sources that are primary and secondary sources. The primary source is the novel Scorpionsitself, while the secondary sources are the reference books and the sites from internet. Meanwhile, the theories applied are concerned with the theory character and characterization, the theory of conflict, and the theory of message. Since this study is about the intrinsic elements of the novel, the writer employs formalistic approach.
x
ABSTRAK
VINSENSIA HARSANTY (2008). The Study of the Main Character and His Conflicts to Convey Messages in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Tesis ini berhubungan dengan salah satu novel Walter Dean Myers yang berjudul Scorpions. Novel ini adalah novel anak-anak yang bercerita tentang Jamal, seorang bocah berumur dua belas tahun yang tinggal di Harlem yaitu kawasan orang kulit hitam yang miskin. Dikisahkan di dalam cerita tesebut bahwa Jamal harus menghadapi masalah-masalah yang terjadi padanya dan keluarganya. Isi cerita tersebut menunjukkan penggambaran tentang kehidupan urban dan kerumitannya yang menganjurkan seseorang untuk bertahan dan mampu menyikapinya.
Oleh karena itu, penyampaian pesan-pesan yang terkandung pada cerita merupakan tujuan studi ini. Hal ini dicapai melalui penganalisaan sifat-sifat karakter utama, Jamal, dan masalah-masalah yang dimilikinya. Atas pertimbangan ini, pembahasan akan difokuskan pada pendeskripsian karakter utama, penjelasan tentang konflik-konflik karakter utama, dan akhirnya pada pesan-pesan yang ditemukan dalam pendeskripsian karakter utama dan konflik-konfliknya.
Pada pembahasan ini, penulis melakukan penelitian pustaka di mana terdapat dua macam sumber, sumber utama dan tambahan. Sumber utamanya adalah novel itu sendiri, sedangkan sumber tambahannya adalah buku-buku referensi dan situs-situs. Sementara itu, teori yang diterapkan berkenaan dengan teori karakter dan karakterisasi, teori konflik, dan teori pesan. Karena studi ini mengenai elemen-elemen intrinsik pada novel, penulis menggunakan pendekatan formalistik.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
There is no single definition can satisfy everyone to answer what literature is. Once a definition has been made, the limits make it inadequate to call other writings as literature. Robert and Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing state that technically literature can be defined as anything spoken or written. This definition is clarified then in order to specify kind of writings that can be called as literature. Therefore, Roberts and Jacobs continue their explanation by arguing that literature is any writings that invite our emotional and intellectual involvement and response (1989:1). This argument disallows us to categorize writing such as shopping list as literature then.
events. Here, the author is not concerned with the actual truth of particular events (1988:2-3).
About the literature of imagination, Roberts and Jacobs say:
“ Imaginative literature, which we call simply literature, refers to written (and also spoken) compositions designed to tell stories, dramatize situations, and reveal thoughts and emotions, and also to interest, entertain, stimulate, broaden, and ennoble readers (1989:
1).”
They also add that imaginative literature may be based upon situations that never have and never may occur. It does not mean that literature is not truthful, but rather that the truth of literature is true to life and human nature, not necessarily to the world of historical and scientific facts (1989:3). The same thing
is conveyed by Drs. Sunaryo Basuki Koesnosoebroto by saying “It is only
necessary to underline that prose fiction has its own standard of truth, which can
be only judged using all the information contained in the fiction itself (1988: 9).”
Imaginative literature itself can be classified then into three genres. Those are prose fiction, poetry, and drama. All these genres are dramatic and imaginative in varying degrees (1989:3). Since the discussion is to analyze a novel, let us take a look first that novel is classified into prose fiction. Prose fiction is a kind of literary work that focuses on one or few major characters that undergo some kind of changes as they meet other characters or deal with problems or difficulties in their lives (Roberts and Jacobs, 1989:3).
As a form of literature, a novel also pleases its reader by imitating life, or
more precisely, by displaying its writers’ visions of life as it is or as the writers
reader, who will be satisfied by reading stories which contain exciting image of the world or some flattering image of himself, but rather to be the mature reader. Unlike the immature reader, the mature reader is more aware and critical with the issues in the story he reads (Koesnosoebroto, 1988:3-4).
This study, therefore, is made by the writer since she would like to point out one of the issues she is aware in the novel she read that is Scorpions. It is a teen or children novel which tells the story of a young black man named Jamal.
Like the most of Myers’ novel, this novel also gets influence from his experience
especially his childhood <www.northern.Edu/hastingw/myers.Html > (8 March 2007). Myers, in this novel, draws an excellent picture of life in urban city.
It is recited in the novel that Jamal, who is living in Harlem, is struggling to handle the responsibilities of becoming a man within the conflicting environment of home, school, and now membership in a gang, the Scorpions. His friendship with Tito is jeopardized by the circumstances surrounding his being forced to take a place with the Scorpions and the resultant possession of a gun and involvement with drugs. However for Jamal there is the question of the bail
money for his brother, his mother’s anguish, his father’s wish to be a ‘man’.
is in order to keep them alive and survive. To commit crime is a chosen, in fact, only a small part of them who is able to survive without committing crime.
What Myers depicts in his novelScorpions is a portray of the urban city and the life inside it then. The children living in an urban city, like Jamal, has accustomed with the hard condition of their surrounding. Each of them has to be able to defense their own self in order not to be influenced by the bad things happen surround them. Meanwhile, the parents are too busy to work or find any kinds of job outside their house to fulfill their needs therefore they can not totally watch their children. The same thing happens to Jamal. He lives only with her mother, who has to work for a whole day, and his only little sister. He is the only male in their home since his mother left his father and his big brother is charged for killing a store owner. By considering this condition, Jamal realizes that he is indirectly demanded to take the responsibility. He has tried to do his best for the family especially his beloved mother. Still, many problems and difficulties happen to him and his families force him to face many conflicts from inside and outside his self. His hesitation to hang around with the gang, Scorpions, is one of the conflicts that come from inside his self. The other conflicts that come from outside his self are the conflict with his father, his best friend, and the gang for instance.
Jamal’s figure as a brave and tough young man is created by the author to
writer notices that Jamal’s weaknesses lead him into more difficult condition. It
means to say that it is Jamal himself that creates his own conflicts sometimes. The reader probably does not aware with this. The writer, therefore, is provoked to
reveal that there is relation between one’s characters and his conflicts since
someone sometimes does not realize that he himself who makes the situation and condition difficult for himself.
Talking further about Jamal’s personality and his conflicts, there are
possible messages the writer tries to reach. By conveying the messages, the readers are expected not only to become aware with the issues revealed in the story but also understand and learn something from this literary work. The literary work, therefore, is not only to entertain its readers then but also to help them grow as Roberts and Jacobs say in their book Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing:
“Literature helps us grow, both personally and intellectually; it
provides an objective base for our knowledge and understanding; it helps us to connect ourselves to the cultural context of which we are a part; it enables us to recognize human dreams and struggles in different societies that we would never otherwise get to know; it helps us to develop mature sensibility and compassion for the condition of all living things- human, animal, and vegetable (1989:2).”
Actually there are other ways that can be employed to reveal the message of the story; however, the writer tries to offer this kind of analysis as one of the alternative ways. The writer determines that the title The Study of the Main Character and His Conflicts to Convey Messages in Walter Dean Myer’s
B. Problem Formulation
The writer limits the focus of this study on the main character, the conflicts, and the messages revealed after analyzing the main character and his conflicts. Therefore, in this part, the writer formulates the problems as follows:
1. What are the qualities of the main character in the novelScorpions, Jamal? 2. What conflicts are undergone by the main character?
3. What messages are possible to be conveyed after analyzing the main character and his conflicts?
C. Objectives of the Study
Below are the objectives of this study that are drawn by considering the background and the problem formulation mentioned in the previous part:
1. to describe the main character’s physical characteristics and personalities 2. to reveal the main character’s conflicts, both the conflicts that come from
inside and outside his self
3. to convey and explain the possible messages that can be drawn from the previous analysis about the main character and his conflicts
D. Definition of Terms
1. Main Character
In general, character may be defined as a descriptive analyzes of a human virtue or vice or of a general type of human character (Kuiper.ed, 1985:229). Related to the literature, Abrams in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms specifies this definition. He says:
“Characters are persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work,
who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say- the dialogue- and by what they do- the action (1985:
23).”
According to Stanton, the term “character” can be used in two ways. First,
character refers to the individuals who appear in the story. Second, character also refers to moral principles that make up each of the individuals (1965:17). Hence, major or main character refers to those who become the main focus in the story from the beginning to the end (Milligan, 1983:55).
2. Conflict
The first definition of conflict is taken from Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama by Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. It is mentioned there that conflict is a struggle between a character and some obstacle (for example, another character or fate) or between internal forces, such as divided loyalties (2005: 1375).
systems- that provides the central action and interest in any literary plot (1989:1162).
3. Message
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
This is the section to review other related studies that are previously done by other writers on the same topic. Here, the writer is going to see what those other writers have said about the work under study in discussing the same topic. Besides, at the end of this section, the writer would like to show how the undergraduate thesis is different from the other study.
Doing the library research, the writer points to two undergraduate thesis
done by the students of Sanata Dharma that are Juli Purnami’s The Possible
Messages Seen from the Main Character and the Conflicts in Robert Louis
Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Helena Patricia
Dahat’s The Revelation of Message through the Main Characters and the
Conflicts of Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. Although both the studies talks
in doing the discussion i.e. the theory of character and characterization, the theory of conflict, and the theory of message.
Purnami’s study on Stevenson’s novel entitled The Strange Case of Dr.
Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde that talks about the duality aspects of human nature focuses on the figures of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde as the main character. The study purely concern with the content of the story itself without employing any external aspects
such as the society, the author’s biography as its reference. The writer, therefore, applies the objective criticism as the approach since this approach emphasizes on the work it self.
The two names mentioned above actually refer to the same person in that Dr. Jeckyll represents the good side, while Mr. Hyde represents the evil side. Purnami then tries to reveal three conflicts the main character own by having the
double life. The first conflict is the main’s character internal conflict in that he
feels guilty and suffers from the things he has done. The conflict between Dr. Jeckyll and another person is the second conflict. Dr. Jeckyll lies to Mr. Utterson, his old friend, about his secret therefore Mr. Utterson gets angry at him. The third conflict is the conflict between Dr. Jeckyll and God. He regrets doing his experiment that has opposed what God has determined. He finally feels depressed and asks help from God to release him from his suffering.
As the result of her analysis toward the main character and his conflicts, the writer then states the message ofStevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. The message mentioned by the writer is that there are always two
The next review will be on Dahat’s work in revealing the messages of
Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. It is the tragic story of Jude, a working-class man who aspires to be a clergy but is thwarted by the social system and his entanglement with woman and also about his love affair with his own cousin that causes trouble and misery due to the social disapproval. This study is different
from Purnami’s in which it applies the sociocultural-historical approach since the study deals with the sociocultural-historical context of the novel that was written during the Victorian age. Therefore, Dahat also gives the review on Victorian society in her undergraduate thesis.
The first analysis about the main character’s description show that Jude
Fawley is actually honest, compassionate, honorable, hard working, persistent, and ambitious. He undergoes internal and external conflicts. His internal conflicts lay on his personalities as a conventional, religious, and traditional Victorian that leads him to his ambition to be a clergy. However, he immediately turns to be skeptical and embittered about his conviction by the influence of Sue Bridehead. In the other words, the internal conflict of the main character is the collision
between Jude’s intellectual and emotional sides. Meanwhile, the external conflicts
are shown through his conflict with the society that disapproves his love affair with his cousin. It means that it is the conflict between individual and society.
The analysis of the main character and his internal and external conflicts recited in the story enable Dahat to reveal the message. According to her, it is
democratic and liberal one. Besides, the novel can be seen as a criticism toward the snobbery, rigidity, orthodoxy, hypocrisy and prudery of Victorian social system.
Learning about the two review studies above, the writer then states that this undergraduate thesis will not be totally similar to the previous studies. Unlike both the reviews that convey only one message, this undergraduate thesis will try to convey any possible messages revealed through the analysis of the main character and his conflicts in the novel under study. Another thing that distinguishes this study with the other two is the type of the novel. Both the previous studies deployed the adult novel, while this study deploys children novel to be analyzed. The writer, therefore, tries to reveal messages that are not only appropriate for adult but also children.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Characters are usually the key to a writing and become the simplest place to start a story. It should be noticed at first that characters are not the same as people. People are in life, while characters are in fiction. However, characters are
very ‘life-like’ so that when you read about them, you will feel that you know them like a person in life (Grenville, 1998: 35-36).
distinguished into two: specific motivation and basic motivation. Specific motivation is his or her immediate reason, perhaps unconscious, for any particular speech or act, whereas, basic motivation is an aspect of his or her general character (Stanton, 1965:17).
Characters can be categorized into vary types. Roger B. Henkle, for instance, in his book Reading the Novel (1981:82) differs characters into major and minor character. Major character (main character) is the most important in the story. His role is significant so that the story is about this character who appears from the beginning to the end of the story. This character draws our fullest attention because he or she performs a key of structural function; with whom we build expectations and desires. While, minor character only performs a more limited function in the story. This character may be less sophisticated so that his or her responses to the experience are less common complex and interesting.
usually minor characters although not all minor characters are flat. They are undistinguishable from their class or group. We understand little about their traits and lives. Unlike the round characters who are dynamic, this type of character is static since they are not developed and do not change or grow.
The term stock characters is also found in this theory to show the type of character who performs in the repeating situations and have many common or outstanding traits (for examples are the clown, the revenger, the foolish boss, the macho male, etc). They are given the label stereotype because they all seem to be cast in the same mold.
Authors use many different ways to convey information about characters in fiction through the methods of characterizing which is often called characterization. Grenville states:
“Characterization is all the things writers do to build up the characters they want. Characterization is the process that transforms real-life people into characters in fiction (1998: 36).”
M. J. Murphy’s Understanding Unseens (1972: 161-173) includes the theory of characterization and he proposes nine methods to disclose the characters. Below are those nine methods:
a. Personal description
b. Characters as seen by another
By using this method, the readers are able to describe the certain character
through the other’s character opinion, view, attitudes, and comments to that character.
c. Speech
The conversations (even if the character do monologue) that are made by the author allow the readers to notice how the characters speak or say about something so that they give information about the characters.
d. Past life
This methods invites the readers to describe the characters through their past life or experiences.
e. Conversation of other
The author describes the characteristics of a character through the conversation done by others and their saying about him or her.
f. Reaction
The readers are able to obtained information about the character by analyzing his or her reactions while facing some events, incidents, or cases.
g. Direct comment
This method will be easier than the other since the author gives the description about the characters directly.
h. Thoughts
i. Mannerism
The characters are described by the author through their mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies.
According to Abrams, however, there are two methods of characterization: showing or dramatic method and telling method. In the first method, the author presents the characters talking and acting and leaves the reader to infer what motives and dispositions lay behind what they say and do. Whereas, in the second method, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters (1981:21).
2. Theory of Conflict
Conflict is the most significant element and the essence of plot which is also considered as a necessary element in fiction. The reason that conflict is the major ingredient in a plot is that once two forces are in opposition, there may be doubt about the outcome. The doubt, if the readers become interested and engaged with the characters, produces curiosity and also tension. The interest of a highly contested game is also generated by a conflict in a story. The conflict should be a contest, an engagement between characters or forces of approximately equal strength. The point is that unless there is doubt there is tension, and unless there is tension there is no interest (Roberts and Jacobs,1989:99).
to arouse and maintain a reader’s interest in a story. First, the conflict in a story must be significant. It means that as a result of given conflict, the character or characters involved there will never again be quite the same people as they were before the incident occurred. Second, there must be a unity of the conflict, the characters, the theme, the symbols, and the point of view, and the other literary devices. They must be interrelated, functional, and necessary to achieving the
story’s basic purpose or effect. Unity, in the term of conflict, means that each development in the conflict of a story must follow logically and inevitably from the preceding development (1968:3-4).
There are various ways used by the author to arrange the events. In the narrative structure, the author will usually begin the story by giving the reader information which he must have before he can understand the conflict that follows. This part is called exposition. The section called the rising actions follows just after the exposition. Here, the author proceeds to introduce the complication or conflict. The resolution or denouement takes place after that. It is the climax that will be the turning point of the action which will lead to that section. The reader will be led to an understanding of some kind of disclosure (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971:21). Such this plot above is noted by Koesnosoebroto in his book The Anatomy of Prose Fiction as the conventional plot. This type of plot places conflict at the core of it (1988:43).
desires. Another possibility is that his inner conflict may be in objectified in a conflict with someone or something outside himself.
The same idea is contributed by Koesnosoebroto by claiming that a conflict may be physical, moral, psychological, intellectual, or spiritual contest between antagonistic forces. What he means by antagonistic forces are internal conflict between aspects of the personality or external conflict between a person and external forces such as another person, society, environment, nature, the universe, and God. He then specifies his explanation by employing the types of conflict that he adopts from other writer. Below are those types of conflict:
a. a conflict of man-against-man when the main character is pitted against some other some other person or group of persons
b. a conflict of man-against-environment when the main character is confronted against some external forces (physical nature, society, or fate)
c. a conflict of man-against-himself (the internal conflict) when the main character is confronted against some elements in his own nature
Moreover, he states:
“An external conflict may be a projection of internal conflict.
Whatever, a major function of conflict is to clarify the issue or problem. At moments of great conflict, characters reveal themselves more clearly, plot moves through its most significant action, and theme arises most evidently from its context
(1988:43).”
force usually the protagonist succeeds or fails in overcoming the opposing force. The protagonist sometimes gives up the struggle as too difficult or not worthwhile (1964:363).
Holman and Harmon also contribute four different kinds of conflict. They are a struggle against nature, a struggle against another person usually the antagonist, a struggle against society, and a struggle for mastery by two elements within the person (1986: 107).
Meanwhile, Stanton affirms that internal conflict, external conflict, or even both of them reduce to the central conflict. The central conflict is the core of the
story’s structure or the generating center out of which the plots grows. It is possible to have more than one conflict or force in the story, still the central conflict that fully accounts for the events of the plot. The central conflict of a story, therefore, is intimately related to its theme. In the other words, both of them may be identical (1965:16).
3. Theory of Message
Message is something that the author would like to convey to the reader. It is the meaning of the story or the meaning that is suggested through the story. Message is sometimes considered identical with theme since both of them are something contained in the story and can be interpreted from the story. However, message and theme do not always refer to the same thing. Theme is different from moral in that it is not only more complex than moral but also does not have meaning or direct value as suggestion for the reader. Hence, message or moral can be judged as one form of theme but in the simple way. It should be noticed then that not all theme are message (Nurgiyantoro, 2007:320).
The same concept is told by Stanton by stating that theme contains reevaluation or judgment of moral or message direct or indirectly (1965:4, 19) and message can be seen as one form of theme (1966:899). Meanwhile, Beaty and Hunter try to assert the difference between theme and message more clearly,
“While message seeks to inform and convince, theme seeks to have you comprehend and empathize, so that the information or the ideas are less directly
articulated, or more broadly accessible (1989:899).”
psychological connection between addresser and addressee to stay in communication.
“The addresser sends a message to theaddressee. To be operative the message requires a context referred to, sizable by the addressee, and either verbal or capable of being verbalized; a code fully, or at least partially, common to the addresser and addressee…, and finally a contact, a physical channel and psychological connection between the addresser and the addressee, enabling both of them to enter and stay in communication (Hawthorn, 1992: 73-74).”
The message or moral that is offered in the literary work, especially
fiction, is always related to human’s noble characters and has universal
characteristic. Its universality means that it does not only refer to individual or a group of people but also to the all human being in this universe. Therefore, the truth will be accepted universally. Furthermore, we should be aware that the message in the fiction conforms to the nature of human being characters and not to the rules or regulation which are created, determined, and judged by human being. Besides, the message of fiction is not always in accordance with the religion law since fiction indeed is not religion (Nurgiyantoro, 2007:322).
According to Nurgiyantoro, a novel can propose more than one message. Still there will be major and minor message. Kinds of messages or moral themselves may includes conflicts owned by human being i.e. the conflict between man and himself, the conflict between man and other people or nature, and the
conflicts between man and God. The reader’s task is to recognize and take lesson from the messages then (Nurgiyantoro, 2007: 333-334).
Therefore, the reader needs to recognize the author’s method in delivering
delivered by the author through direct and indirect form. Direct form means the message is conveyed directly and explicitly by the author. Here, the author seems to teach the reader and gives his advice straightly. This method is communicative in that the reader enable to understand and comprehend what the author intends to say easily (2007:335-336). In comparison to the previous form, indirect form means the message is implied in the story and fuse coherently with the other elements of the story. This method allows the reader to determine his own message. Unlike the direct method, the indirect method is less communicative in
that the reader can not always able to reach the author’s intention. Therefore, it
may cause misunderstanding (2007: 339-340).
C. Review on Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that has been long known as a major black cultural and business center. It stretches from the East River to the Hudson River. However, the history began as the first European, Hendrick de Forest, and the Dutch settlers came there in 1637. The area was repeatedly savaged by Native Americans, leading many Dutch to abandon it. The settlement was formalized then in 1058 as Nieuw Harlem (New Harlem) after the Dutch city of Harlem under the leadership of Peter Suyvesant.
over a hundred years. The New York and Harlem Railroad (now Metro North) was incorporated in 1831 to better link the city with the suburb. In the years between about 1850-1870, he village of Harlem declined. Many large estates were auction off as the soil was depleted and the corps yields fell.
Recovery came when elevated railroads were extended to Harlem in 1880. With the construction of the ells, urbanized development occurred very rapidly with townhouses, apartments, and tenements springing up practically overnight. However, the construction glut and a delay in the building of the subway led to a fall in real estate price with attracted Eastern European Jews to Harlem in large number in 1917. Presaging the later response to the arrival of black Harlemist, existing landowners tried to stop Jews from moving in to the neighborhood.
Small groups of black people lived in Harlem as early as 1880. The mass immigration of blacks into the area begin in 1904, thanks to another real estate crash, the worsening of condition for blacks elsewhere in the city, and the leadership of black real estate entrepreneur named Phillip Payton, Jr. Harlem experienced another real estate bust in 1904-1905; after the collapse of the 1890, new speculation and construction started up again in 1903 and the resulting glut of housing led to a crash in values that eclipsed the late 19th century slowdown. Landlords could not find white renters for their properties so Phillip Payton stepped in to bring black.
of Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Many came to Harlem. By 1920, central Harlem was predominantly black and by 1930 blacks lived as far south at Central Park. The expansion was fueled primarily by the influx of blacks from West Indies and Southern US. As blacks moved in, white resident left.
The period of Harlem’s history has been highly romanticized since the
1920 then although it was the time when the neighborhood to become a slum and some of the storied traditions of the Harlem Renaissance were driven by poverty, crime, or other social ills. Indeed, since the arrival of blacks in Harlem, the neighborhood has suffered from the unemployment than the NY average (generally more than twice as high) and high mortality rates as well. The people also suffer from infectious disease and diseases of the circulatory system with a variety of contributing factors including the deep fried foods traditional to the neighborhood which may contribute to heart disease. Yet, black Harlem has always been religious, and the area is home to over 400 churches.
Furthermore, it is not surprisingly, as a neighborhood with a long history of marginalization economic deprivation, Harlem has long been associated with
crime. In the 1920’s, he Jewish and Italian mafia played a major role in running the white- only night clubs in the neighborhood and the speakeasies that catered to a white audience. Mobster Dutch Shultz controlled all liquor production and
The popularity of playing the numbers waned with the introduction of the New York State lottery, which has higher payouts and is legal, but the practice continues on a smaller scale among those who prefer the numbers tradition or who prefer to trust their local numbers bank over the state.
Finally, the recent history shows that Harlem began to see rapid gentrification in the late 1990s after years of false starts. This was driven by changing federal and city policies, including fierce crime-fighting and a concerted effort to develop the retail corridor on 125th Street. Starting in 1994, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone funneled money into new developments. Finally, wealthier New Yorkers, having gentrified every other part of Manhattan and much of Brooklyn, had nowhere else to go. The number of housing units in Harlem increased 14% between 1990 and 2000 and the rate of increase has been much more rapid in recent years. Property values in Central Harlem increased nearly 300% during the 1990s, while the rest of the City saw only a 12% increase. Even empty shells of buildings in the neighborhood were, as of 2007, routinely selling for nearly $1,000,000 each. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has rented office space at 55 West 125th Street since completing his second term in the White House in 2001.
D. Theoretical Framework
The theory of the character and characterization, especially Murphy’s theory, is very helpful in giving description of the main character in the story. This
theory enables the writer to consider the main character’s personal description,
speech, thought, manner and reaction as the method in disclosing his figure. Meanwhile, the theory of conflict guides the writer to differentiate any conflicts that are undergone by the main character. By distinguishing the conflicts, the analysis will be well-arranged and will not be confusing. Finally, the last theory that is the theory of message helps the writer to consider what way used by the author to convey the message and to determine the possible messages that can be drawn from the story. This theory also eases the writer to distinguish the major and minor message.
Besides the three theories, the writer assumes that the review on Harlem society also plays important role in this discussion. The function of Harlem as the setting of the story will give us clear depiction and explanation that base the main
character’s attitude and enable us to understand the conflicts happen to the main
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The writer would like to employ a novel written by Walter Dean Myers to be the object of this study. The title of the novel is Scorpions and its first publication was in 1988. Yet, this study refers to the first Harper Trophy edition in 1990 that contains 216 pages.
The novel Scorpionsis categorized into a young-adult fiction that tells the story of a poor young black kid named Jamal who lives in Harlem. The story itself
gets much impact from the author’s own life experience of growing up in Harlem.
It explains how Myers can create good depictions of the setting. Myers is also
good in creating a strong character of Jamal who is able to attract the readers’
attention because of his effort to survive for living in this black poverty society. Jamal Hicks, as recited in the novel, was asked by Randy, his brother who got in jail, to replace him in leading the gang, Scorpions. Once Jamal did not want
to hang out with this gang, but Randy’s best friend, Mack convinced him by
telling him that the Scorpions could make money for Randy’s appeal. Mack even
Jamal. Tito, who was hiding and observing the fight, shot Angel suddenly. After realizing what had just happened, both Jamal and Tito ran away without looking back.
There are many valuable things from this novel that can be learnt by the readers, especially children, since the story is very close with the society. Finally,
Myers’ talent in writing such a wonderful story that shows his concern toward social problems brought him to receive a Newbery Honor recognition in 1989. It is only one of his various great achievements in writing.
B. Approach of the Study
It is necessary to apply an appropriate literary criticism in analyzing and evaluating a literary work. Since this study would like to analyze the intrinsic elements of the fiction that are character, conflict, and message, the appropriate approach chosen by the writers is the formalistic approach. This approach, as explained by Marry Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature, examines the literary work without any reference to the facts of
the author’s life, to the genre of the work or the place in the development of the
genre in literary history, and to its social milieu (1971: 7).
Guerin in his book A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literaturealso mentions about this approach. He affirms:
“As its name suggests formalistic criticism has its sole object the
discovery and explanation of form in the library work. This approach assumes the autonomy of the work itself and thus the relative
importance of extra literary considerations such as the author’s life, his
time, sociological, political, economic, or psychological implications
Both explanations above show that formalistic approach refers to the literary work itself as the main source of the study. By applying this approach, the writer does not need additional texts that come from outside the novel because all the information and evidences needed are explored from the fiction work.
C. Method of the Study
There are some steps that can be applied as the method in composing this thesis. The writer used library research that would supply two sources, primary and secondary sources, to support the analysis of the chosen topic. The primary
source was the novel itself, Walter Dean Myers’s Scorpions. Meanwhile, the
secondary sources were some internet sites and some books such as Abrams’ A Glossary of Literary Terms, Murphy’s Understanding Unseens, Rohrberger and
Woods’ Reading and Writing about Literature.
The first step the writer did was to read the novel for several times. After that, the writer formulated the problems that enabled the writer in achieving the main purpose of this study. The next thing to do was conducting the library research to collect all the supporting data that were needed such as the theories and the approach.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
As we come to the analysis part, it is better for the writer to give brief introduction regarding the content of it. Here, the answers of the three problems formulation as mentioned in the first chapter will be given. To specify the answers of each question, this analysis part will be divided into three divisions. First division is to answer problem formulation number one that is to describe the main character that is Jamal. The next division will explicate the conflicts the main character owns. The third division is to see the possible messages that can be drawn from the previous analysis.
1. The description of the main character
a. Physical description
Unlike his sister, Sassy, who resembles their father, Jamal tends to resemble their mother. Their mother or Mama, as Jamal and Sassy call her, is described by Jamal as a pretty and strong woman who looks like the African women he has seen in the magazines. Jamal is the same deep brown as she is. In his age of twelve, Jamal is only a little bit shorter than Mama. Another description is that Jamal has wide eyes like Mama and Sassy.
b. Personality description
The first thing the readers may notice about this main character is his courage. He never steps back in facing those who try to make him feels small inside and weak no matter how old, big, and tough they are. Jamal has a good self defense since he does not want to be underestimated and considered as a weak and coward.
Jamal’s courage is clearly depicted when he faces Dwayne. Dwayne is
Jamal’s classmate with whom Jamal has quarrel. Unless nobody pays him any attention, he will start a mess on Jamal. There is no day in school when Dwayne does not bother Jamal. He always finds something on Jamal to be insulted and laughed. Jamal, in this case, does not let Dwayne do that to him. Jamal will
replies Dwayne’s insults until there will be quarrel between them. The quarrel
whether he will win or lose in fighting. “Even if he lost it didn’t make any
difference to Jamal, because you couldn’t get hurt that much in a fight with just
fists (p. 100).” It is rather about pride, dignity and courage. Jamal needs to proof
that he can maintain his pride and dignity, he has power, and he is not a coward.
Another proof of Jamal’s courage is his attitude in dealing with the
Scorpions who are older, bigger, and tougher than Jamal. They also have had crime records. Jamal figures out that they do not like him to be the next leader of Scorpions therefore they try to mess with him. They try to force Jamal and make him gives up, but Jamal does not step back. He keeps standing on his feet to answer their questions explicitly.
The two examples above are able to represent how brave and tough Jamal is. They show how Jamal always has courage in dealing with the harsh and hard condition of his surrounding. His courage enables him to do something no matter what. He is ready to take serious risk. He does not want to let other people underestimate him because of his weakness. It can be seen also here that Jamal does not want to be inferior.
Moreover, Jamal does not take after his brother, Randy, in that he has no interest to commit crime basically. He struggles to keep away from any bad things that may bring him into trouble. He will think about Mama before doing something even when he finally decides to join the gang.
while watching television. Before playing to Tito’s house after school, Jamal
usually checks his sister at home first. Jamal understands that he should do all these stuff to relief Mama’s burden.
In order to make Mama happy, Jamal encourages himself to go to school although he is tired of school actually. He can not figure out any interesting things to do at school excluding drawing and painting. According to him, the activities are too monotonous there. As the consequences, he can not focus at class and sometimes do mistakes unexpectedly therefore the principal warns him or call Jamal to his room in order to advise Jamal.
Even if he is often involved in quarrel with his classmate, Dwayne, it is not because Jamal is a naughty kid but it is rather Dwayne who starts the mess.
Jamal’s resistance over Dwayne is just to show that he is not a coward.
Jamal also sacrifices his sentiment toward his father in order not to make Mama feel bad. Jamal knows that Mama is happy every time she has his husband home. Jamal would not like to ruin that happiness therefore he controls himself not to get fresh at his father although he does not like the way his father underestimates him.
seems that he also has trouble to understand something. In the other word, Mack is not so smart. Yet, Jamal does not underestimate him because of his weaknesses.
Another quality of Jamal that we can draw from the story is that Jamal is a fast learner. It can be seen through his attitude in analyzing his experiences. It is revealed in the story that Jamal is tired of school therefore he can not focus himself to the lessons taught by the teachers in the classroom. Probably, we can then presume that his academic achievement is not really good. Still it does not guarantee that Jamal is stupid. Jamal can learn everywhere from what he experiences. Jamal’s lessons are gained from his daily experiences. He soon analyzes what he has observed or undergone and makes his own conclusions as the values to remember.
First experience that teaches Jamal takes place at school. In one occasion, Jamal struggled not to come late to school, as he usually did, after the lunch. Then he made sure to walk to Mr. Davidson, the principal, so he would notice that he is was not late. Unfortunately, the principal did not notice that and did not say anything. On the contrary, the principal would immediately warn him when he did not come to school on time. Jamal, therefore, was very disappointed. Through this experience, Jamal soon figured out that everybody would put their mouth on you when you did something wrong. The other way, everybody acted like it was not anything special when you did something good.
Jamal’s involvement with the gang contributes another lesson for Jamal.
not reflect his age. It seems as if he was in the third grade or something because of the way he talked and did. In the other side, Jamal noticed that the other Scorpions, who were even much smarter, bigger, and tougher than Mack, really respected him. Therefore, Jamal concluded that guys who were tough seem tougher when they were not too smart.
Jamal himself does not really know about Mack’s life actually. Yet, he
knows that Mack had been in juvenile home and in Spofford twice. It means that Mack has crime records that are enough to make the others are afraid of him. The
Scorpions does not consider Mack weakness but his ‘achievements’ in the
criminal world that become his strengths. Jamal immediately realizes that someone does not have to be too smart or excellent in order to be respected. He just needs to show or prove that he is powerful so that everybody will be afraid to underestimate him.
Like the other human being, Jamal also has hope, expectation, or dream although the poverty he should deal with does not do much to make someone get what they want. Having the hope, expectation, or dream reflects his spirit in
enduring his life. Besides, his admiration toward Mama’s figure encourages him
“When he got a job, he was going to buy one of those recording
machines. Then he and Mama could go and get movies and watch them instead of all the stupid stuff they had on regular television.
He thought about how he would tell Mama he had the
money for the recording machine. Maybe he wouldn’t tell her- just
go out and buy it for her and bring it on the house (p. 4).”
Later, while thinking about the two thousand dollars, that is the money to get Randy out, he imagines another thing he would like to do to with the money. He will use the money to buy a car, a used car or a nearly new car. He will allow Mama to drive it if he does not have a driving license yet. They will also drive that car to visit Randy in jail then.
“The thought of having a car made him smile. Maybe he couldn’t
get a new car, but he could get a nearly new car. He imagined himself driving it. In two years he would be fourteen and still
couldn’t get a license, but he could let Mama drive it and he could sit up front with her and Sassy sit in the back. Maybe they could go upstate in the car to see Randy. Randy would look out the window
and see him sitting in the car. He would be sitting in the driver’s
seat too (p.124).”
After all, Jamal undergoes a significant character development in that he is
going to be mature and tougher. Here, the readers are invited to believe that one’s
age does not always represent his maturity. There are many factors that are able to create someone to be more mature. Jamal, for instance, undergoes such this character development because of many problems and difficulties happen on him and the family. He accustomed to be independent in overcoming all those problems therefore he is trained to be tough. Perhaps, he has not acted like a man yet as his father supposes, but he is learning to act like a man.
Making his own decision is an example of Jamal’s maturity. Here, he
learns about responsibility. He must deal with the consequences later on. His decision to join the Scorpions means he should be ready to be arrested by the police or to be killed while running the business as a drugs dealer one day; his decision to accept the gun and keep it with him means he should be ready if someday the gun will lead him into a big trouble; his decision to head the gun at Dwayne means he should ready to receive any punishment if he is proved guilty. Jamal realizes all those consequences from the beginning.
Jamal also presents his maturity through his attitude in that he is able to give in to his ego. It is revealed in the story how Jamal hates his brother and father because of their conducts that make Mama sad and feel bad. He, however, does not let his hate takes control over him. He realizes that hatred can do nothing to overcome the problems. There is another thing which is more important to do that
is to lighten Mama’s burden by helping her in earning money for his brother’s
makes a sacrifice by replacing Randy’s position as the leader of the Scorpions. He himself does not like to have business with any gang actually since he is afraid to have the same fate as his brother. It means that he will hurt Mama again. By joining the gang, he learns how to lead and make up decision for the gang’s importance.
Taking over the Scorpions is not the only way to get the money. Jamal also finds himself a job. He works as a package deliverer for Mr. Gonzalez store. He just receives fifteen dollars from Mr. Gonzalez and some tips from the customers. Jamal works hard and never complains about his job no matter how heavy the
goods he should deliver. Again, this depiction also implies Jamal’s toughness.
Finding a job can be considered as Jamal’s way to prove to his father that
he is not a spoil kid as his father assumes so far. Jamal’s hatred toward his father has encouraged him to be better although Mama does not know about that. He understands that Mama still misses his husband to be with her therefore he is happy to have his visiting. Jamal does not want to ruin Mama’s time by making her feels bad by getting fresh toward his father. Here, we can see how Jamal is
able to give in for the sake of Mama’s happiness.
According to the writer, the sacrifices done by Jamal as described above have represented his maturity. There is value implied on it in that Jamal is able to distinguish which one is more important to do. He does not mind to spent his time, power, and thought to overcome the problems happen to his family.
the writer analyzes through his attitudes. There is connection between such this
attitude and Jamal’s huge love toward Mama. Mama is someone whom Jamal loves the most. After her separation with his husband, she works hard in order to fulfill the daily needs for Jamal and his siblings. Jamal sees Mama sometimes comes late to home since there are more jobs she should do. Jamal understands that it is not easy for Mama to be a single parent since she has to take all responsibilities over her children and house works. Jamal, therefore, does as best as he can to help Mama with the house works. He does not want to see Mama gets upset and feel bad because of his attitudes.
This background is one of the reasons why Jamal become an introvert person. He keeps all his problems and difficulties by himself and then tells Mama
that everything is okay. He does not want to add Mama’s burden by thinking of his problems although Jamal himself does not sure about what he should do to deal with his problems. He does not tell Mama how he hates his brother and father because of their deeds that make Mama sad; he does not tell Mama about he hanging around the gang; he does not tell Mama that he hates school; he does not tell Mama about fighting with his classmates; he does not tell Mama that he has a gun, and many others. He even will reprimand his sister, Sassy, if she tells Mama honestly everything she knows that may causes Mama gets stressed and think hard.
It is only Tito, Jamal’s best friend, who knows Jamal problems. Still Tito
handle his all problems. Jamal does not intend to be a hypocrite in front of Tito by having such this attitude. Jamal has his own reason for this. First, Tito will immediately turn to be panic or afraid if he knows they are in big trouble therefore Jamal prefers not to tell the truth to his friend. Second, Jamal himself does not want to be looked weak.
Talking further about Jamal’s weaknesses, it is better for us to consider
that Jamal is only a naive boy in the beginning. He considers that he can be a good boy as Mama expects by keeping his self away from crime although the family lives in poverty and his surrounding may support him to commit crime. He does what Mama wants and even convinces her that he will not hang out to any gang or any body.
Eventually, Jamal realizes that the poverty can not do much to help the
family in releasing Jamal’s brother, Randy, who is in charge for killing the
delicatessen owner. The family needs two thousand dollars to pay down the lawyer so he could make the appeal for Randy. It is a big number for them therefore Mama works harder to earn more money. In the same time, Mack,
Randy’s friend and also the Scorpion, tells Jamal to take over the Scorpions to
Mama work hard to collect money anymore. He takes Mack’s offer then without
having long consideration although his best friend, Tito, has asked him for sure.
Jamal’s presence in the gang is not immediately accepted by the Scorpions.
After they realize that Jamal has a gun, they become afraid and feel forced in allowing Jamal to take over the Scorpions. The gun itself is given by Mack. Mack tells Jamal that nobody will mess with him if he has that gun, but Jamal is scared to own the gun actually. Therefore, he ever plans to give it back to Mack. He even promises it to Tito. Again, Jamal is not consistent with his words. After he figures out that the gun is powerful, he starts to want it. Every time he feels threatened, he will show off the gun therefore nobody tries to mess with him.
After all, it is clear now that inconsistency is one of his weaknesses. It happens because he ignores his heart. He actually knows that his choices are not the solution for the problems he is facing. In fact, his conviction is shaken eventually because of the influence of other people and since he understands new thing that may make him stronger.
“Lots of things made him feel the same way, small inside, and
weak. The guy at the furniture store who had yelled at Mama had made him feel that way. Teachers who made him stand up in class
when he had a mistake or didn’t have his homework. Big kids who laugh at him were the worst because there wasn’t anything he
could do to stop them. Not by himself, not while he was small and
not as tough as they were (p.22).”
Jamal’s father, Jevon Hicks, is one who makes him feels weak and small inside. His father would like to talk about acting like a man every time he comes home for visiting. Jamal feels underestimated by his father who judges him as
Mama’s kid. It seems that Jamal can do nothing for the family in his age of twelve. His father supposes him to find a job as his father did when he was in the
same age as Jamal. Jamal is too sensitive to receive his father’s treat. In Jamal’s
opinion, his father does not deserve to do that since his father visits them rarely so that he does not know what Jamal has done to help Mama at home. Jamal, therefore, is really offended. After his father leaves, Jamal even feels worse. It is not because he feels bad about the leaving, but rather about not acting like a man as his father says.
Feeling guilty is another thing that can make Jamal becomes so sensitive. He will be very afraid therefore he may cry immediately as seen after Jamal heading the gun at Dwayne while they were fighting in the store room. At first, he did not care about what was going to happen next. He even considered that it was
Dwayne’s fault so that Jamal was forced to head the gun at him. In fact, Jamal had
had been waiting for him there. He considered going away and never saw Mama and Sassy again. This thought made him cried again and again.
All these sensitivities make Jamal looks fragile as a young man. However, he is just an ordinary man who can not always act bravely. Sometimes he feels down, too. He, however, has shown that he is able to control his emotion well and to handle his difficulties toughly at least.
2. The main character’s conflicts
As already mentioned in the theoretical review, conflict is classified into two that are internal conflict and external conflict. By considering this classification, the writer would like to distinguish the conflicts the main character owns.
a. The main character’s internal conflicts
Internal conflict is the term applied to explain a struggle within one’s heart
and mind. The main character of the story, Jamal, indeed undergoes the internal conflict. The writer notices that there are three main internal conflicts The first two conflict faced by Jamal are related one another while another one is different case. The first conflict refers to his choice in taking over the gang, the second conflict refers to his desire to keep the gun, and the third conflict refers to his study.
an ordinary kid and a good child for Mama. Mama’s role as a single parent has
realized him not to add her burdens since it is not easy for her to be a single parent who has struggled for the responsibility over the family. It is enough for her to
feel bad and sad because of Randy’s conducts that sends himself into the jail.
It is Mack, Randy’s ace and one of the Scorpions, who comes to Jamal to
deliver Randy’s message about him taking over the gang. According to Randy,
Jamal gets the heart. Jamal, otherwise, has no interest at all at this offer since he has understood that everything is going to be wrong if he joins the Scorpions until
Mack convinces him that the Scorpions can get the money he needs for Randy’s
appeal. Jamal’s conviction begins shaking. Jamal sees a chance to get much money in a brief time. He can use the money to pay the appeal soon therefore Mama should not work harder anymore. In the other side, being a Scorpion means he commits crime since he will be a runner or drugs dealer as the other Scorpions do. Dealing with this job requires his readiness to deal with the consequences. It is possible that he may ends up in the jail as happen to his brother. If the worst thing happens to him, he will make Mama get up set again. There is no difference between him and his brother then in that both of them hurt Mama. Jamal does not want do what Mama do not like him to do.
One conflict has not been overcome yet when Mack comes to give Jamal a shiny pistol. Jamal accepts it although he is not sure about what he is going to do
with the gun. Mack himself tells Jamal then that he will become Jamal’s warlord
as Randy said him therefore he can really get down when there is a fight or
That the gun has power is what Jamal understands after he firstly finds out that the other Scorpions, who underestimate him, are afraid of him after they figure out a piece on his belt. Jamal himself feels afraid of them actually. However he is able to control his feeling so that he looks cool in front of them. The gun has made one of the Scorpions even steps back then. None of them try to mess with him anymore. Jamal soon think about using it in the other occasions if someone try to mess with him. Indeed, the gun is very powerful and helpful.
Having the piece with him, Jamal who is afraid of the Scorpions in the beginning determines to take the gang eventually. It seems as if the gun turns back his power, strength, bravery, and confidence. He does not have to fight them although they do not agree if he takes part in the gang.
“They were afraid of the gun, too. He remembered how Indian had stopped cold when he had seen the gun in Jamal’s belt. Still, Jamal wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a Scorpion or not. He didn’t want to have to fight Indian, Indian was wild-looking, and Randy had told him once that when the Scorpions had told him once that when the Scorpions had had a fight in the Bronx it was Indian who had
knocked a guy with one punch. But maybe he wouldn’t have to
fight Indian. Not as long as he had the gun, anyway (p.89).”
Jamal’s decision to be a Scorpion is not the best choice. It is not the
solution for the problem happens to his family, but he has just started to walk into a new problem. He has ignored his heart by convincing himself that the gun will protect him from those who are going to bother him.
