THE TYPE OF LOVE AS REFLECTED THROUGH THE
MAIN CHARACTERS AND THEIR CONFLICTS IN SPARKS’
THE NOTEBOOK
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
SILVINA AYU ARDIANTINA
Student Number: 084214064
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
i
THE TYPE OF LOVE AS REFLECTED THROUGH THE
MAIN CHARACTERS AND THEIR CONFLICTS IN SPARKS’
THE NOTEBOOK
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
SILVINA AYU ARDIANTINA
Student Number: 084214064
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iv
He has made everything beautiful in its
time, but He has made their hearts without
knowledge, so that man is unable to see the
works of God, from the first to the last.
v
I dedicate my undergraduate thesis to
My Lovely Daughter Briella
My Beloved Mom and Dad
My Husband
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all I would like to thank Jesus Christ and Mother Mary for their love and their forgiveness in my life. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my only major-sponsor Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka M.Hum who has helped me from the beginning of my thesis until the end. I thank him for his patience, guidance, inspiration, and also support in doing my thesis. No one could have done more.
For all lecturers of Faculty of Letters, who have taught me for three and a half years, thanks for everything they have given to me so that I could finish my study as soon as possible.
Next, I dedicate this thesis to my lovely one-daughter Fabiana Firstabriella Agracio a.k.a Briella, my inspiration in my life. I love her very much. I would like to thank for her smile, laugh, love, joy, and also the best moment for me so that I could finish my thesis. This thesis is just for her. I will never be able to finish my undergraduate thesis without her care.
To my family in Kudus, my beloved mom, Dominica R.R Wijayanti, my dad Martinus Narno Ardiyanto, my sister Anggun, and my lovely husband Bernadus Dedi Purwanto, I thank them for their support, patience, and kindness for me.
ix
To my friend in my lovely school, SD Kanisius Babadan Yogyakarta, who gave experience for almost 3 years. For all the teachers Mr. Kuat, Mr. Supri, Mr. Purwanto, Ms. Yuli, Ms. Rita, and all my students. I love them.
x
1. Theory of Character and Characterization………….…… 8
2. Theory of Conflict…….……….... 11
A. The Descriptions of The Main Characters………….………. 19
1. The Description of Noah... 19
2. The Description of Allie... 24
B. The Conflicts of The Main Characters in Their Love Journey 28 1. Past Time... 29
2. Present Time... 36
C. The Type of Love as Reflected through The Main Characters And Their Conflicts... 41
xi
BIBLIOGRAPHY……….. 48
xii
ABSTRACT
SILVINA AYU ARDIANTINA. The Type of Love as Reflected Through The Main Characters and Their Conflicts in Sparks’ The Notebook. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
Everyone wants to love and to be loved. Love could be found in our life. There is no word that can define what the certain meaning of love is. Everyone can describe love with everything they want. Even, there is someone who could not describe love at all. Love is one word that can change everything. Literature has relation with many things including love. Literature is also part of art that can be expressed in any works of literature. Love itself can be a good topic to make a work of literature. Therefore, this thesis describes how love exists in The
Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson are the main characters. They fall in love to each other. They struggle for their love until the end of the story. All the differences of the characteristics of the main characters and the conflicts that come in their love journey make their love stronger than others. They never give up in facing the conflict together. In this novel, there are happiness and sadness that are combined with a good plot and a good story.
xiii ABSTRAK
SILVINA AYU ARDIANTINA. The Type of Love as Reflected Through The Main Characters and Their Conflicts in Sparks’ The Notebook. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma,2012.
Setiap orang ingin untuk mencintai dan dicintai. Cinta dapat ditemukan di dalam kehidupan kita. Tidak ada kata yang dapat mendefinisikan apa arti cinta secara pasti. Setiap orang dapat mendeskripsikan cinta dengan apa saja yang mereka inginkan. Bahkan, ada orang yang tidak dapat mendeskripsikan cinta sama sekali. Cinta adalah satu kata yang dapat mengubah segalanya. Kesusastraan mempunyai hubungan dengan banyak hal termasuk cinta. Kesusastraan juga merupakan bagian dari seni yang dapat diwujudkan dalam berbagai karya sastra. Cinta itu sendiri dapat menjadi sebuah topik yang bagus untuk membuat karya sastra. Oleh karena itu, skripsi ini mendeskripsikan bagaimana cinta itu ada di dalam novel The Notebook.
Skripsi ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan tokoh-tokoh utama dan konflik-konflik dalam novel The Notebook karya Sparks. Skripsi ini juga mengungkap tipe cinta dari kedua tokoh utama dalam novel The Notebook dan mendeskripsikan pengertian cinta menurut Erich Fromm, Ayala Pines, dan Paul Hauck.
Noah Calhoun dan Allie Nelson adalah tokoh utama. Mereka saling jatuh cinta satu sama lain. Mereka memperjuangkan cinta mereka sampai akhir cerita. Semua perbedaan karakteristik pada tokoh-tokoh utama dan konflik yang datang di dalam perjalanan cinta mereka membuat cinta mereka lebih kuat daripada yang lainnya. Mereka tidak pernah menyerah dalam menghadapi konflik bersama-sama. Di dalam novel ini, kebahagiaan dan kesedihan bercampur menjadi satu dengan plot dan cerita yang bagus.
Obyek studi skripsi ini menggunakan studi pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data dari sumber-sumber yang ada. Sumber-sumbernya, yang pertama diambil adalah dari novel karya sastra berjudul The Notebook karya Nicholas Sparks, yang kedua, penulis mengumpulkan data dari buku-buku kesusastraan yang mempunyai hubungan dengan skripsi ini, dan yang terakhir diambil dari internet.
1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Everyone has love in this world. It can be love to family, friend, boyfriend and girlfriend, or even love to God. Some people can describe love with everything they want, such as with good sentence, song, parcel, gift, or perhaps with simple word. However, others perhaps cannot describe what love is and how to show it to someone they love. Love is one difficult word. It is also an unpredictable feeling that cannot be explained with certain sentences or words or even with any rules. If someone decided to love other, it means that he or she is ready to be dissapointed. Martin Luther King Jr. also said the same meaning about love itself that there is no deep disappointment where there is no deep love (http://www.lovequotes.symphonyoflove.net/category/m /martin-luther-king-jr-dr). Besides, someone can be dissapointed by someone else, if he or she really loves someone else. If someone does not, it means that his or her love is nothing.
2
(http://www. lovequotes.symphonyoflove. net/category/true-love-quotes). We can love somebody without any reason. Love comes unpredictably for everybody, no matter what their social status, race, culture, or even religion is. It is because love can unite everything and everywhere. Love makes everybody alive when they feel in love. If we decided to love someone, it means that we still alive. Gandhi said
where there is love there is life
(http://lovequotes.symphonyoflove.net/category/m/mahatma-gandhi).
Love is an interesting object for everybody to be learned because they have ever felt in love. Love is an important feeling for everyone. Fromm (1956: 1) said that no one thinks that love is not important. Everyone starved for it and they watched endless numbers of films about happy and unhappy love stories, they listened to hundreds of trashy songs about love and yet hardly anyone thinks that there was anything that needs to be learned about love. That is why the writer wants to make a research about love itself in this thesis through the work of literature, in this case as reflected through the main characters, Noah and Allie, their conflicts on the Sparks‘ The Notebook, and the last one is the type of love as reflected in the novel.
3
already ever felt in love in their daily life. Love as an object is an interesting thing for everyone. All people enjoy to read or to know something about love, because there are many mysteries and also many miracles about love itself.
The Notebook is the best romantic novel for this thesis. It is written by Nicholas Sparks who is known as a good romantic writer. He has written many romantic novels, including The Notebook itself. Sparks is able to make the readers feel real love story in his novel. Each novel that is written by Sparks is a wonderful romantic novel, especially The Notebook. Therefore, The Notebook is a good novel to analyze the topic through the main characters that fall in love to each other, and they can face many obstacles in their relationship so that their love can be called as an erotic love.
B. Problem Formulation
In this thesis, to analyze the type of love as reflected through the main characters and their conflicts, the problems are formulated as follows.
1. How are the main characters Noah and Allie described?
2. How are the conflicts of the main characters in their love journey described?
3. What is type of love reflected through the main characters and their
4
C. Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study is to answer the three questions which are formulated in the problem formulation. In this study, the writer would like to find how the main characters, Noah and Allie, are described in the novel. Secondly, the writer wants to reveal how the conflicts of the main characters in their love journey are described. Finally, the writer would like to analyze what type of love is reflected through the main characters and their conflicts in Sparks‘ The Notebook.
D. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding and provide clearer explanation toward the problem formulations above, the writer finds the important terms. The two terms mentioned will be explained as follow.
According to Drewer’s A Dictionary of Psychology, love is defined as a typical sentiment involving fondness for, or attachment to, an object, the idea of which is emotionally colored whenever it arises in the mind, and capable of evoking anyone of the whole gamut of primary emotions, according to the situations in which the object is placed, or represented (Drewer, 1952:156).
5
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
Nicholas Sparks is a writer who wrote many romantic novels such as Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Choice. His first novel is The Notebook. The Notebook is the best novel to this thesis. This novel is a good romantic novel, and the story of the novel can make the readers cry. It does not mean that the reader satisfied to read the novel only one time, but they read more than just one time because the story is very interesting for the reader. The story
can touch the reader‘s heart after they read all of the stories of this novel. The theme of the story itself is about an everlasting love that is found in the main
characters‘ relationship and their conflicts. Both of the main characters want to love and to be loved. This is stated by Krisbiantoro as follows.
Concerning the feeling of love (to love and to be loved), it is impossible to separate the human and the love. Everyone must have this feeling, especially the feeling of love between a man and a woman, from one to another. No matter whom the one that he or she loves, a feeling of love can make someone to take the other just the way he or she is (Krisbiantoro, 2003:1).
6
can fulfill their love to each other. They can face and also solve problem together. It can make their love stronger. It is the miracle of love.
Noah and Allie as major characters in the novel who show that they have no weary to get and to hope of their love. They struggle to face all of the problems. They have a big power from their love itself. Their love is very strong, and it can be an advantage for their relationship.
They struggle for their relationship. At the beginning of the story, they get a conflict or problem from Allie‘s parents. Allie‘s parents do not allow their relationship. They think that Noah‘s status is different from Allie‘s family status. That is why her parents do not agree with their relationship because they think that Noah is not good for their daughter. However, Noah and Allie can solve the
first problems from Allie‘s parents and they get married. By the time they get married Allie got syndrome called Alzheimer. They still can solve this problem because they have power of their love. Love can change anything, wherever and whenever. Love can be one of the miracles in the human life. Love is something that can make us feel everything. It even gives us strength and weakness at the same time. It is a characteristic of love itself. It is also stated by Aryanti‘s thesis as follows:
Love can have a big power in people‘s life. When someone is falling in love,
realizing it or not, he/she will experience some changes in his or her life. The lover may have more inspirations in creating some innovations for the improvement of his or her self-potential or skills, more motivation in doing the activities, paying more attention to the appearance, and more careful in the attitude or behavior. Because of love, life can extremely change into
joyful or tragic as someone‘s personality develops or relationship between
7
Nicholas Sparks as an author is success to make the story looks real with the love story that he writes. The story makes the readers satisfied after they read The Notebook. It is not only sadness, but also happiness of love that Sparks writes in his novel. It can be seen in Perwitasari‘s thesis:
Human life is full of many miracles, and one of them is love. Love can bring
happiness and sadness in human life. That‘s why many authors get inspired
on the history of love (Perwitasari, 2007: viii).
Many authors get inspiration from the story of love. Everybody has ever felt in love. Love is one of element in human life. It is the important element in this novel. Sparks has made the story of love colorful through the work of literature. He writes that love can really conquer all. It is also stated by Christina‘a thesis:
He is smart in trying to give another view of love. Like we know that nowadays almost all people only make fun of love, do free sex but Sparks is offering something different by creating a character (Christina,2007:4).
Sparks can make the story of his novel looks real. He tries to make another point of view of love. He tries to be honest in making characters in his novels so that the story can show a real love. He makes the characters and the story alive. He can build the imagination of the readers when they read the novel.
Although the writer stands in the same position with other researchers who
8
B. Review of Related Theories
This part will discuss the theories that will be used to analyze the problem formulations in this study.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
The theory of character and characterization is the first theory that the writer use. It is used to analyze the main characters‘ characteristics in the novel. According to Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms (1981: 20) character is the persons in a dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say—the dialogue—and what they do— the action
9
In A Handbook of Literature, it is stated that a character in a story can be a kind of creature, which imitates human being so that they exist as life like. It means that they have some characteristics that the real human beings have so that characters also have temperaments and emotions (Holman and Harmon, 1986:82). Rohrberger and Woods, Jr. (1971: 20) mentioned that characterization is a process by which an author creates a character. Furthermore, according to Holman and Harmon (1986: 81), characterization is the creation of imaginary persons thus to be natural so that the readers can feel their existance.
Murphy (1972: 161 – 171) classifies some ways that are used by the author to introduce the characters in the novel such as: personal description, characters as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts, and behavior/mannerism.
a) Personal Description
10
b) Characters as Seen by Others
An author may use other characters‘ eyes and opinion to describe a character. Through other characters‘ judgment toward the other characters,
the reader would be able to know the characteristics of a character.
c) Speech
An author can also describe the characteristics of a character through the way the character speaks to other characters. What a character says to
other characters can give the reader an insight of one‘s characteristics in a
story.
d) Past Life
The author may also use the past life of one character to reveal his
characteristics. One‘s character past life would enable the readers to know a person‘s characteristics whether he or she was good or not in the past. The
past events can be clues in analyzing the development of characters.
e) Conversation of Others
It means the author uses the conversation of other person about a character to know the characteristics of one character. Meaning to say, it is about what people said concerning to the character.
f) Reactions
The author wants the reader to know how a person reacts to various
situations and different events to reveal one‘s characteristics. Reactions here
11
g) Direct Comment
The author may portray a character by directly giving comments on a
person‘s characteristics. The author speaks about a character in a story and
gives the reader such a straightforward description in order to find out information about the character does the characterization.
h) Thoughts
An author can give the readers direct knowledge and description based
on the character‘s mind and of what person is thinking about. Here, the author
leads us to analyze the mental process of the character. The reader is in a privileged position; he has a secret listening device plugged into deepest thoughts of a person in a novel.
i) Behaviour/Mannerism
An author can also describe a person‘s mannerisms, habits or
idiosyncrasies which tell us something about his or her character. The habits of the character are revealed both the positive and negative ones which help us know something about the character.
Therefore, from those classifications we can understand more about
what Sparks‘ meant in describing Noah and Allie‘s characteristics in the novel.
2. Theory of Conflict
The second theory is needed to answer problem formulation number two.
12
the conflict, but people cannot avoid conflict itself whether it is with family, the couple, or friends. Because it is nature of human life. It can happen in human daily life.
Perrine says that conflict is a clash of action, ideas or wills. The main character may be pitted against some other person or group of persons. This is called a conflict of man against man. He may also confront against some external forces: physical nature, society or fate. This is called a conflict of man against environment. The conflict also between man against himself, when he is confronted against some element in his own nature (1974:62).
According to Robert Stanton (1965:16) conflict is divided into two parts: internal and external. Internal conflict is the conflict between two desires within character. The conflict happened because the opposing desires or value in a
character‘s own mind, and he has to choose the best one for him. External conflict
is the conflict between a character and his environment. There may be the conflict of characters against fate and the circumstances that exist between him and a goal of himself.
Robert and Jacobs say that conflict is the opposition between two characters. It may also exist between larger groups of people, although in fiction conflicts between individuals are more identifiable and therefore more interesting. Conflict can exist between an individual and larger forces, such as natural object, ideas, and models of behavior, public opinion, and the like. The existance of difficult
13
dilemma. In the other hand, the conflict may be presented not as direct opposition, but as a set of comparative/ constrastive ideas or value (1987:88).
3. Theory of Love
To answer third problem formulation, the writer uses theory of love to make the reader easier in distinguishing the type of love. Love itself is very interesting object to analyze because love is a feeling that everyone has ever felt. It is unique and unpredictable whether when it comes or leaves. It is also stated by Hauck (1983: 22) that love is a feeling that we have for the people or the person who did (in the past), are (in the present), or will (in the future) satisfy our deepest desires and needs.
Fromm (1956: 38-39) says that love is not primarily a relationship to a specific person; it is an attitude, an orientation of character which determines the
relatedness of a person to the world as a whole, not toward one ―object‖ of love.
The objects of love are brotherly love, motherly love, erotic love and love of God. Brotherly love is the most fundamental love. In this love everything is equal. It is universal sense that human being have. Motherly love is unconditional
affirmation of the child‘s life and his needs. Erotic love is different from the other
14
experience of union. This love is very basic for us. The religious form of love that which called the love of God.
According to Pines (1999: 25), there are four kinds of love in western tradition such as; sex, eros, philia, and agape or caritas. The first kind of love is sex, or what we can call as lust or libido. It is kind a playful love. The second is romantic love called as eros. The third is Philia, also called friendship or brotherly love. The last one is Agape or Caritas. This love is devoted to the welfare of the other, the prototype of which is the love of God for man.
The theory of love above is needed to analyze the type of love of the main characters in the novel. It helps the writer to understand the meaning of the main
characters‘ love.
C. Theoretical Framework
The writer has three theories that will be used to analyze the type of love on
object of Sparks‘ novel The Notebook. The theories are divided into two theories, intrinsic elements and the theory love itself. All theories are important in order to help the writer to answer the problem formulation.
15
16
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
Object of this study is Nicholas Sparks‘ novel. The title of the novel is The Notebook. The novel is the first novel that was written by Nicholas Sparks. It is one of the romantic novels that he wrote. It was published in 1996 by Warner Books. It consists of 254 pages. The Notebook is also known as a true story that is
taken by Sparks in his grandmother‘s love story. It is followed by other novels that use a true story from all people around Sparks‘ life.
The Notebook begins when the old Noah reads the notebook for his wife
called Allie about their love journey in order to get Allie‘s memory back about her
life and her love journey. It is because Allie got a syndrome called Alzheimer. Noah begins their story when they met for the first time in a carnival when they
were young. Their relationship is not permitted by Allie‘s family. Then, Allie
17
B. Approach of the Study
In order to support the analysis, the writer uses moral – philosophical approach. According to Guerin (2005: 39) the moral – philosophical approach is approach which insist on ascertaining and stating what is taught. Besides, he adds in his book that the moral – philosophical approach is also the basic position of such critics which has larger function of literature to teach morality. It would interpret literature within a context of the philosophical thought of a period or group (Guerin, 2005 : 77).
The moral – philosophical approach is used to analyse this study because this study is related to moral values revealed through the main characters and their conflicts. Something that deals with human life that needs feeling, love, and also the intellectual and rational ability to discover and develop the moral value in human daily life. The writer finds out the type of love as reflected in the main character and their conflicts using the theories of love. In this case the everlasting love is a theme in this novel. It teaches us that love can conquer everything, that is what we learn from this novel. The context of love in this novel includes in the moral philosophical itself. Therefore, this approach is suitable for this analysis, and the writer hopes that this approach will lead to answer the previous problems.
B. Method of the Study
18
Sparks as the important data. The writer reads the novel several times to get the idea or the content of the novel, and the writer tried to understand the main characters described, the conflict between the main characters with others, and the type of love that includes in the novel.
The second, the writer collected the data from the library and the internet to support this analysis. The secondary were books and websites related to the work and the theories, approach and undergraduate thesis as related studies. In this study, there are several books that were used in analyzing the work such as A Glossary of Literary Terms, An Introduction to Fiction, The Art of Loving, How to love and to be loved. They were important to know the types of love. The aim was
to support the writer‘s idea about the type of love in this thesis.
The third step that the writer did is to describe the type of love that reflected through the main characters.
19
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer will answer the three problem formulations as stated in the first chapter. The analysis will be divided into three parts. The first one is how the main characters are described in The Notebook. The second is about the conflicts of the main characters in their love journey described. The last one is about the type of love that is reflected through the main characters and their
conflicts in Sparks‘ The Notebook.
A. The Description of The Main Characters
In this first part, the writer will discuss the main characters‘ description. In this novel the main characters are Noah and Allie. They fall in love to each other at the first sight. Noah is a good man from a poor family. Allie is a good woman from high class family. Here, the writer finds three characteristics of Noah.
1. The Description of Noah
Physically, Noah Calhoun is a good looking man, tall, and strong. He is a simple person with common thought just like other men in this world. It is shown in phrase below:
He was tall and strong, with light brown hair, and handsome in his own way, but it was his voice that she remembers most of all (p. 33).
20
a. Patient
The first characteristic of Noah is patient. In analyzing Noah‘s patience, the writer will use Murphy‘s theories about speech and characters as seen by
others. Based on Murphy‘s theory about speech, the author describes the character through what the character says. It can be seen from whenever he speaks, having a
conversation with another, or giving opinion (1972: 164). Besides, Murphy‘s
theory about characters as seen by others stated that the author may use other
characters‘ eyes and opinion to describe a character (1972: 163).
Noah is a patient man. He is never tired to take care of Allie. His affection never ends for Allie, the woman he loves. One day when Allie gets her disease, he reads the notebook all the time in order to recall Allie‘s memory, although Allie always makes him disappointed, he always there for Allie.
―I‘ve heard it before, haven‘t I?
―Yes,‖ I say again, just as I do every time on days like these. I have
learned to be patient.
She studies my face. Her eyes are as green as ocean waves (p.154).
Just before Allie gets her disease, she writes a letter for Noah. She thanks Noah for his patience and his affection in their love journey. She wants Noah to write their love stories in the notebook. Noah also wants to write their love stories in the notebook. He never stops to make Allie happy.
21
From Allie‘s letter, it can be seen that Allie shows Noah‘s patience in their life time. Even, before Allie lose her memory. She prouds of her husband‘s patience that kept her whenever and wherever she wants.
b. Faithful
Noah Calhoun is also a faithful man who really loves and is loyal to his wife. It can be shown through conversation of others (1972: 167), and speech (1972: 164).
Noah falls in love with Allie at the first sight. He never meets a girl like Allie. She has good appearance and she is also a kind girl. Noah loves her very
much, even though he knows that Allie‘s parents do not allow their relationship. He always sends so many letters for Allie when Allie goes back to her city. He never gives up to struggle for his love. He still waits for Allie. He never wants to find another girlfriend like he does for Allie. He ever tries to find another girl, but he cannot.
―I wish I could give you what you‘re looking for, but I do not know what it is. There‘s a part of you that you keep closed off from everyone including me. It‘s as if I‘m not the one you really with. Your mind is on someone else.‖ (p.26).
Noah tries to find another girl, but he cannot. He really knows that his love is just for Allie. He cannot forget Allie. Noah‘s girlfriend feels that Noah‘s love is to someone else. Even though Noah tries to deny it, she does not believe it, because she knows that Noah is searching for someone else. Then after Allie gets the Alzheimer, Noah still tries to be faithful to Allie.
―I try to think what it‘s like for you, how you keep going day after day, but
22
disease sometimes. Even though the doctors do not understand it, we
nurses do. It‘s love, it‘s as simple as that. It‘s most incredible thing I‘ve
ever seen‖ (p. 203).
The nurse can feel how Noah does it. He is a good husband that the nurse has ever seen. Noah never goes away from Allie.
Noah also shows his patience and also his loyalty for Allie on the piece of paper that he writes to Allie. He never stops admiring Allie.
I love you, Allie. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason,
every hope, and every dream I‘ve ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. And, my darling, you will always be mine (p.170).
c. Kind
The last characteristic of Noah Calhoun is kind. He is also a good person in this novel. It can be seen through his speech (1972: 164), and characters as seen by others (1972: 163).
Noah is a man from poor family that has a good behavior. Although his mother passed away when he was child, he grows as a good man because of good education from his father. He even lets Allie to choose Lon or himself.
―If you‘re happy, Allie, and you love him, I won‘t try to stop you from going back to him. But if there‘s a part of you that isn‘t sure, then do not do it. This isn‘t thekind of thing you go into halfway.‖(p.46).
23
back to Noah and she prefers to choose Noah than Lon, he is very happy. He is a good father for his children and also a responsible father for his family.
You have something inside you Noah, something beautiful and strong.
Kindness, that‘s what I see when I look at you now, that‘s what everyone
sees. Kindness. You are the most forgiving and peaceful man I know. God is with you, He must be, for you are the closest thing to an angel that I‘ve ever met (p. 200).
Love and poetry and fatherhood and friendship and beauty and nature. And I am glad you have taught the children these things, for I know their lives are better for it. They tell me how special you are to them, and every time they do, it makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive (p.199).
At the end of the story, Noah‘s wife gets a syndrome called Alzheimer, but he never gives up accompanying his wife to live her life. He always takes care of his wife, and he never leaves his wife alone. He still believes in miracle that can change everything, especially about his wife‘s syndrome. He never stops reading the notebook for his wife that contains their love stories. His love never dies and always grows everlasting in his soul and heart. It is shown in the paragraph of story below:
And though you may call me a dreamer or fool or any other thing, I believe that anything is possible. I realize the odds, and science, are against me. But science is not the total answer; this I know, this I have learned in my lifetime. And that leaves me with the belief that miracles, no matter how inexplicable or unbelievable, are real and can occur without regard to the natural order of things (p.5).
24
never believe that Noah can do that. His affection and his patience are the power for him to still alive and does not give up to be there for Allie.
2. The Description of Allie
Allie is a woman from a high class family. She is a pretty girl. There are many boys who want to be her boyfriend but Allie does not want. She is a simple girl, although she has everything she needs because her family is very rich in her hometown.
He arrived alone, and as he strolled through the crowd, looking for friends,
he saw Fin and Sarah, two people he growth up with, talking to a girl he‘d
never seen before. She was pretty, he remembered thinking, and when he finally joined them, she looked his way with a pair of hazy eyes that kept on coming (p.11).
Noah smiled broadly. ―I‘m glad you did.‖ He stepped back just a bit. ―God, you look fantastic. You‘re even prettier now than you were then.‖
She felt blood in her face. Just like fourteen years ago (p.39).
It is based on Murphy‘s theory about characters as seen by others. It stated
that the author may use other characters‘ eyes and opinion to describe a character
(1972: 163). Noah can see Allie as a beautiful girl. Not only her appearance, but also her characteristics will be explained in this thesis.
a. Strong
Allie is a strong woman. She faces the entire problem by herself. She is not
afraid of facing her parents‘ reactions about her relationship with Noah. Besides
that, Allie is also not afraid of Lon‘s reaction because she finally chooses Noah as
her husband. It can be seen through Murphy‘s theory about characters as seen by
25
―Good-bye, Noah,‖ she said quietly. He nodded without speaking. There
wasn‘t anything else to say; they both know that. She turned from him and
left, closing the door behind her. Noah watched her walk to her car, get in, and drive away without looking back. She was a strong woman, he thought to himself, and he knew where Allie got it from (p.136).
He finally turned to her, reaching for her hand. ―Is there anything I can do
to make it easier?‖ She shook her head. ―No, Not really. I have to do this alone. Besides, I‘m not sure what I‘m going to say to him yet.‖(p.137).
As a strong woman, Allie can do everything that other woman cannot. First is when she is separated from Noah by her parents. It takes time for her to cope this problem until she decided to find Noah again. This decision is a right choice for her life. She faces it by herself. She never wants to make other person gets some difficulties because of her.
b. Loyal
The second characteristic of Allie is loyal. Allie is a girl from a high class. Her family is very rich. One day, Allie spends her summer holiday in New Bern. She meets a boy. His name is Noah Calhoun. They love each other. However her parents do not like her boyfriend. She is very sad, but her love to Noah never ends. She loves Noah more than anything. It is shown in the phrase below:
―I do not care what my parents think, I love you and always will,‖ she would say. ―We‘ll find a way to be together.‖(p.25).
From the first time Allie and Noah met, she never tries and she also never forgets their love story. Although half of the novel tells about Allie who has boyfriend named Lon, but there is something missing in the relationship. She still remembers Noah‘s love.
26
kind to me, he makes me laugh, and I know he loves me in his own way.‖
She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. ―But there‘s always
going to be something missing in our relationship.‖(p.59).
―Why?‖ She smiled weakly and shrugged as she answered. Her voice was
barely above a whisper.
―I guess I still look for the kind of love we had that summer.‖(p.60).
―I didn‘t know, and in time, the hurt began to fade and it was easier to just
let it go. At least I thought it was. But in every boy I met in the next few years, I found myself looking for you, and when the feelings got too
strong, I‘d write you another letter. But I never sent them for fear of what I
might find. By then, you‘d gone with your life and I didn‘t want to think
about you loving someone else. I wanted to remember us like we were that
summer. I didn‘t want to ever lose that.‖(p.118).
She finally would rather choose Noah than Lon, because she truly loves Noah more than anything. She loves him with all her heart. She struggles for her love. She never wants to give up getting her love again. Her loyalty is the strength and power to find her love again.
―And do you know what the answer was? The answer was that I wanted two things. First, I want you. I want us. I love you and I always have.‖ She
took a deep breath before going on (p.137).
So I love you so deeply, so incredibly much, that I will find a way to come back to you despite my disease, I promise you that. And this is where the story comes in (p.201).
Please do not be angry with me on days I do not remember you, and we both know they will come. Know that I love you, that I always will, and that no matter what happens, know I have led the greatest life possible. My life with you (p.201).
27
Alzheimer. She tries to be a faithful wife for her husband and also as a mother in her lifetime.
Allie‘s speech and reaction that want to prove her loyalty of her relationship with Noah reflect her characteristic as a loyal woman. They are also
suitable to Murphy‘s theory about speech and reactions. c. Kind
Allison Nelson is also a kind woman who really kinds and cares for the people around her, especially Noah. It can be seen through her speech (1972: 164), characters as seen by others (1972: 163), reactions (1972: 168), thoughts (1972: 171), and manner (1972: 173) as stated in M. J. Murphy‘s theory.
In the novel can be found that Allie tries to make people around her do not feel sad and hurt. She has to choose between Noah or Lon. She does it carefully. She does not want to hurt one of them. She does not want to make Noah and Lon sad because of her decision.
―But I also want a happy ending without hurting anyone. And I know that
if I stayed, people would be hurt. Especially Lon. I wasn‘t lying when I
told you that I love him. He does not make me feel the same way you do,
but I care for him, and this wouldn‘t be fair to him. But staying here
would also hurt my family and friends. I would be betraying everyone I
know... I do not know if I can do that.‖(p.138).
―You cannot live your life for other people. You‘ve got to do what‘s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.‖
―I know,‖ she said, ―but no matter what I choose I have to live with it. Forever. I have to be able to go forward and not look back anymore. Can
28
Although it is difficult for Allie to choose, she has to do it. When finally she makes her decision to spend her lifetime with Noah, she feels guilty to Lon. But she believes that life must go on.
As her husband, Noah also feels that Allie is a kind woman for him, and also their children.
You are a dream, a creator of happiness, an artist who has touched a thousand souls. You‘ve led a full life and wanted for nothing because your needs are spiritual and you have only to look inside you. You are kind and loyal, and you are able to see beauty where others do not. You are a teacher of wonderful lessons, a dreamer of better things.‖(p.159).
From Noah‘s speech proves that Allie is a good woman for him and also
a kind mother for her children. Her patience makes her husband so comfortable with her. Her love and her affection are some wonderful things that she has. She never tries to stop her love for Noah. It makes her family can feel her never ending affection for them. Allie is not arrogant to people around her although she comes from a high class family and her family is so rich in her hometown, she is not proud of that. She chooses to live happily with her decision than enjoys her
parents‘ wealth.
B. The Conflicts of The Main Characters in Their Love Journey
29
Regarding to the theory of conflict by Perrine, he said that conflict is a clash of action, ideas or wills. The main character may be pitted against some other people or group of people. This called a conflict of man against man. (1959:62). The other theory that the writer will use to analyze the conflict of the main character is the theory from Robert Stanton about external conflict of the main character (1965:16). And the last theory is from Robert and Jacobs that say that conflict is the opposition between two characters (1987:88).
The conflicts of the main characters in the novel will be divided into two parts based on the time Noah and Allie meet in the novel. Those are the time when they are together in their love journey. Past time is a time when they met for the first time when they were young and they started their relationships. The second one is the present time when they finally live together. They get married, have all the things they want, have children, and being old. There are many obstacles in their love journey, but they try to overcome the problems together because their characteristics can fulfill and develop their characters.
1. Past Time
The story begins with the first conflict of the main characters love journey. The writer classifies the first conflict as a past time conflict, when the main characters, Noah and Allie were young. It happens in the beginning of the story in the novel. Noah and Allie meet for the first time in the Neuse River Festival just after their graduation. They fall in love at the first sight. They try to get closer to each other. Finally, they decided to have a relationship. However,
30
Allie‘s family. Allie‘s parents do not allow their relationships. They do not like Noah because he comes from poor family. It makes them different. They have different social status. Allie is from high class family, and Noah is just an ordinary person. However they do not give up. They try to maintain their relationship. They struggle for their relationship and also their love. Although it is difficult for them, they still try to face it. The disagreement of Allie‘s parents is showed by
Allie‘s mother.
No doubt they would disapprove, especially her mother. Her mother had never really accepted what had happened the summer they‘d spent
here and wouldn‘t accept it now, no matter what reason she gave (p.19).
Allie‘s mother, Anne Nelson, does not give permission for her daughter
to have a relationship with Noah. She does not want to hear all of the reasons that
Allie gives. She still does not like Noah as her daughters‘ boyfriend.
Most of the summer, she had to make excuses to her parents whenever
they wanted to see each other. It wasn‘t that they didn‘t like him- it was that he was from a different class, too poor, and they would never approve if their daughter became serious with someone like him (p.24).
Allie‘s parents do not like Noah. They do not agree if their daughter
has a relationship with Noah. They do not want their daughter has a serious relationship with Noah who comes from a poor family. Noah is not rich.
―I got home a little late that evening, and my parents were furious when
I finally came in. I can still picture my daddy standing in the living room smoking a cigarette, my mother on the sofa staring straight ahead. I swear, they looked as if a family member had died. That was the first time my parents knew I was serious about you, and my mother had a
long talk with me latter that night. She said to me, ‗I‘m sure you think that I do not understand what you‘re going through, but I do. It‘s just
that sometimes, our future is dictated by what we are, as opposed to
31
Anne Nelson gives advice to her daughter to make a better choice. She wants Allie to leave Noah. Allie has to think about who she is. She has a wealthy family. Anne just does not want her daughter to be dissapointed in her future life.
―I know you do not think so, but I always liked you, Noah. I just didn‘t think you were right for my daughter. Can you understand that?‖ He
shook his head as he answered (p.132).
Allie‘s parents against Allie and Noah‘s relationship especially her mother, Anne. It is not because she does not like Noah very much. It is just
because they come from different class. Allie‘s family is very rich. On the other hand, Noah is too poor according to her parents. They want Allie to get a boyfriend from the same class like her family. However, Allie still loves Noah. She just wants Noah no matter all the people say about it. Allie does not care what they say. Allie and Noah still struggle for their love, although in the novel they finally apart but they will find a way to be together again.
―I do not care what my parents think, I love you and always will,‖ she would say. ―We‘ll find a way to be together.‖(p.25).
But it the end they couldn‘t. By early September the tobacco had been
harvested and she had no choice but to return with her family to
Winston-Salem. ―Only the summer is over, Allie, not us,‖ he‘d said the morning she left. ―We‘ll never be over.‖(p.25).
32
He wrote her once a month but never received a reply. Eventually he wrote a final letter and forced himself to accept the fact that the summer they‘d
spent with one another was the only thing they‘d ever share (p.25).
―You never answered my letters.‖ ―You wrote?‖
―Dozens of letters. I wrote you for two years without receiving a single reply.‖(p.58).
Allie and Noah still try to find a way to see each other. Noah tries to find Allie in Allie‘s hometown, so does Allie. She tries to search Noah. Someday, Allie finds a picture of the house renovation that Allie and Noah promised to fix it. Allie decides to go to New Bern to see Noah again.
Three years after the last letter, he went to Winston-Salem in the hope of finding her. He went to her house, discovered that she had moved, and after talking to some neighbors, finally called RJR. The girl who answered
the phone was new and didn‘t recognize the name, but she poked around
the personnel files for him. She found out that Allie‘s father had left the
company and that no forwarding address was listed (p.25).
She took a deep breath and stood again. ―It‘s now or never,‖ she
whispered, then picked up her things and went to the door. She paused only slightly before opening it and going downstairs (p.31).
Allie wants to see Noah because she wants to tell Noah that she already engaged with a man named Lon. Lon is a successful lawyer from a high class family. He is very rich. His family is one of the most powerful and influential families in the state. That is why Allie has to meet Noah, to tell her engagement.
It was a long moment before she answered. ―I‘m engaged.‖
He looked down when she said it, suddenly feeling just a bit weaker. So
that was it. That‘s what she needed to tell him (pp.42-43).
―Why did you come?‖
I was compelled, she wanted to say, but didn‘t.
― Just to see you, to find out what you‘ve been up to. To see how you are.‖
33
Although Allie has a boyfriend and she engaged to Lon, but there is something missing in her relationship with Lon. She still looks for the love that Noah has. She misses her relationship with Noah. She does not know why she always feels warmth when she is with Noah. She never feels the same as with Lon.
Noah and Allie do not see each other for a long time. Noah misses Allie very much and so does Allie. Finally, they fall in love once again. They have the same feeling like long time ago when they were young.
Allie‘s mother knows that her daughter goes to New Bern to see Noah. She decided to go to Noah‘s house to tell that Lon is on the way to New Bern to see Allie. Anne wants to warn her daughter to do the best for her life by herself.
― I knew you would be here,‖ Anne Nelson said to her daughter as the three of them sat around the coffee table in the living room.
―How could you be so sure?‖
―You‘re my daughter. One day when you have kids of your own, you‘ll know the answer.‖ She smiled, but her manner was stiff, and Noah
imagined how difficult this must be for her.
―I saw the article, too, and I saw your reaction. I also saw how tense you‘ve been during the last couple of weeks, and when you said you were shopping near the coast, I knew exactly what you meant.‖(p.131).
34
Allie swallowed hard. ―Did you tell him I was here?‖
―No. And I won‘t. That‘s between you and him. But knowing him, I‘m sure he‘ll find you here if you stay. All it takes is a couple of phone calls to
the right people. After all, I was able to find you.‖(p.133).
―I know we‘ve had our differences, Allie, and that we haven‘t seen eye to eye on everything. I‘m not perfect, but I did the best I could raising you.
I‘m your mother and I always will be. That means I‘ll always love you.‖(p.133).
Allie‘s mother decided to let her daughter to choose the best choice. She does not want to force her daughter again. She is happy for everything her daughter‘ decision. Even though, she does not like Noah because of his social status. She tries to ask her daughter whether she loves Noah or Lon. She tries to make everything clear.
Allie was silent for a moment, then: ―What should I do?‖
―I do not know, Allie. That‘s up to you. But I would think about it. Think about what you really want.‖
Allie turned away, her eyes reddening (p.133).
Anne Nelson gives a chance to Allie to choose what she really wants. She does not want to make Allie sad anymore.
When he was gone, Anne whispered, ―Do you love him?‖
―Yes, I do,‖ Allie answered softly, ―very much.‖ ―Do you love Lon?‖
―Yes, I do. I love him, too. Dearly, but in a different way. He does not make me feel the way Noah does.‖
―No one will ever do that,‖ her mother said, and she released Allie‘s hand ―I can not make this decision for you, Allie, this one‘s all yours. I want
you to know, though, that I love you. And I always will. I know that does
not help but it‘s all I can do.‖ (p.134).
35
wants to protect her daughter. She just wants to give all the best things for her lovely daughter. She does not realize that it will hurt her daughter.
―These are the letters that Noah wrote you. I never threw them away, and they haven‘t been opened. I know I shouldn‘t have kept them from you, and I‘m sorry for that. But I was just trying to protect you. I didn‘t
realize...‖(p.134).
Allie‘s mother feels guilty because she keeps all of the letters that Noah gave. She does not realize that it will hurt her daughter. She just thinks about herself. She never thinks about her daughter happiness.
―Thanks for coming,‖ Allie said.
―I love you.‖ ―I love you, too.‖
On her way out the door, Allie thought that she heard her mother whisper,
―Follow your heart,‖ but she couldn‘t be sure (p.135).
Allie decides to choose Noah as her husband and her soul mate in her lifetime. She leaves Lon and she says sorry for everything she made. She loves Lon but not as a husband. She loves Lon just as a friend. Although it is difficult to do that, Allie still does that. Her mother also gives her a power to choose between Lon and Noah. Her mother allows Allie to choose her own. Allie is happy because her mother allows her to choose the man she really wants. Finally Allie and Noah get married. They are happy after they get married. They spend their life with their laugh. Thus, they have children.
36
(1959:62). The other theory is from Robert Stanton about external conflict of the main character (1965:16) and the last theory is from Robert and Jacobs that say that conflict is the opposition between two characters (1987:88).
2. Present Time
The writer classifies the second conflict as a present time conflict because it happens when the main characters get married and getting older. It is in the last half story in the novel. It happens after Allie and Noah get permission
from Allie‘s parents. They finally get married. However the conflict is not just at that time. The second conflict presents when Allie gets a disease, called Alzheimer. It means that she will forget everything about her life, her husband, her family, her children, and especially her love story. That fact makes Noah very sad. He tries to deny it but it does not work properly. He still tries to accept it. It is
the conflict between Noah against Allie‘s disease.
Based on Perrine‘s theory about conflict, he says that conflict is about someone confront against some external forces: physical nature, society or fate. This is called a conflict of man against environment (1959: 62).
In this part, Noah will face conflict about Allie‘s disease. He thinks that it can make Allie and Noah separate. It happens when the first time Noah heard that Allie gets Alzheimer. It makes Allie and Noah very shock. They do not believe that Allie gets the early stages of Alzheimer. Noah thinks that it can destroy everything that they build especially their love.
37
My mind went blank, and all I could think about was the light that glowed above our heads. The word echoed in my head: the early stages
of Alzheimer’s...
My world spun in circles, and I felt her grip tighten on my arm. She
whispered, almost to herself: ―Oh, Noah....Noah....‖(p.162).
Noah does not know what he has to do. He only can stop his mouth and he still shock about hearing a disease from the doctor. Allie will lose her memories as soon as possible. It depends on each person. It is different in each person.
Alzheimer is a barren disease, as empty and lifeless as a desert. It is a thief of hearts and souls and memories.
―It‘s a degenerative brain disorder affecting memory and personality.... there is no cure or therapy... There‘s no way to tell how fast it will
progress....it differs from person to person.... I wish I knew more.... Some days will be better than others... It will grow worse with the passage of
time.... I‘m sorry to be the one who has tell you...‖(pp.163-164).
Allie tries to face the disease slowly. She arranges everything she wants before she really gets the disease. It is just before she will forget everything around her. She also asks Noah to write their love journey in the notebook, in order to make it easy if someday Noah wants to read the story in the notebook for Allie. Noah prepares it properly. He tries to give everything that Allie wants.
38
will realize it‘s about us. And perhaps, just perhaps, we will find a way to
be together again (p.201).
Allie does not remember anything around her when she got a disease. She is afraid of everything. She confuses all the times. Sometimes, she looks very scary because she looks another thing that other people cannot. She loses her memories. And it makes her looks like a crazy woman. She does not know who she is, where she comes from, and also who her name is. It shows in the phrases bellow:
―I‘m sorry. I do not understand anything that‘s happening to me right
now. Even you. When I listen to you talk I feel like I should know you, but I do not. I do not even know my name. She wipes at her tears and
says, ―Help me, Duke, help me remember who I am. Or at least, who I was. I feel so lost.‖(p.158).
Noah is confused about Allie‘s disease. It effects to their relationship that
makes Noah very far from his wife. However, Noah always be there for Allie. He never tired to read the story of the notebook for Allie all the times he wants. He does that in order to recall Allie‘s memory about their love stories, and also to get
back Allie‘s memories. It is difficult for Noah to always be there for his wife. He knows that he will hurt. Allie does not remember Noah anymore, but he does not think about that. His affection and his patience are the power for him to do everything to give strength for Allie. He believes that the miracles will happen. He never gives up to read the notebook for Allie every day.
And though you may call me a dreamer or fool or any other thing, I believe that anything is possible.
39
unbelievable, are real and can occur without regard to the natural order of things (p. 5).
So once again, just as I do every day, I begin to read the notebook aloud, so that she can hear it, in the hope that the miracle that has come to dominate my life will once again prevail. And maybe, just maybe, it will (p. 5).
―I do not want to hurt your feelings because you‘ve been so nice to me,
but...‖ I wait. Her words will hurt me. They will tear a piece from my heart and leave a scar.―Who are you?‖(pp.155-156).
From the phrases above it proves that Noah‘s hope is very strong in every
moment he does for Allie. He never thinks about himself. Even though, sometimes he hurts because of it. He always loves Allie whatever happens in their relationships. Allie forgets anything, especially Noah. Noah hopes some miracles happen in their relationships. No matter what their problem is, Noah still believes that their loves will never end. He will find many ways to be together. He believes the miracles will happen in their love. It truly comes in their life. Nobody can explain that. The doctor and also the specialist cannot explain that. They do not
believe Allie‘s condition that always gets better when Noah read the notebook for her.
But this is where the similarity ends. This is why Allie is considered a miracle, because sometimes, just sometimes, after I read to her, her
condition isn‘tso bad. There is no explanation for this. ―It‘s impossible,‖
the doctors say (p.180).
But why, then, is her condition different? Why does she sometimes change after I read? I tell the doctors the reason-I know it in my heart, but I am not believed. Instead they look to science. Four times specialist have traveled from Chapel Hill to find the answer. Four times they have
left without understanding. I tell them, ―You cannot possibly understand
it if you use only your training and your books,‖(p.180).
40
conversation and getting better but Allie can do that. It is not all the time, not every day, not most of the time, but sometimes. Allie‘s emotions are normal, so do her thoughts. Sometimes she can remember Noah. She can remember her name. And it can go as soon as possible.
Noah, I hear again. Noah. The word echoes in my head. Noah...Noah. she knows, I think to myself, she knows who I am....She knows....
Such a tiny thing, this knowledge, but for me it is a gift from God, and I feel our lifetime together, holding her, loving her, and being with her through the best years of my life.
She murmurs, ―Noah... my sweet Noah...‖(p.184).
―What‘s wrong?‖ I ask, and her answer comes softly.
―I‘m so afraid. I‘m afraid of forgetting you again. It isn‘t fair... I just can not bear to give this up.‖(p.184).
I kiss her lips, her cheecks, and listen as she takes a breath. She murmurs
soflty, ―Oh, Noah....I‘ve missed you.‖ Another miracle—the greatest of all!—and there‘s no way I can stop the tears as we begin to slip toward heaven itself (p.207).
The second conflict is the conflict between Noah against Allie‘s disease reflected in the Perrine‘s theory about conflict between men against the
environment (1959: 62). They are also suitable to Stanton‘s theory about external
conflict (1965:16).
41
C. The Type of Love as Reflected through the Main Characters and Their
Conflicts
After the writer explains the main characters‘ characteristics and the conflicts that happen in the main characters love journey in Sparks‘ The Notebook, the writer will analyze the type of love between Noah and Allie as the main characters through their characteristics and also their conflicts.
To analyze the type of love as reflected through the main characters and their conflicts, the write uses some theories of love from Hauck (1983: 22), theory of love by Fromm (1956: 38-39), and the last one the theory of love from Pines (1999: 25).
Regarding to Fromm‘s theory of love in The Art of Loving, there are many kinds of object love, and in this thesis, the writer can see the type of love of the main characters relationship. Noah and Allie has a type of love called erotic love or eros love. It can be showed by the main characters‘ characteristics and also the problems or the conflicts that they face. Noah and Allie have some characteristics that can develop and fulfill their character in order to overcome their conflicts. Allie is a strong woman, she also has strong motivation to reach her love. She loves Noah more than anything. She is a good mother and also a good wife for her family. She has a passion for her life when she gets Alzheimer. On the other hand, Noah is very faithfull to Allie. He has a strong love for Allie. He never gives up to struggle for his love. Besides he is a kindhearted too, he
42
Allie and Noah as the main characters in the novel almost have the same characteristics. They are faithfull, loyal, strong, and kindhearted. They never want to make others sad. They never give up when the conflicts come in to their love journey. Even, they struggle for their relationship no matter what happen in their life. Their spirit will never die because they have the same purpose of life. It is to live happily ever after.
Allie and Noah‘s type of love almost the same with Pines‘ theory. Pines
divides kinds of love into four kinds. In this thesis the writer only uses Eros love in western tradition by Pines to analyze the type of love of Noah and Allie as the main characters. The writer uses Eros love because the main characters‘ love is catagorized as a romantic love. It is a higher form of relationship (1999: 25). They can make other happy with his or her presence. They are romantic people in their love journey. They can live day by day with a strong love that they have.
The love journey of Allie and Noah is the greatest love story ever. They can face all of the problems that they get. They struggle for their loves, during the first time they meet, it is called past time until finally they are getting older. It is called present time when Noah tries to overcome the conflict that comes from
Allie‘s disease. It is also suitable to Hauck‘s theory about love that love was a
feeling who did (in the past), are (in the present), or will (in the future) satisfy our deepest desires and needs (1983: 22).
I love you, Allie. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason,
every hope, and every dream I‘ve ever had, and no matter what happens to
