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PERSEUS ‘PERCY’ JACKSON: THE RE-INVENTION OF MYTHOLOGICAL
CHARACTERS IN RICK RIORDAN’S PERCY JACKSON AND THE
LIGHTNING THIEF
A THESIS
Submitted as a partial fulfillment of Sarjana Sastra degree English Department of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts
Sebelas Maret University
By:
Yunita Ariani Putri C0309072
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND FINE ARTS SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY
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PRONOUNCEMENT
Name : Yunita Ariani Putri
Student Number : C0309072
This research entitled Perseus ‘Percy’ Jackson: The Re-Invention of Mythological
Characters in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is neither a
kind of intended plagiarism nor written by other. All works and pieces of writings
consulted in this research are cited properly.
If someday it can be proven that I cheat, I am ready to take any consequences
given to me from the English Department, Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts,
Sebelas Maret University.
Surakarta, July 2013
Researcher
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v Dream as if you will live forever,
And live as if you’ll die today.
Taka, ONE OK ROCK (C.h.a.o.s.m.y.t.h.)
Words do hurt people,
But they can be encouraging too,
So let’s use them to encourage.
Toranosuke Sugi-sensei (Scrap Teacher)
No single thing in this world exists for nothing.
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For Family and Friends
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like to thank God Almighty for always blessing and
guiding me so that this research can be conducted and finished smoothly. In
writing this thesis down, I realize that I have been receiving tons of
encouragements from many people. Therefore, I would like to sincerely express
my deepest gratitude here.
1. Drs. Riyadi Santoso, M.Ed., Ph.D., as the Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine
Arts, Sebelas Maret University.
2. Drs. Agus Hari Wibowo, M.A., Ph.D., the Head of English Department, for
all the supports given to us and for being so kind in taking care of us.
3. Yusuf Kurniawan, S.S., M.A., my academic supervisor, for all supports given.
4. Drs. Mugijatna, M.Si., Ph.D., my thesis supervisor, for being such a great
mentor for me, and for the guidance, advices, and supports given to me
during the research process and even before that.
5. Dra. Endang Sri Astuti, M.S. and Mr. Yuyun Kusdianto, S.S., M.A. for the
helps, guidance and advices given to me from the time I raised the very first
idea for this research until it could finally be fixed and steady.
6. All lecturers of English Department, for the great lessons about everything,
not only about the courses but also about life.
7. My small but lively family. Bunda, for every support, encouragement, and
prayer specially uttered for me, and for always giving me a gentle push every
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repay everything forever. Ayah, for all the supports, pleasant talks and
discussions, and, we have done a very nice race. Laras nee-chan, the
completion of this thesis proves that I am not only fangirling all the time!! XP.
Dek Anggik, yatta!! \(^o^)v
8. My best friends in English Department. Sulistyani Sari and Ivana Nova, and
Uri and Artika, for the great time we have spent and are going to spend
together later on. Nurlita Hapsari, for the nice discussions and talks about
everything, and also for being so supportive toward all my craziness and so
kindly responsive in getting me out of all my uneasiness.
9. Sanni Supriyanto, for supports and discussions from the very beginning of
this research, and for helping me with the reference e-books.
10.Mr. Agus Hernawan, for the beautiful words done encouraging me so much,
I’ll try my best not to forget them all –read a lot… write a lot… travel a lot…
fall in love every day.
11.My fantastic four buddies – Shefield, Dewo, and Yony – for the bittersweet
days we’ve shared from the very beginning. Mbak Virgin, Yessy, Dinar,
Tirah, Mbak Yuni, Retno, Feny, Mbak Nabil, Mas Adiwena, Mbak Dita, Mas
Qodir, Mas Cahya, and all other literature worshipers– old and new– for the
great discussions about literatures and other stuffs. Carpe diem guys. There
are many great stories out there in this world, and they include ours too.
12.All my awesome colleagues from ED ’09. My closest ‘relatives’ from
American Studies, for the cool discussions we had on our shared courses. All
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Cahyo in particular, for the advices that lifted my spirit up once I got into my
depression mode.
13.Rick Riordan and Paulo Coelho, for giving birth to so many cool stories and
for uttering those great sayings with which I agree in many ways. Joseph
Campbell, for coining up an everlasting model of archetypal characters, and
for composing an excellent book about myths.
14.ONE OK ROCK, for the spirits and powers transferred to me through your
songs and all those stuffs – which make me enjoy every second of my writing
and research process –, for delivering lights and passions into my life and my
cloudy mind (and more often disturbing it too), and for the unintended
billions of slaps given to me for many things as I haven’t done my best yet.
Every single note and word means a lot for me. Dir en Grey, for ‘teaching’
me about hard work and totality in doing everything.
15.My online buddies, local and abroad. Kaizen ‘kai-chan’ Zori, for taking care
of me in a very friendly manner. Jerald-kun, for the fluffy yet deep talks
about dreams and lives and all.
And for all those people who have done transferring prayers and powers to
me, whose names have not been addressed personally above, thank you for being
so kind and always being so willing to take care of me.
Surakarta, July 2013.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE ... i
Approval of The Thesis Supervisor ... Error! Bookmark not defined. Approval of The Board of Examiners ... Error! Bookmark not defined. PRONOUNCEMENT ... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... vii
TABLE OF CONTENT ... x
ABSTRACT ... xii
Chapter I:INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background ... 1
B. Problem Statement ... 6
C. Research Objectives ... 7
D. Research Benefits... 7
E. Scope of Study ... 8
F. Research Methodology ... 8
1. Type of Research ... 8
2. Theory and Approach ... 8
3. Sources of Data ... 11
4. Technique of Data Collection ... 12
5. Technique of Data Analysis ... 12
G. Thesis Organization ... 13
Chapter II:LITERATURE REVIEW ... 15
A. Previous Researches... 15
B. Cultural Studies ... 18
C. Theory of Archetype ... 21
1. Archetypal/Mythological Criticism ... 23
2. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces ... 24
a. The Hero’s Journey ... 24
b. Characters Archetype ... 27
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E. Rick Riordan and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief ... 31
Chapter III: ANALYSIS ... 33
A. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief’s Seven Character Archetypes . 33 1. The Hero ... 34
2. Mentor ... 40
3. Threshold Guardian ... 45
4. The Herald ... 50
5. Shape-shifter ... 54
6. Trickster ... 58
7. The Shadow ... 65
B. Rick Riordan’s Ideology in Composing the Novel ... 70
1. Riordan as a Father: His View toward Special Kids ... 70
2. Riordan as a Teacher: His Aim in Turning Children into Readers .. 75
3. Riordan’s Messages: His Concerns about Family and Mentor Character ... 80
Chapter IV:CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ... 86
A. Conclusion ... 86
B. Recommendation ... 87
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xii ABSTRACT
Yunita Ariani Putri. C0309072. 2013. Perseus ‘Percy’ Jackson: The Re
-invention of Mythological Characters in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and
the Lightning Thief. Undergraduate Thesis. Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts. Sebelas Maret University.
The objectives of this research are to explain how the Greek mythological characters are reflected and re-invented in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and to understand Riordan’s ideology conveyed throughout the novel.
This research belongs to cultural studies with the application of archetypal/mythological approach. The main data of this research are collected from the characters, characterizations, and plot of the novel while supporting data come from any articles and interviews related to the novel and its author. These interviews are several interviews done by some interviewers and are all retrieved from the internet. The first problem statement about the archetypal characters is
based on Joseph Campbell’s model. The findings of the first analysis are then
continued afterward to answer the second problem statement about Riordan’s ideology conveyed through the novel by also connecting it with the situations in the United States where he lives.
Based on the archetypal analysis toward the characters, Joseph Campbell’s model for archetypal characters is proven not to be one-to-one classification. Although Riordan may have his own interpretations toward Greek mythological characters appeared in his novel, their characteristics are still stuck closely to the original versions of those existed in Greek myths. The second analysis sees that Riordan’s ideology has been influenced by the society where he lives and vice versa. His ideology within the work influences the society in the point that children’s interests in mythology and in reading books increased after the work was published. The ideology studied in this research focuses on Riordan’s beliefs and his ways of seeing the world. The statuses he bears both as a father and as an ex-teacher also take part in shaping his ideology. His status as a father of an ADHD+D son influences his beliefs that all kids can be special and it is represented by the demigods within the novel. Riordan, as an ex-teacher, concerns a lot about kids as reluctant readers and also the need of mentor characters. It can be seen in his revival of Chiron the Centaur as a mentor character in the novel.
