ABSTRACT
Dalam tugas akhir ini, penulis membahas perkembangan karakterisitik tokoh
utama dalam novel yang berjudul Burning Eddy yang ditulis oleh seorang penulis berkebangsaan Australia, Scot Gardner. Melalui tokoh utamanya, Gardner mencoba untuk menggambarkan kehidupan seorang remaja yang memiliki banyak
permasalahan dalam hidupnya.
Tokoh utama dalam cerita ini bernama Daniel Fairbrother, yang biasa
dipanggil Dan. Dan adalah seorang remaja berusia lima belas tahun. Ia tinggal di sebuah desa di Victoria dengan kedua orangtuanya, seorang kakak dan seorang adik. Dan memiliki hubungan yang buruk dengan ayahnya, ia merasa tidak memiliki
teman, dan ia juga sering dirundung di sekolah. Hal-hal inilah yang membuatnya memiliki karakter yang negatif, pasif, dan merasa kesepian.
Karakteristik Dan mulai berubah setelah ia bersahabat dengan seorang wanita tua bernama Eddy dan setelah ia melepaskan rasa bersalahnya atas sebuah kejadian di masa lalu. Dan berubah menjadi seseorang yang lebih optimis, percaya diri, dan
pengertian. Melalui novel ini, Gardner menunjukkan perubahan kehidupan dan karakteristik dari seorang remaja dalam perjalanannya menuju kedewasaan dan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS……… i
ABSTRACT....……….... ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Study………... 1
Statement of the Problem………... 3
Purpose of the Study………... 3
Method of Research………... 3
Organization of the Thesis………... 4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN SCOT GARDNER’S BURNING EDDY…… 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION………... 19
BIBLIOGRAPHY………... 23
APPENDICES Synopsis of Burning Eddy………... 25
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Scot Gardner is an Australian novelist known for his children and young adult novels. He has written fourteen novels such as White Ute Dreaming, The Other Madonna, One Wheel Drive, and many others. Gardner often writes about
troubled people who may either fall apart when they have troubles or become complete after surviving their troubles. His writing inspiration comes from his
experience as a counselor and his love for listening to people’s stories, both the old’s and the young’s because in his opinion, “young people dream big, old people have lived.” His novels cover a wide range of topics, from absurd fantasies
for children to the unpleasantness of life and tragic comedy for young adults (“Scot Gardner”).
Gardner has written some novels, such as Gravity, which was shortlisted for The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2007, Happy as Larry, which won
The Dead I Know, which was short-listed for WA Premier's Book Awards: Young
Adults and won the 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year Awards for the category of older readers (“CBCA Book of the Year: Congrats to Scot Gardner and Kate Constable!”). His third novel, Burning Eddy,
was shortlisted in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards for the Ethel Turner Prize for Books for Young Adults and for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Older Readers (“Burning Eddy”).
In this thesis, I choose to analyze one of Gardner’s novels, Burning Eddy because the story is very interesting. The story gives the readers a different
perception of life and a way of handling problems for young adults, and this is very helpful for the readers. “Burning Eddy is a poignant story about growing up, about family, and about friendship” (Murphy). The protagonist of the novel is a
fifteen-year-old boy named Daniel Fairbrother. He is unhappy about his life
because he has a bad relationship with his father. He does not have any friends and he does not have a girlfriend, either. Furthermore, he is bullied at school. One day, he meets Eddy, who teaches him about the meaning of life, how to forgive others, and many other things. Daniel’s life starts to change after he meets Eddy.
He then develops into a better person in the last chapters of the novel. The changes of Daniel’s characteristics are very prominent in the novel. Thus, I decide
to analyze the portrayal of the protagonist of the novel as the topic of my thesis.
The literary element that I choose to analyze in this novel is the portrayal
leading character of a drama, novel, or other literary works. The person is not
always a hero of a work, but he is always the principal and central character” (Shaw 305). In analyzing this novel, I use formalism because the issues in Burning Eddy are clear and I do not need to use any sources from other books.
Statement of the Problem
The problems I would like to discuss are:
1. How is the protagonist portrayed in the novel?
2. What is the purpose of the author in portraying such a protagonist?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the above problems, the purpose of the study are:
1. to show the portrayal of the protagonist in the novel.
2. to show the purpose of the author in portraying such a protagonist.
Method of Research
In writing this thesis, I use the library research. I begin the study by reading the primary text, Scot Gardner’s Burning Eddy. Then, I search for some
Organization of the Thesis
The thesis is presented in three chapters and is preceded by Table of Contents, and Abstract. Chapter one is Introduction, which consists of
Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two presents Analysis of the Portrayal of the Protagonist in Scot Gardner’s Burning Eddy. I
conclude my analysis in Chapter Three. This thesis ends with Bibliography and Appendices, which present the synopsis of Burning Eddy and the biography of
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the portrayal of Daniel Fairbrother of Scot Gardner’s
Burning Eddy, I would like to draw some conclusions. In this novel, Gardner
portrays the development of the character Dan when he gradually changes to be a better person. At first, Dan is described as someone who is negative, passive, and desolate.
Dan’s negative characteristic can be seen in the negative thoughts he
always has about his father, Steven. Dan thinks that Steven is always grumpy and
he constantly blames his father for some conditions at home that he is not satisfied with. Dan also thinks negatively about his life. He tells the story about his life in just two minutes to Eddy because he thinks there is nothing special or interesting
in his life.
Dan’s passive characteristic can be seen when Michael teases Dan as Dan
not like being treated that way but he does not say a thing to Michael. The same
thing happens when Dan gets bullied by Amy. Amy says something bad about Dan and his sister but Dan does nothing to oppose Amy.
Dan’s being desolate can be seen when he is bullied by Michael and his
friends. Dan gets hurt physically and mentally because of that. He thinks that everything in his life is wrong, everything he has is ugly, nothing good ever
happens to him, and his life is miserable.
After Dan meets Eddy, his life gradually changes to be better. Dan starts to
change after he lets go of his past, too. These factors affect Dan so that he develops into a better person. Later he becomes someone who is confident, understanding, and optimistic.
Eddy advises Dan that people must not fight fire with fire. After getting this advice, Dan becomes confident so he can see and mend his relationship with
Michael and they become friends. Dan can also reveal his feelings to Chantelle after Eddy gives him encouragement.
Eddy shares her experience with Dan. Eddy tells him that she has been
raped by an American soldier during World War II but in the end, she can forgive the man who has raped her. Eddy’s experience opens Dan’s mind. Dan becomes
understanding toward his father. Steven has beat him up but Dan is willing to forgive him and visit him in prison. Dan also becomes understanding toward his father after Steven tells Dan his secret. Dan feels sympathy for his father’s
Dan lets go of his past and stops blaming himself over the death of his best
friend, Chris. After that, Dan becomes optimistic toward his life. He feels stronger and he hopes for the better future in his life. Dan also feels optimistic that he is
not alone, even when Eddy dies, because Eddy has taught him that alone is just a state of mind. Dan has family, friends, and a girlfriend who can always be there for him.
Through the portrayal and development of Dan, I conclude that Gardner wants to show the life of a teenager in the process of growing up and about the
importance of forgiveness. Many teenagers experience hardship in the process of growing up because they have to deal with the issue of acceptance, fitting in and many others. Some teenagers may be bullied at school, have bad relationship with
their parents, or have guilty feeling of something that happened in the past. These will affect their characteristics. They need friends that they can trust, they need
someone to love and accept them for who they are, they need to forgive others who have hurt them, and to forgive themselves in order to let go of their past. That process of growing up develops and shapes their characters, making them a better
person than before.
I think Burning Eddy is worth reading because the story is funny,
dramatic, captivating, and realistic. I think it is realistic because the story represents a real life story that happens to many teenagers. In my opinion, Dan is a life-like character. We can find such a character in real life. After reading this
time with our loved ones before it is too late, be brave to be ourselves and live our
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Gardner, Scot. Burning Eddy. Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited,
2004. Print.
References:
”2011 Catalogue-Children’s Books.” Curtis Brown Australia. Curtis Brown, n.d.
Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
“Burning Eddy.” Scot Gardner. Scot Gardner, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
“CBCA Book of the Year: Congrats to Scot Gardner and Kate Constable!”
Booked Out. Booked Out. 17 Aug. 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
“Confident.” Def. 2. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University Press,
2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
“Desolate.” Adj, Def. 2. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University Press,
2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
Murphy, Sally. “Burning Eddy by Scot Gardner.” Aussie Reviews. Aussie
“Negative.” Adj, Def. 2. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University Press,
2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
“Optimistic.” Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
“Passive.” Adj, Def. 1. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University Press,
2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
“Portrayal.” Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw-Hill Book
Company, 1972. 295. Print.
“Protagonist.” Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw-Hill Book
Company, 1972. 305. Print.
“Scot Gardner.” Booked Out Speakers Agency. Booked Out, n.d. Web. 31 Oct.
2014.
"Scot Gardner." Macmillan. Pan Macmillan Australia, 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
“Understanding.” Adj. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Oxford University Press,
2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
“WA Premiere’s Book Awards.” Booked Out. Booked Out. 24 June 2014. Web. 3
