v ABSTRACT
Monica. Helen. (2008). The Main Character’s Motivation in Saving Viscos as Seen in Paulo Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis discusses Paulo Coelho’s novel, The Devil and Miss Prym. The story is about a young woman named Chantal who tries to save her village, Viscos from the stranger who wants to tempt Viscos people. This novel provides a story which is familiar in our society. As human being, we cannot be free from temptation in everywhere and every time. Temptation will always tempt us whether we have strong conviction or not in keeping our integrity and commitment. In this case, motivation is really needed to keep that conviction so that we are not tempted by everything which can make us fall.
There are two problems to be analyzed in this thesis. They are: (1) What is the problem faced by Viscos village? (2) What are Chantal’s motivations in saving Viscos?
This study employs a library study method. There are two kinds of sources. The primary source is the novel. The secondary sources are taken from the books related to theory of critical approach, theory of motivation as well as theory of human needs. This study uses psychological approach as the main approach. Psychological approach is needed to help in understanding about human motivation and behavior. The study of psychology deals with the mind, its senses and human behavior. Therefore, human motivation can be seen psychologically from his or her behavior. I also use theory of motivation to reveal the main character’s motivation in the novel, and in order to get a deeper analysis about motivation, theory of human needs is needed.
The result of the analysis shows that Chantal’s motivation in saving Viscos is driven by her responsibility as she has taken a wrong decision previously. Chantal’s motivation can be seen from her intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The intrinsic one is that Chantal wants to clear her bad image in Viscos people’s eyes. The extrinsic motivations are that Chantal is responsible about her action in conveying the stranger’s offer and that Chantal is going to return Viscos to the original situation. Hence, Chantal is motivated to repair her mistake. Chantal is so smart, it can be seen when she has succeeded in saving Viscos, she also still can get the gold and reach her dreams to be out of Viscos village. Chantal finally helps the stranger to understand about human nature. Chantal’s motivation is not only to save Viscos but also to inspire people in controlling themselves to behave in the good way.
vi ABSTRAK
Monica. Helen. (2008). The Main Character’s Motivation in Saving Viscos as Seen in Paulo Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym. Yogyakarta: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisa tentang novel karangan Paulo Coelho, The Devil
and Miss Prym. Novel ini menceritakan tentang seorang wanita muda bernama
Chantal yang berusaha untuk melindungi desanya, Viscos dari orang asing yang ingin mencobai penduduk Viscos. Novel ini menyajikan sebuah cerita yang umum di dalam masyarakat kita. Manusia tidak akan terlepas dari cobaan dimanapun dan kapanpun. Cobaan itu akan selalu menggoda kita meskipun kita mempunyai pendirian yang kuat atau tidak dalam menjaga integritas dan komitmen kita. Dalam hal ini, motivasi sangat diperlukan dalam menjaga pendirian atau keyakinan itu dari apapun juga yang dapat membuat kita jatuh.
Dalam skripsi ini, ada tiga masalah yang dianalisa. (1) Masalah apakah yang dihadapi oleh Viscos? (2) Motivasi apakah yang mendorong Chantal untuk melindungi Viscos?
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Ada dua macam sumber pendukung. Sumber utama adalah novel The Devil and Miss Prym karangan Paulo Coelho. Sumber kedua diambil dari buku-buku yang berkaitan dengan teori literatur, teori psikologi, dan teori motivasi. Skripsi ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologi sebagai pendekatan utama. Pendekatan psikologi diperlukan untuk membantu dalam memahami motivasi dan perilaku manusia. Pembelajaran psikologi berhubungan dengan pikiran, perasaan dan perilaku manusia. Maka dari itu, motivasi manusia dapat dilihat secara psikologi yaitu dari perilakunya. Saya juga menggunakan teori motivasi untuk menguak motivasi dari karakter utama di dalam novel, dan Untuk mendapatkan analisa yang lebih mendalam tentang motivasi, diperlukan teori kebutuhan manusia.
vii
untuk mengontrol diri mereka masing-masing untuk berkelakuan baik dengan cara yang benar.
Pada akhirnya, saya menyarankan untuk menggunakan skripsi ini bagi para penulis dimasa mendatang yang tertarik menganalisa novel The Devil and
Miss Prym. Di sini, masih banyak topik yang dapat dibahas lagi. Saya juga
THE MAIN CHARACTER’S MOTIVATION IN SAVING VISCOS AS
SEEN IN PAULO COELHO’S
THE DEVIL AND MIS PRYM
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By Helen Monica
Student Number: 031214137
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
THE MAIN CHARACTER’S MOTIVATION IN SAVING VISCOS AS
SEEN IN PAULO COELHO’S
THE DEVIL AND MIS PRYM
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By Helen Monica
Student Number: 031214137
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
v ABSTRACT
Monica. Helen. (2008). The Main Character’s Motivation in Saving Viscos as Seen in Paulo Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis discusses Paulo Coelho’s novel, The Devil and Miss Prym. The story is about a young woman named Chantal who tries to save her village, Viscos from the stranger who wants to tempt Viscos people. This novel provides a story which is familiar in our society. As human being, we cannot be free from temptation in everywhere and every time. Temptation will always tempt us whether we have strong conviction or not in keeping our integrity and commitment. In this case, motivation is really needed to keep that conviction so that we are not tempted by everything which can make us fall.
There are two problems to be analyzed in this thesis. They are: (1) What is the problem faced by Viscos village? (2) What are Chantal’s motivations in saving Viscos?
This study employs a library study method. There are two kinds of sources. The primary source is the novel. The secondary sources are taken from the books related to theory of critical approach, theory of motivation as well as theory of human needs. This study uses psychological approach as the main approach. Psychological approach is needed to help in understanding about human motivation and behavior. The study of psychology deals with the mind, its senses and human behavior. Therefore, human motivation can be seen psychologically from his or her behavior. I also use theory of motivation to reveal the main character’s motivation in the novel, and in order to get a deeper analysis about motivation, theory of human needs is needed.
The result of the analysis shows that Chantal’s motivation in saving Viscos is driven by her responsibility as she has taken a wrong decision previously. Chantal’s motivation can be seen from her intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The intrinsic one is that Chantal wants to clear her bad image in Viscos people’s eyes. The extrinsic motivations are that Chantal is responsible about her action in conveying the stranger’s offer and that Chantal is going to return Viscos to the original situation. Hence, Chantal is motivated to repair her mistake. Chantal is so smart, it can be seen when she has succeeded in saving Viscos, she also still can get the gold and reach her dreams to be out of Viscos village. Chantal finally helps the stranger to understand about human nature. Chantal’s motivation is not only to save Viscos but also to inspire people in controlling themselves to behave in the good way.
vi ABSTRAK
Monica. Helen. (2008). The Main Character’s Motivation in Saving Viscos as Seen in Paulo Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym. Yogyakarta: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisa tentang novel karangan Paulo Coelho, The Devil
and Miss Prym. Novel ini menceritakan tentang seorang wanita muda bernama
Chantal yang berusaha untuk melindungi desanya, Viscos dari orang asing yang ingin mencobai penduduk Viscos. Novel ini menyajikan sebuah cerita yang umum di dalam masyarakat kita. Manusia tidak akan terlepas dari cobaan dimanapun dan kapanpun. Cobaan itu akan selalu menggoda kita meskipun kita mempunyai pendirian yang kuat atau tidak dalam menjaga integritas dan komitmen kita. Dalam hal ini, motivasi sangat diperlukan dalam menjaga pendirian atau keyakinan itu dari apapun juga yang dapat membuat kita jatuh.
Dalam skripsi ini, ada tiga masalah yang dianalisa. (1) Masalah apakah yang dihadapi oleh Viscos? (2) Motivasi apakah yang mendorong Chantal untuk melindungi Viscos?
Skripsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Ada dua macam sumber pendukung. Sumber utama adalah novel The Devil and Miss Prym karangan Paulo Coelho. Sumber kedua diambil dari buku-buku yang berkaitan dengan teori literatur, teori psikologi, dan teori motivasi. Skripsi ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologi sebagai pendekatan utama. Pendekatan psikologi diperlukan untuk membantu dalam memahami motivasi dan perilaku manusia. Pembelajaran psikologi berhubungan dengan pikiran, perasaan dan perilaku manusia. Maka dari itu, motivasi manusia dapat dilihat secara psikologi yaitu dari perilakunya. Saya juga menggunakan teori motivasi untuk menguak motivasi dari karakter utama di dalam novel, dan Untuk mendapatkan analisa yang lebih mendalam tentang motivasi, diperlukan teori kebutuhan manusia.
vii
untuk mengontrol diri mereka masing-masing untuk berkelakuan baik dengan cara yang benar.
Pada akhirnya, saya menyarankan untuk menggunakan skripsi ini bagi para penulis dimasa mendatang yang tertarik menganalisa novel The Devil and
Miss Prym. Di sini, masih banyak topik yang dapat dibahas lagi. Saya juga
viii
“He has set the right time for everything”
(Ecclesiastes 3: 11a)
This thesis dedicated to:
My beloved father, King, Jesus Christ
My parents, Hengky Mulyanto and Elvi Lindawati
My sister and brother, Valentina Mei Cen and Rudy
My love, Yoseph Setyawan Budiono
All of my friends
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank Jesus Christ who always stays beside me every time and gives me strength and support to finish this thesis. I realize that I would never be able to accomplish my thesis without His blessing. I would also like to thank Mother Mary who always accompanies me and hears my prayer.
I also realize I would never have finished this thesis without other’s support and help. My deepest thanks go to my sponsor V. Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A who has sacrifice her time in guiding me to finish my thesis from the beginning until the end. I am also indebted to all PBI lecturers for guiding and sharing their knowledge during my study in Sanata Dharma University.
My deepest and endless gratitude goes to my beloved family for being the angels of my life who cover me in the hard times. My lovely parents Hengky Mulyanto and Elvi Lindawati, their never ending loves, prayers, patience, support, encouragements and understanding really give me strength to do not give up easily in finishing this thesis. My deep love also goes to my sister and brother, Valentina Mei Cen and Rudy. I love them so much.
A special gratitude goes to my beloved boyfriend, Yoseph Setyawan Budiono, who is always patient and stays beside me through the hard times. I thank him for every moment and laugh that we have. He is my life’s light forever and ever.
x
house’s friends, Cicil who always disturbs me every night in finishing this thesis and Dina who always supports me when I am down. I would like to thank my friend Andry, Junius, Siane, Tommy, Devi, Titik, Bunga and Ruth who always give me couragement in finishing this thesis. I want to thank all my friends, April, Denny, Fely, Franky, Grace, Halim, Hendra, Hilda, Leonna, Martha, Ria, Ricky, Rinma, Ya yan, Yodi, Yuvena and also my other friends that I can not mention one by one. Thank you for the friendship, support and prayers.
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv
ABSTRACT ... v
ABSTRAK ... vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xi
LIST OF APPENDICES ... xiii
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ... . 1
B. Problem Formulation ... . 3
C. Objectives of the Study ... . 4
D. Research Benefits ... . 4
E. Definition of Terms ... . 5
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Review of Related Theories ... . 6
1. Theory of Critical Approach ... . 6
2. Theory of Motivation ... 07 a. Intrinsic Motivation ... 10
b. Extrinsic Motivation ... 10
3. Human Needs ... 13
a. Psychological Needs... 14
b. Safety Needs ... 14
c. Love/Belonging/ Social Needs ... 14
d. Esteem Needs ... 15
xii
B. Criticism ... 16
C. Theoretical Review ... 18
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY A. Subject of the Study ... 19
B. Approach of the Study ... 20
C. Method of the Study ... 21
CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS A. The Problem Faced by Viscos Village ... 23
1. The Background of the Problem ... 23
2. How the Problem Appears ... 28
3. Factors Influencing Chantal’s Action ... 34
a. Internal Factor ... 34
b. External Factor ... 37
4. The Impacts of the Problem ... 39
a. Viscos People see Chantal’s Image Negatively ... 40
b. Viscos Threatened Damaged... 41
B. Chantal’s Motivation in Saving Viscos ... 42
1. Intrinsic Motivation ... 43
2. Extrinsic Motivation ... 44
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusion ... 50
B. Suggestions ... 52
1. Suggestions for Future Researchers ... 53
2. Suggestion for English Teachers ... 53
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX Page
A. Summary of The Devil and Miss Prym ... 58
B. Biography of Paulo Coelho ... 60
C. Lesson Plan and Worksheet of Extensive Reading I ... 62
1
CHAPTER l
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of five parts, namely background of the study, problem
formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms.
The background of the study presents the description of the topic and the reasons I
choose this topic. The problem formulation states the problem to be solved. The
objectives of the study state the purpose of writing this thesis, meanwhile the research
benefits state the benefits of this thesis for the readers. The last, the definition of
terms clarifies the important terms used in this thesis.
A.
Background of the Study
Art is something enjoyable if it is regarded as something valuable which will
enrich people’s knowledge and experience. To many readers, literature is a kind of art
in which many people will learn almost everything in it. Literature is surely a device
to learn about everything in our lives. We may also learn about humanity through
literature. Every thought and event, either real or imaginary, is presented in many
ways. It gives some contribution to readers in expressing their sense of curiosity,
feeling, and the idea inside themselves. Novel as a branch of literature invites various
people to read, to feel, and then to be involved in it. Novel becomes something
pleasant to be consumed because it represents the reality of life or it may be not real
2
experience it. Sometimes when we read a novel, we can feel some feelings which will
appear from the story. They can be happiness, sadness or maybe a motivation which
can make ourself to do something new or impossible things.
In this study, I am going to reveal a topic about motivation. Motivation is like
a desire or a will to do something to reach our goal. A psychologist, Morris (1990:
408) defines motive as a specific need, desire, or want such as thirst, or achievement
that energizes and directs goal – oriented behavior. It is clear from the definition that
human wants to do something or do an action because they are motivated to get their
aim or dreams. An effort to make a better life is a kind of achievement motivation.
Most of human biologically functioning follows the pattern of searching a
way to relieve the unpleasant things caused by the needs that must be fulfilled in their
life. In bottom lines, the needs motivate someone to act. Sometimes behavior of
individuals at a particular moment is usually determined by their strongest needs. It is
like Maslow’s (1938) theory as quoted in Huffman, Vernoy and Vernoy (2000: 407)
about hierarchy of needs. He states that the strongest needs must be satisfied first
before one can move on to the higher needs. It is clear that human being can behave
based on the needs that they face in that moment. The needs conduct humans to act.
Because of the needs, human being can also perform actions that cause destruction or
serious damage, or they can also perform actions that have useful purpose or positive
purpose.
This study is related to motivation which I choose from one of Paulo Coelho’s
3
the trilogy
On the Seventh Day
. The first two books were
By The River Piedra I Sat
Down and Wept
(1994) and
Veronica Decides to Die
(1998). As a literary work, this
novel has an idea that I want to reveal and elaborate more.
The Devil and Miss Prym
tells about Chantal, the main character, who is motivated to save Viscos, her
birthplace.
The story begins from a stranger who comes to a remote village, Viscos, to
find the answer whether human beings are good or bad. The stranger tempts Viscos
people by offering ten bars of gold. The gold will belong to Viscos people if, at the
end of seven days someone in the village is found dead.
I choose the topic about the main character’s motivation in saving Viscos
because it reminds the reader how we have to struggle in reaching out dreams or goal
in our life. This story shows how the main character struggles to save Viscos since a
stranger who wants to damage it by his gold. Motivation is needed in struggling to
reach our dream. Without struggle, a dream is only a dream, because the dream
cannot come by itself but it needs a struggle. Then, the struggle needs motivation
because motivation can push someone to do something seriously in reaching the
dream.
B.
Problem Formulation
Based on the background above, there are two problems in this study. Yet,
there is only one main problem which I want to analyze. However, it is needed to
4
formulated as follows:
1.
What is the problem faced by Viscos village?
2.
What are Chantal’s motivations in saving Viscos?
C.
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are related to the two questions stated in the
problem formulation. The first is to find out the problem faced by Viscos village. The
second is to find out Chantal’s motivation in saving Viscos village.
D.
Research Benefits
The readers can gain some benefits from this study. First, by reading this
study, I expect the reader can understand more about human motivation and also what
really motivate them in reaching dreams or goal. Thus, I expect this study is useful in
our daily life. I am sure that people are always motivated by something in their life,
either from internal or external factor. Second, this novel also can teach the readers
how to struggle in reaching their goals or dreams.
Hopefully this study can also be beneficial for all students of English
Language Education Program who would like to take the same study about human
motivation. This study can help them to understand more about the idea, the
characterizations, the message and also the motivation of the character. Other
researchers also can get some benefits from this study. I expect this study can give
5
E.
Definition of Terms
In this study, there are some terms to be defined to avoid misinterpretation.
The first term is
dream
. Dream is “an ambition or ideal” (Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary, 1995: 353). In this study, dream is defined as someone’s ambition which
will be reached if he or she has the opportunity in his or her life.
The second term is
goal
. Goal is “the object of one’s efforts; a target” (Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 1995: 509). In this study, goal is defined as
someone’s aim in his or her life which has to be reached.
The third is
needs.
“Need is internal or homeostatic imbalance that must be
satisfied in order to keep the body performing at a consistent level” (Worchel and
Shebilkske, 1989: 375). In this study, need is defined as something that need to be
fulfilled so that the balance will restore.
The fourth is
motivation
. Huffman, Vernoy, Vernoy (2000: 392) state that
motivation is the process of activating, maintaining, and directing behavior toward a
particular goal. According to Petri (1981: 3), “motivation is the concept we use when
we describe the forces acting or on within an organism to initiate and direct
behavior.” In this study, motivation is defined as a desire or an action to do
6
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter will discuss some theories used to analyze the novel and
answer the problem formulations. There are three parts that are presented in this
chapter. The first part is review of related theories which is dealing with theory of
critical approach, theory of motivation and theory of human needs. The second
part is criticism. It consists of the articles and reviews by people who have read
about this novel, The Devil and Miss Prym (2000). The third part is theoretical
framework. It consists of the contribution of the theories and reviews applied in
this study to answer the problems formulated in this thesis.
A. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Critical Approaches
Reading a novel is a pleasant thing in literary work. In understanding the
novel, we do not only know about the title, plot, or the author but also broaden our
knowledge about literary deeper.
In order to help readers in understanding about how literature is shaped
and the meaning of it, Wellek and Warren (1956: 80) suggest two approaches to
study literary works; those are the intrinsic and the extrinsic approaches. Each
approach has its point of view. When analyzing a novel with the intrinsic
approach, it means that we analyze and appreciate a novel from its elements such
as character, plot, setting, and etc. On the other hand, the extrinsic approach
7
In applying the extrinsic approach, there are some suggestions. Wellek and
Warren, (1956: 77-134) suggest some theories, which can be used to analyze a
literary works; “literature and biography, literature and psychology, literature and
society, literature and ideas, literature and the other arts”.
According to Rohrberger and Woods (1971: 6-15) state that there are 5
kinds of approaches. They are formalist approach, biographical approach,
sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeic approach, and psychological
approach.
In this study, I use the psychological approach. Psychological approach is
the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns, but from a different
body of knowledge that is psychology (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 13).
Psychological approach is used to explain about human motivation especially the
motivation of the main character, Chantal Prym, in saving Viscos village. It is
because study of psychology deals with the mind, its senses and human behavior.
The main character’s motivation can be seen from her behavior when she focuses
on getting her goal. Through this approach, the character’s motivation can be
analyzed deeply.
2. Theory of Motivation
I am sure that people who have motivations, they have dreams too. As
Zulkanaen (2007: 13) says that “everything happens to us is begun from our
dreams”. It is because people are free to dream everything in every time and
8
not enough pushing someone to reach his goal. There is one thing that really will
be able to force someone to be motivated in reaching his goal, it is called needs.
Need is needed because it helps motivation leads human to do an action.
“Motivation is sufficient reason to behave as they do” (Kennedy and Gioia, 1995:
60), because it can push someone to do something that he or she wants. This
motivation theory is needed in this thesis because I want to analyze about the
main character’s motivation in this novel.
Motivated behavior is someone’s behavior which is set to make an action
by a need (Kalish, 1973: 29). A need here indicates that some types of someone’s
satisfaction is lacking and implies someone to reduce the dissatisfaction. Atkinson,
Atkinson, and Hilgard (1983: 314) also state that “motivation refers to the factors
that energize and direct behavior”. It means that in motivation energizes someone
to do something, for example a hungry person is motivated to seek food to eat and
a thirsty person to drink. Based on Worchel and Shebilkske’s theory (1989: 373)
which state that people who are motivated always act in a certain way at a certain
time. That is the reason why they conclude that “the study of motivation is
concerned with how and why people behave as they do-what energize and direct
their behavior” (ibid, 411).
Motivation will appear if there are some needs to be achieved. It is similar
to Waringin’s theory (2007: 19) which mentions that human brain has a system
where human tends to search of pleasure and avoid misery automatically. Pleasure
here indicates human needs. Thus, I conclude this theory is suitable with theory of
9
something. When someone’s needs have not been fulfilled, he will be motivated
to try hard until he gets his satisfactions.
Henry Murray (1938) as quoted in Worchel and Shebilkske (1989: 406)
suggests that some people are brought by a motive to do things as soon as possible.
This can be meant as achievement motivation. In short, people’s need that must be
fulfilled at one can be said as achievement motivation. There are two forms of
motivation that affect achievement motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation is motivated behavior that results from external factors, such
as promotion, status or any similar types of rewards. Intrinsic motivation is
motivated behavior that derives from the enjoyment of performing the task rather
than from an expected reward (Worchel and Shebilkske, 1989: 408).
According to Petri (1981: 3), motivation is the concept which we use when
we want to describe the action or within someone to initiate and direct behavior.
Staw (1976) as quoted in Petri (1979: 315) also defines that “intrinsic motivation
as the value or pleasure associated with an activity as opposed to the goal toward
which the activity is directed”. While, extrinsic motivation, emphasizes the
external goals towards which the activity is directed.
Other researchers, Huffman, Vernoy, and Vernoy (2000: 392) state that
motivation refers to factors of an individual such as needs, desires, and interests
which activate, maintain, and direct behavior toward his goal. Why an individual
has motivation to do something? The key to understanding this is achievement
motivation. Achievement motivation is “the need for success for doing better than
10
competition with others” (Henry Murray, 1938 as quoted in Huffman, Vernoy,
and Vernoy, 2000: 399).
According to Huffman, Vernoy, and Vernoy (2000: 401) there are two
forms of motivation that affect achievement: Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic
motivation.
a. Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation refers to a desire to exhibit an action for our own sake.
It means that this motivation comes from someone’s enjoyment or pleasure. There
is not a real reward (money, certificate, or status) for his work but the reward is
from his heart, his satisfaction in doing something well.
b. Extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation is a desire to exhibit an action because of the external
rewards and avoidance of punishment. It means this motivation comes from
reward which will be benefit for someone, such as money, certificate, or status.
There is not enjoyment in this motivation. He only does something for the reward
given not for his satisfaction.
Huffman, Vernoy, and Vernoy (2000: 404) also explain about the general
theories of motivation where those theories are divided into three, as follows:
1. Biological Theories a. Instinct
“Motivation results from behaviors that are unlearned, uniform in
expression, and universal in a species”. It means that instinct is a behavioral
pattern which does not need to be learnt, always expressing something in the same
11
animals. But according to Edward O. Wilson (1975, 1978) as quoted in Huffman,
Vernoy, and Vernoy (2000: 405) believes that human being also have instinct
such as competition, aggression, male-female differences, and also altruism.
These instincts are automatically come from one generation to another generation.
That is the reason why this behavior does not need to be learnt and always
expressed in the same way because it comes from genetically in every species.
b. Drive-Reduction Theory
This theory begins with the biological needs of organism (such as foods,
water, and oxygen) which are lacking. When the biological needs are unmet, these
needs created a state of tension (drive), then the organism is motivated to reduce
the needs or satisfy the original needs. Once the need is met, a state of balance
(homeostasis) is restored and motivation decreases. For the example, someone
who is starving will create a state of tension (hunger drive) then he is motivated to
find food.
2. Psychosocial Theories a. Incentive Theory
This theory tells about motivation which comes from the external factors
or environmental stimuli. These external stimuli will pull organism in certain
directions (Bolles, 1970, 1975; Pfaffmann, 1982 as quoted in Huffman, Vernoy,
and Vernoy, 2000: 405). This theory is the opposite of the drive-reduction theory
where the internal factors push organism in certain direction. For the example,
people eat because their hunger pushes them to find food; this is drive-reduction
12
because they see others food like apple pie or ice cream which pulls them to
continue eating although they are not hungry at that time.
b. Cognitive Theory
This theory tells about motivation which emphasizes thought processes in
goal-directed behavior. This theory is not similar to other theories above; this
theory emphasizes thinking and perceptual interpretation.
It means that cognitive theory teaches people to think their plans and reach their
goals. That is the reason why it is said that this theory emphasizes in thinking and
perceptual interpretation. For the example, someone who wants to get a great
grade in his examination will spend the night studying than watch a cinema. In
this situation, he has a plan to study all night long to get a perfect grade as his
goal.
3. Interactionism: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s theory of motivation says that some motives (such as
physiological and safety needs) have to be satisfied before advancing to higher
needs (such as belonging and self-esteem).
This theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs will be explained more in the
section theory of Human Needs. It is because this theory is needed in explaining
about Chantal Prym who has some needs to be fulfilled in her life.
Perhaps the explanation for the purpose of motivated behavior is the idea
of hedonism. Hedonism is a motivation behavior which motivates someone by
pleasure and pain (Petri, 1981: 7). Aiken (1969: 119) states that “hedonism is
13
Young (1961) as quoted in Petri (ibid) explains that this behavior is based on the
emotional consequences of an action. If the emotional consequences are
pleasurable, the action will be repeated; if the emotional consequences are painful,
the action will be avoided and there will be no repetition.
3. Theory of Human Needs
Waringin (2007: 72-73) says that a success person is someone who is
brave to take action and convinced that he is able to reach his goal. It means that
everyone has to do something that they consider as a good way, which is at least,
to survive in this life. However, the behavior they conduct is a good one for them
at the end; they have to keep on struggling. One thing that they have to know is
there must be motivations which underlying their actions.
Maslow (1954) contended that human being have a number of needs that
are instinctive. Although all needs are instinctive, some are more powerful than
others. The lower the need, the more powerful it is. In his hierarchy, the lower
needs are stronger than others need. It must be satisfied first before moving to the
higher needs (Maslow, 1954 as quated in Petri, 1981: 302). In other word, it
means that motivations are based on human needs. “Hierarchy of needs implies
that the individual has to find adequate satisfaction for the more basic needs
before he can turn his attention to the higher needs on the scale” (Kalish, 1973:
50).
According to Maslow (1954) as quoted in Petri (1981: 302-305), there are
14
a. Psychological Needs
This is the lowest need in the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These consist
mainly of: eating, drinking, sleeping, and sex. If some needs are not fulfilled, a
human’s physiological needs take the highest priority. Physiological needs can
control thoughts and behaviors, and can cause people to feel sickness, pain, and
discomfort. Maslow feels that psychological needs are adequately met for most
people in the society. When these needs are met, the next need of the hierarchy
emerges as a dominant force in controlling and directing behavior.
b. Safety Needs
When psychological needs are met, the need for safety or security in our
environment will emerge. Like the psychological needs, safety needs are primarily
appears in emergency situations. Higher needs become unimportant when one’s
life is endangered and our behavior reflects our attempts to remain secure. This
include: personal security from crime, security as against company lay-offs, health
and well-being, and safety net against accidents/illness and the adverse impacts. If
there is no satisfaction of these needs, one reacts as if one were in a threatening
situation – obsessive-compulsive neuroses.
c. Love/ Belonging/Social Needs
“When the safety needs have been adequately met, they become
unimportant in the direction of behavior, and the love and belongingness needs
emerge” (Maslow, 1954 as quoted in Petri, 1981: 303). This aspect of Maslow’s
hierarchy involves emotionally-based relationship in general, such as: friendship,
sexual intimacy, and having a supportive and communicative family. Human
15
small social group. They need to love and to be loved by others. In the absence of
these elements, many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety, and
depression.
d. Esteem Needs
When the love needs have been adequately met, the esteem needs become
dominant. Esteem needs mean needs for a positive, high evaluation of oneself.
There are two subcategories of these needs namely, a need for self - esteem and a
need for esteem from others. The needs for self – esteem motivates the individual
to attempt for achievement, strength, confidence, independent, and freedom. The
need of esteem from others requires reputation, status, recognition, attention,
appreciation of one’s ability and feeling of important. All humans have a need to
be respected, to have self-esteem, self-respect, and to respect others. People needs
to prove themselves to gain recognition and have an activity that give the person a
sense of contribution, to feel accepted and self-valued.. The satisfaction of esteem
needs makes one feel having a purpose in the world. Lack of esteem leads the
individual to feel inconsequential and to have little self-worth.
e. Self-Actualization
When one has satisfied the first four levels of need (psychological needs,
safety needs Love/ belonging/social needs, esteem needs) the final level, which
Maslow termed self – actualization, can be reached. “The behavior of
self-actualization person is motivated by a new set of needs, which Maslow
termed the being needs (B – Motivation or metamotivation)” (Maslow, 1954 as
quoted in Petri, 1981: 305). Being needs are values such as truth, honesty, and
16
The self actualization - need of humans makes them become the most of their
abilities and to strive to be the best they can. In short, self-actualization is
reaching one’s fullest potential.
B. Criticism
In this part, I will present some criticism related to Paulo Coelho and his
work entitled The Devil and Miss Prym (2000) published by Harper Collins. The
criticisms are presented to give more references to the reader in understanding
Paulo Coelho’s work.
Amayel in her article “Paulo Coelho: The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel
of Temptation” says,
‘Paulo Coelho’s stunning novel explores the timeless struggle between
good and evil, and brings to our everyday dilemmas fresh perspectives:
incentives to master the fear that prevents us from following our dreams,
from being different, from truly living. The Devil and Miss Prym is a story
charged with emotion, in which the integrity of being human meets a
terrifying test.’ (http://amayelsnotes.wordpress.com/readings/ , acessed on
July 24, 2008).
Based on the criticism above, Paulo Coelho has created a literary work
which can motivate people to fight their fear in this life. The story of the novel is
about human nature in the real life. According to her point of view, Coelho
explains that circumstances can change us each time into either good or bad
people.
Amayel (ibid) also gives criticism about Coelho’s works; she says the only
issue with Coelho is that in reading his book from the oldest to the newest that he
17
reading Coelho’s works, it makes us think and also teaches us the lesson right
there rather than letting us think and figure it out by our self. From her criticism,
we can see that Amayel feels a little bit disappointed with this novel, because
Coelho makes all is easy to be read so he is not giving opportunities to the readers
to think and learn by themselves about his novel.
The main character that Paulo uses in this novel called Chantal. She is a
poor young woman but she is a tough woman. Although she has been expelled by
Viscos people but she still cares about Viscos village life. Anna
(http://www.shelfari.com/books/39702/The-Devil-and-Miss-Prym-A-Novel-of-Te
mptation, accessed on June 9, 2008), says that she loves Chantal for her courage
to stand for what she thinks is the best situation. According to Anna, Chantal is
very kind; she is also smart when she is discussing the gold to the stranger. She
also says that she likes the way Coelho makes every detail in the story grim and
hopeless which in the end of the story he puts little spark of hope that can change
the situation.
Sirg0508 in her article “Book Review: The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo
Coelho” says that he is satisfying enough when he is reading this novel. In his
criticism, he says although The Devil and Miss Prym is not a long novel with only
201 pages and the chapters are also relatively short, this novel is quite easy to be
read. He also says that there is suspense in this novel and although the last chapter
is not like his wishes but it is satisfying enough for him.
(http://www.helium.com/items/884071-book-reviews-the-devil-and-miss-prym-by
18
From the criticism above, we can see that there are two people who seem
satisfied with this novel. In this point, I conclude that although the story seems
short, it has deeper meaning for our life because this book teaches us to defeat for
our evil in ourselves and also to recognize about right and wrong in making
decisions.
C. Theoretical Framework
The motivation and human needs theory that are explained in the previous
part are used to analyze the two problems formulated in the problem formulation.
The motivation and human needs theory help me to see every aspect of human
behavior in fulfilling their needs which leads Chantal to do something in fulfilling
her needs.
The critical approach which I use in this study is psychological approach
which may be useful for this study. I choose psychological approach because
motivation is part of psychological theory. I believe that this approach can help
me in understanding the analysis of my problems about motivation.
Some of criticisms also have relations to this study. These criticisms help
me to give affirmations in understanding the character in this novel, TheDevil and
Miss Prym. These criticisms also can help me in understanding about what the
readers thought of this novel.
19
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of three parts. Those are subject of the study,
approach of the study, and method of the study. The first is the subject of the
study which deals with the novel The Devil and Miss Prym (2000) by Paulo
Coelho and also the focus of this study. The second is approach of the study that I
use to explain about the critical approach in analyzing this novel. The last is the
method of study as the procedure to analyze the study.
A. Subject of the Study
The subject of the study of this thesis is The Devil and Miss Prym (2000).
This is a novel written by a Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho. The first edition of
this novel was published in Portuguese in 2000 entitled O Demonio e a srta Prym.
This study uses the version which is published in 2001 by Harper Collins
Publishers and translated from Portuguese to English by Amanda Hopkinson and
Nick Caistor. The novel contains 25 chapter and 201 pages long.
The Devil and Miss Prym (2000)tells about greediness of human beings in
a small village of Viscos. The major character is Miss Prym. The story starts from
a stranger who came to Viscos village. He is a man who had left by his family in a
bad murder and now he is searching of an answer to a question: “Are human
beings essentially good or bad?” In trying to find the answer, he offers Viscos ten
bars of gold if at the end of seven days someone in the Viscos is found dead.
20
can leave that small town to reach her goal in life. The stranger asks Chantal to
help him to tell the people in Viscos about his offer. For the repayment, she will
get a bar of gold which can make her life much better than now. This condition
makes Chantal confused because she actually wants the gold but it means that she
has to tell the people about the stranger’s offer and maybe there will be a murder
in Viscos.
Finally, Chantal takes the stranger’s offer and tells to the people about the
stranger’s message. Then, what happen? Because of her action, people become
weird and they are busy in choosing who will become the victim. When Chantal
knows about this, she is so surprised and plans to save the victim. This makes
Chantal is motivated to save Viscos to the normal situation. However, Viscos is a
small harmonious and peaceful village. If there is a murder, Viscos will be
damaged. Chantal does not want it happens, that is why, she tries to save Viscos,
her birthplace.
B. Approach of the Study
The focus of my study is on the motivation of Chantal in saving Viscos
village, her birthplace. In analyzing the problems, I need an approach which can
help me in analyzing the problem. There are two kinds of approaches which
proposed by Wellek and Warren (1956: 80). Those are intrinsic and extrinsic
approaches, where this study uses the extrinsic approach. Extrinsic approach has
five types which can be used to analyze a literary work. Those approach are
literary and biography, literature and psychology, literature and society, literature
21
According to Rohrberger and Woods (1971: 6-15), there are five kinds of
approaches. They are formalist approach, biographical approach,
sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeic approach and psychological
approach. In this study I use psychologycal approach because it can help me in
analyzing human motivation, personality and also behavior patterns which all of
them is related to psychology field. In this study, Chantal’s motivation in saving
her village affects her psychological states. By using this psychological approach,
this study brings us to see a deeper understanding of Chantal’s motivation in
saving Viscos village. However, human motivation is a part of human psychology
which can explain more about motivation behavior. Therefore, literature and
psychological approach are needed to be applied to answer the problems
formulated in this study which is related to psychological field.
C. Method of the Study
This study is a library study. There are two kinds of sources that are used.
Those were primary and secondary sources. The primary source was the novel
itself that was The Devil and Miss Prym (2000) by Paulo Coelho. The secondary
sources were books that were collected to support the analysis. There were several
books related to the theory of literary term, the theory of psychology and also
theory of motivation. The secondary sources namely Literature: An Introduction
to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama,Introduction to Psychology 8th edition, Psychology
in Action and Psychology: Principles and Application and etc. In this study, the
method I used in gathering data was library study. There were some steps in
22
formulation. The first step was to read, understand and comprehend the novel.
This step was aimed to get a comprehensible understanding of the novel. The
second step was to determine the theories and approaches that would be applied in
this study. Based on the main idea, this study used psychological approach. The
theories of psychology in this study were theory of motivation and theory of
human needs. The third step was analyzing the novel using the theories and
approach to answer the problems. The last step was drawing conclusion from the
23
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter is aimed to answer the two questions, which are stated in the
problem formulation. In this chapter, I try to analyze Chantal’s motivation in
saving Viscos village. I divide my analysis into two parts. The first part will
discuss about the problem which is faced by Viscos village. The second part will
discuss about Chantal’s motivation in saving Viscos.
A. The Problems Faced by Viscos Village 1. The Background of the Problem
In this part, I am going to discuss the first problem that has been
formulated in the previous chapter; it is about the problems faced by Viscos. The
problem faced by Viscos is started when a stranger comes to tempt Viscos.
In the novel, The Devil and Miss Prym, Coelho uses Miss Prym or Chantal
as the major character. Chantal here will become the focus of the story from the
beginning to the ending part.
Before I go to a deeper discussion about the problem faced by Viscos, it is
better to explain about the background of the problem first. That is about the
situation in Viscos village and also why the stranger chooses this village to tempt.
It is because this explanation can answer the reason about why the stranger
chooses this village to tempt.
Here is about Viscos situation before the stranger comes. Viscos is a small
24
isolated place. Most of people are farmers and shepherds. Viscos village is a place
for every hunter who always comes when the hunting time has come. Most of
teenagers who live in Viscos village have moved to big city because they feel that
Viscos village cannot guarantee their future.
People’s life in Viscos always runs in harmony and peace; they eat from
their livestock crops and their rice field. Every year hunters come to Viscos to do
their hobby, hunting wolves. Viscos is famous with its wild wolves which live in
the forest. However, Viscos is still natural; there are still a lot of forests which are
possible for the animals to live. Their income comes from the hunters who stay in
the only hotel in Viscos and also by selling their harvest. Every night Viscos
people always gather in the only hotel’s bar. They come to tell about their daily
life. Viscos has nine months winter, so they only have three months summer to
cultivate their field.
The harmonious and peaceful Viscos’s development is closely related to
its historical background. Long time ago, Viscos village was a place for the very
dregs of humanity, a place where bandits, smugglers, prostitutes, and murderers
gathered. The wickedest of them all was Ahab. For Ahab, killing somebody else
was a usual thing.
For over two centuries, Viscos had been inhabited by the very dregs of humanity …. at that time, Viscos was little more than a frontier post, populated by bandits fleeing from justice, by smugglers and prostitutes, by confidence tricksters in search of accomplices, even by murderers resting between murders. The wickedest of them all, an Arab called Ahab, controlled the whole village and the surrounding area. (p. 24)
Then one day, there was a saint who came to Viscos village, he was called
25
of Viscos people at that time. That was the reason why St. Savin decided to visit
Ahab and planned to spend the night at Ahab’s house. Formerly, Ahab wanted to
kill St. Savin. Yet, St. Savin’s love had made Ahab realized about his faults and
promised that he would leave his dark life. Since then, Ahab changed Viscos
people’s life to be harmony and peaceful. His conviction to change had made the
people of Viscos also want to be good people. This tradition was really held by
every single person in Viscos village. That moment has made Viscos to be a
famous place which full of harmony, peace and comfort.
The Village which is full of harmony and peace is challenged by the
coming of the stranger with his motivation to tempt its people. The stranger’s
curiosity in looking for the meaning of the truth to question that always wrestles
his heart “whether human being is good or bad” has brought him to make a plan
which can shake every heart who knows about it. This story begins from the
stranger’s life experiences. He feels that life has been so unfair for him. He also
feels that he has become a man who undergoes this life in the right way, and he is
also loyal to God’s order but why life is still so cruel to him. That is why, he is
going to prove his theory that human being is an evil.
As Waringin (2007: 19) says that “Otak manusia secara mendasar hanya
mencari kenikmatan dan menghindari kesengsaraan.” (Human brain is based on
the searching of pleasure and avoiding misery). It means that if we are closed with
a misery, we tend to go away. While, when we are closed to an enjoyment, we
tend to come near to that pleasure. This quotation shows how the stranger’s
26
he makes a plan which can satisfy his soul or in the other word he gets his
pleasure feeling.
As a businessman and a director of huge firm, he is a good person. He
never dares to against the law and always obeys every regulation. In society, he
can be considered as a good man who is perfect.
“…I was a highly paid director of a huge firm…”
“…I did it all legally, got the transactions approved by the government, the export licences, paid all he necessary taxes…”.(p. 63)
“Remember what I told you at the beginning. I always tried to do my businesses according to the law; I considered my self what people usually term a “good man”. (p.65)
The stranger has a good heart, it can be seen when he is working in his
company. He always tries to be honest and does not want to harm other people in
his business. He has a wife who loves him and two daughters. He really loves his
family. His love can be seen when he is working, he works hard to support his
family so that his family can live comfortably and happily.
“… I married a woman who loved me, I had two beautiful daughters…” (p. 63)
“Since I was paid commission on every deal we made, I earned more than enough to support my wife, my daughters, and even my grandchildren and my great grandchildren; because the arms trade is the most profitable business in the world.” (p. 64)
However, his action to his family shows how the stranger’s motivation in
making his family’s life comfortable. This situation is similar to Huffman, Vernoy,
and Vernoy’s theory (2000: 404) about drive-reduction theory where this theory
explains that motivation begins with the biological needs of organism which are
lacking (food, water, and oxygen). The biological needs which are lacking have to
27
the stranger’s motivation. We can see it from his effort in fulfilling his family’s
needs so they do not lack anything.
Unfortunately, one day a group of terrorist snatches his wife and daughters
whom he loves so much. His life changes at once. His wife and two daughters
have been kidnapped as hostages. The terrorists do this because the stranger works
as a director in a big farm of arms manufactures and they want to get some
weapon from the stranger illegally. What can he do? Because he is a good citizen,
he informs this problem to the police who are more expert in handling this case.
Automatically, when he is informing this problem to the police, he is like a
husband and father who cannot protect his family. It is because all the decisions
have been taken by the police. When the police has successfully known where the
terrorist’s cache is, they find his wife and two daughters have been murdered as
victims of terrorist’s cruelty. It is too difficult for him to receive it.
“Before the day was out, the hiding place where they were keeping the hostages had been discovered, and the kidnappers – two young men and a woman, all apparently inexperienced, simply disposable elements in a powerful political organization – lay dead, riddled with bullets. Before they died, however, they had time to execute my wife and daughters… ” (p. 66-67)
Ironically, his wife and two daughters have been murdered by weapon
which is made by his company where he works. The stranger feels that it is
difficult for him to believe anyone again. He can hardly receive the reality which
he has to face that his family has been killed by a group of terrorists. Then he
begins his journey in searching the truth of human being’s nature.
28
wept at God’s irony. At the absurd way he had chosen to demonstrate to me that I was an instrument of Good and Evil.” (p. 68)
He plans to prove whether human being is good or bad. He does it because
he still cannot understand why the terrorists do that to his family. He wonders if
the terrorists still have conscience when they do it to his family.
“This may seem naïve to you – after all, people kill each other every day for money – but that doesn’t interest me, I’m only concerned with my wife and daughters. I want to know what was going on in the minds of those terrorists. I want to know whether, at any point, they might have taken pity on them and let them leave, because their war had nothing to do with my family. I want to know if, when Good and Evil are pitted against each other, there is a fraction of a second when Good might prevail.” (p. 68-69)
Kennedy and Gioia (1995: 60) state that “motivation is sufficient reason to
behave as they do.” They here indicate people who have motivation in to do
something. It is clear if we look the stranger’s behavior in looking for the truth
“whether human being is good or bad” in this novel. We know that he has lost all
his family. For that reason, he is motivated to look for the truth behind human’s
nature. His disappointment and curiosity make him to tempt Viscos people.
He ends his journey at a small village which is called Viscos. As I describe
in the previous part that Viscos village is so isolated, ancient and not interesting.
A small village where the inhabitants are only 281 people and the people live in
peace and harmony. This small village, Viscos, becomes the place which is
selected by the stranger in carrying out his planning.
2. How the Problem Appears
In carrying out his planning to tempt Viscos people, the stranger wants the
29
somebody to realize his planning. Finally, he meets a woman, named Chantal.
Chantal is a young woman from Viscos village who has many dreams and future
hope. She is the youngest woman in Viscos village because her friends who have
the same age as her have left to big city to achieve their dreams and future hope. It
is related to Kennedy and Gioia (1995: 60) about motivation in which it states that
“motivation is sufficient reason to behave as they do”. However, it is seldom to
hear that young people who have many dreams do not want to try to achieve it. In
fact, many people always go to big city in trying to change their life better. This
also becomes Chantal’s wish for a long time. As a young woman, Chantal has
many ambitions, hopes and also desires in her life, like most of her friends who go
to big city to achieve their dreams.
Chantal had had so many dreams: she thought she could overcome all obstacles, find a husband, get a job in the big city, be discovered by a talent scout who happened to be visiting that out – of – the – way place in the hope of finding peace, get a career in the theater, write a best – seller, have photographers calling out to her to pose for them, walk along life’s red carpets (p.31).
Henry Murray (1938) as quoted in Huffman, Vernoy, and Vernoy (2000:
392) says that “achievement motivation is the need for success for doing better
than others, and for mastering challenging tasks, the desire to excel, especially in
competition with others”. If I relate this quotation to Chantal’s life, we can see
that this theory is similar to Chantal’s goal. However, Chantal also loves some
challenging things such as becoming a career woman, actress in theater and also a
best seller writer in a big city. Zulkarnain (2007: 13) says that “Segala sesuatu
yang terjadi pada diri kita dimulai dengan impian.” (Everything happens to us is
30
We are free in imagining something which we want to be because we are what we
are dreaming. When we are dreaming to be a successful person, we will be a
successful person and we will do everything to reach it.
However, it is like a prince who craves a goddess from heaven, Chantal
also feels that her ambitions are just a dream. It is too difficult to achieve because
she realizes that she has many limitation in achieving her dreams. This situation is
caused by Chantal who grows in a simple family and full of limitation in
everything. Chantal herself is brought up by her old grandmother.
Life had always been so unfair to her: she didn’t know who her father was; her mother had died in childbirth, leaving her with a terrible burden of guilt to bear; her grandmother, a countrywoman, had eked out a living as a dressmaker, saving every penny she could so that her granddaughter could at least learn to read and write (p.30-31).
From the quotation above, it shows that Chantal feels difficult to achieve
her dreams, goes to a big city and becomes a successful woman full of luxury
without enough education background. Her biggest ambition is that she can leave
Viscos with all the routine, in which she often works as a servant in the only hotel
in Viscos village and goes to big city to get her dreams come true as soon as
possible.
Every day was another day spent waiting. Every night was a night when she might meet someone who would recognize her true worth. Every man she took to her bed was the hope of leaving Viscos the following morning, never again to see those three streets, those stone houses with their slate roofs, the church with its cemetery beside it, the hotel selling local handicrafts that took months to make and were sold for the same price as mass – produced goods (p. 31).
From the description of Chantal’s life above, we can see that Chantal also
31
make her as qualified as she wants for her life. This conviction motivates her to do
something so that she can leave Viscos. A great motivator from Indonesia,
Waringin (2007: 72-73) says that “Orang yang sukses adalah orang yang yakin
bahwa ia mampu mencapai tujuannya.” (A successful person is someone who
convinces that he is able to reach his goal). Based on the quotation above, it is
clear that Chantal who has a strong will in changing her life better has to take
action. If, she does not do anything or take action, her dreams are impossible
come to her life.
Based on Chantal’s background, the stranger feels that she is the right
person to help him for his planning. Chantal is the first person who knows about
the stranger’s planning toward Viscos people and the stranger asks her to help him
in telling his planning to Viscos people that if at the end of seven days, one of
Viscos people is found dead, the stranger will give the ten gold bars to the Viscos
people.
“I’m giving them a week. If, at the end of seven days, someone in the village is found dead – it could be a useless old man, or someone with an incurable illness, or a metal defective who requires constant attention, the victim doesn’t matter – then the money will go to the other villagers, and I will conclude that we are all evil… .” (p. 17)
Then, Chantal will get a bar of gold as the reward for her because she has
helped him in telling Viscos people about his planning. This thing, of course,
triggers reaction from Chantal. It means that she also wishes the existence of
murder in Viscos village which is only for the sake of ten bars of gold and a gold
bar as the reward of Chantal’s effort. But, Chantal fights against the stranger’s
32
dilemma because she has to choose between her dreams or her birthplace. In fact,
people who are looking for their dreams will do everything to get it. It is because
dreams cannot be limited by anything such as fear, physical appearance or any
barriers. “Anda boleh mengimpikan apa, kapan dan dimana saja.” (You are free
in dreaming everything in anytime and anywhere), Zulkarnain (2007: 13). This
also prevails to Chantal’s dreams. The stranger knows that Chantal is thinking
about his offer actually by telling about the gold bar which can make Chantal
reaches anything that she wants. The stranger truly knows that Chantal really want
that gold to be able to realize what has been Chantal’s dreams.
“… I showed you a gold bar, which would give you the necessary financial independence to get out of here, to travel the world, to do whatever it is young woman from small; out of the way villages dream of doing… .” (p. 16).
The stranger makes a fool of Chantal’s mind by telling her that this is the
opportunity for her to be able to realize what have been her dreams or to get a
better life. Chantal is so confused, she is also scared if she takes too long to tell
Viscos people, another person will take this opportunity in telling about the
stranger’s planning.
She was seized by panic: the one lucky moment in her life could vanish that very afternoon. What if the stranger changed his mind? What if he decided to go in search of another village where he might find another woman more willing to help him in his plans? (p. 31-32)
It might be possible that Chantal exactly becomes the victim of Viscos
people because she is not willing to tell Viscos people about the stranger’s
message. However, those ten bars of gold can support Viscos people’s life for the
33
“…I’ll tell everyone that I gave the chance to help them, but you refused, then I’ll put my proposition to them myself. If they do decide to kill someone, you will probably be their chosen victim.” (p. 18)
Her wrestling is she is not brave enough to convey the message to all
Viscos people. It is because Chantal worries that the life order of Viscos village
which respects peace and harmony for a long time will be damaged as the result of
Chantal’s action in conveying the stranger’s message to all Viscos people.
However, Chantal also thinks about the opportunity which comes to her through
the stranger’s offer, the gold.
Chantal’s heart is wrestling for three nights about whether she conveys the
stranger’s message or not to Viscos people. Chantal meets the stranger again after
their meeting by the river. The stranger asks Chantal the reason why she does not
immediately tell about his planning to Viscos people. Chantal does not directly
answer the stranger’s question, but Chantal asks the stranger the reason why he
chooses Viscos village to be the victim of his planning. Then, the stranger tells the
reason he chooses Viscos village, that is the stranger wants to know whether it is
true or not the famous Viscos people who lives in peaceful and harmonious will
mortgage it for the sake of great reward, ten bars of gold, through taking
someone’s life. After that, the stranger begins telling his life story to Chantal as
the reason of why he wishes to prove about whether human being is good or bad.
Hea
