ABSTRAK
Dalam tugas akhir ini, akan dibahas sebuah novel karya Jeffery Deaver, yang berjudul The Bone Collector, yang bercerita tentang seorang penjahat yang gemar mengoleksi tulang-tulang dari para korban yang ia tangkap. Penyelidikan dilakukan oleh Lincoln Rhyme dan Amelia Sachs, yang bekerjasama untuk menangkap penjahatnya. Novel ini penuh dengan ketegangan yang diikuti dengan kejadian-kejadian yang tidak terduga.
Alur cerita adalah komponen yang paling menonjol dalam novel ini. Oleh karena itu, dalam tugas akhir ini, akan dibahas tiga elemen dalam alur cerita yaitu suspense, surprise, dan artistic unity. Dalam novel ini, saya temukan sepuluh suspenses dan sembilan surprises yang saling berkaitan membentuk sebuah kesatuan artistik yang memukau. Ketegangan demi ketegangan dikemas dengan rapi dan mendorong pembaca untuk menghabiskan novel ini dalam sekali baca.
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Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS………
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ABSTRACT....………....
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study………...
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Statement of the Problem………...
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Purpose of the Study………...
3
Method of Research………...
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Organization of the Thesis………....
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CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE ELEMENTS OF PLOT OF
JEFFERY DEAVER’S THE BONE COLLECTOR………
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CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION………
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BIBLIOGRAPHY………
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APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Bone Collector………...
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Thriller is “a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense” (Johnson). One of contemporary American authors who specialize in writing thriller novels is Jeffery Deaver. He is a “master of trick endings” (Ellison) and his books are “filled with surprises, . . . and set in a short time frame” (Ellison). His goal in writing his novels is “to give his readers the most exciting roller coaster ride of a suspense story he can possibly think of” (“About the Author”). He has received a lot of awards for his two collections of short-stories and 31 bestseller books. He has received the Ellery Queen Reader’s Award three times for Best Short Story of 1995. He has also been “nominated for an Anthony Award and six Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America” (“About the Author”).
Deaver has written a great number of thriller novels but I choose The Bone Collector (1997) because this book is very captivating and intriguing. The
Bone Collector is the first book in the Lincoln Rhyme series. There is no relation
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Maranatha Christian University investigated by Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. Lincoln Rhyme is a quadriplegic who investigates different cases with Amelia Sachs. A quadriplegic is “a person who is permanently unable to move any of their arms or legs, often because their spine has been injured” (“Quadriplegic”, def. 1).
The Bone Collector tells the story about a murderer who is called ‘The
Bone Collector’ because he collects various bones from his victims as souvenirs after he captures them. The person who is responsible for the investigation is Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic who was once New York Police Department's head of forensics. An accident happens when he is collecting evidence in his last case. A beam falls and crushes his spine and makes him stay in bed forever, which only enables him to move his head and his forefinger. That is why he is helped by a patrol officer, Amelia Sachs, in doing the investigation and trying to catch the bone collector. This novel has been adapted into a movie with the same title, “starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. (It) was made by Universal Pictures in 1999” (“The Bone Collector (1997)”).
The readers are made curious by the development of the case in this novel. The murderer in this novel is so intelligent and meticulous that there is time when the readers ask themselves whether the detective is capable of capturing him. But in the end, the readers will be appalled by the detective’s ability in searching for the murderer and the revelation of who the murderer really is, along with his motive in doing so. The readers can feel the intense suspenses and the urge to flip to the next page and finish the novel in one sitting.
Elements of plot consist of suspense, surprise, and artistic unity. Suspense is “the quality in a story that makes the readers ask ‘what’s going to happen next?’ or ‘how will this turn out?’ and impels him to read on to find the answers to these questions” (Perrine 45). While surprise is “a sudden and unexpected turn in the action occurring at the end of a work. Such a conclusion is a trick ending if it has not been previously hinted at or prepared for” (Shaw 365). Last but not least, artistic unity is:
. . . the condition of a successful literary work whereby all its elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose. In an artistically unified work nothing is included that is irrelevant to the central, nothing is omitted that is essential to it, and the parts are arranged in the most effective order for the achievement of that purpose. (“Artistic Unity”)
Statement of the Problem
The problems that are going to be analyzed in this thesis are: 1. What are the suspenses in the novel?
2. What are the surprises in the novel?
3. How is the artistic unity presented in the novel?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the above statements of the problem, this study is conducted with the following purposes:
1. To reveal the suspenses in the novel. 2. To reveal the surprises in the novel.
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Maranatha Christian University Method of Research
I use library research in writing my thesis. First, I read Jeffery Deaver’s The Bone Collector as the primary text. In order to support my analysis of
suspense, surprise and artistic unity of the novel, I also read and elaborate some data from the Internet. Then, I draw the conclusion of my analysis.
Organization of the Thesis
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having finished reading and analyzing the novel, I conclude that Jeffery Deaver’s The Bone Collector is very captivating and thrilling. This book is so filled with tension that the reader will be curious with the outcome of the investigation and cannot wait to know who the killer is. The continuous tension makes this book have good elements of plot.
After analyzing the elements of plot of this novel, I conclude that this book has ten suspenses and nine surprises. One of the most important elements of plot is suspense. The suspense has started even from the very first page as the kidnapping begins. The readers constantly wonder about the fate of each victim who has been kidnapped. The first and second victims’ deaths are described in gory and vivid language which makes the readers able to feel the victims’ fear and the insanity of the perpetrator.
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Maranatha Christian University alone in a basement with one leg and forearm cut down to the bone. Suddenly the basement is filled with rats which are attracted with the smell of blood and bite her wounds. The readers do not instantly know what happens to the victim. The point of view is changed to the investigation on evidences and how the detective races against time to save the victim. The readers are not given time to take a break from the trepidation.
There are some suspenses that are directly answered by the surprises, but there are also some suspenses that are left with loose ends. The first, third, sixth, and seventh suspenses are left hanging without answers while in the second, fifth, and ninth suspenses, the surprises immediately reveal the truth.
All loose ends lead to the climax which is the revelation of the bone collector’s identity and his motive in doing the crime. They are tied together in one surprise at the end of the novel. The readers are misled many times concerning the identity of bone collector; for example when a fingerprint is found in the crime scene in the fifth suspense. The readers will think that that is the end of the story, the perpetrator is finally got caught. Deaver, however, does not want the thrill to end just yet. Deaver always makes unexpected and unthinkable revelation of the final truth.
The most appalling surprise is the identity of the bone collector. Dr. Peter Taylor is a character that is mentioned only briefly throughout the book and he helps Rhyme to heal completely. The readers will never suspect him as a murderer. But everything is never as it seems because inside his mask as a doctor, Dr. Taylor keeps hidden vendetta against Rhyme.
Stanton. It is plausible because Rhyme is a very intelligent man with a good understanding of Stanton’s condition. Rhyme uses Stanton’s ambition of torturing Rhyme to eliminate him. He knows that he has a lot of disadvantages so he uses the blessing of his brain.
In conclusion, I can say that The Bone Collector is a good thriller novel. The tension is developed surely from the beginning and there are no unnecessary events happen. All events are collaborated well towards one climax in the end. All loose ends are eventually answered and tied together. As the result, the connection between the suspenses and surprises are acceptable and believable in building the artistic unity of the novel.
As one of the readers, I am of the opinion that in reading the novel, all the speculations and assumptions that the readers make to predict the truth are often far from right. There are a lot of events that the readers will never expect. Deaver manages to make the story progress like a roller coaster that never ends. Even when the readers think that the story is over, it turns out that another problem arises. The story is complex and unusual.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Deaver, Jeffery. The Bone Collector. London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 2009. Print. References
“About the Author”. hachette.com. n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.
Appelo, Tim. “’Kill Room’ Author Jeffery Deaver: ‘The Goal is Suspense, not Gore’”. hollywoodreporter.com. 7 Apr 2014. Web. 1 May 2014.
“Artistic Unity”. humanitiesweb.org. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Ellison, Soyia. “Thrills are Just Part of the Fun for Author Jeffery Deaver”. ProQuest.com. 21 Jan 2001. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
Johnson, Barbara. “Genre Corner – Writing Thrillers”. fictionwriters.com. n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.
“Meet the Writers: Jeffery Deaver”. barnesandnoble.com. n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. Orr, John. “The Thriller Man”. Triviana.com. Oct 1999. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc, 1974. Print.
“Quadriplegic.” def. 1. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. London: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print.
Shaw, Harry. Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976. Print.
“The Bone Collector”. hodder.co.uk. n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
