A CHILD’S VIEW TOWARD
VIOLENCE AND DEATH IN
GAIMAN’S
THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE (A
PSYCHOANALYTICAL STUDY)
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
FELICIA RINALDI
Student Number: 134214126
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2017
ii
A CHILD’S VIEW TOWARD
VIOLENCE AND DEATH IN
GAIMAN’S
THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE (A
PSYCHOANALYTICAL STUDY)
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
FELICIA RINALDI
Student Number: 134214126
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2017
vii
They say that the brightest spark burns best
when circumstances are at their worst.
(Sophie-
Howl’s Moving Castle)
A woman is like a tea bag-
you can’t tell how strong she
is until you put her in hot water.
(Eleanor Roosevelt)
viii
This work is dedicated to
My strong and inspirational parents,
who’ve brought me up to the wiser and
knowledgeable
me now.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My love and curiosity for great stories has led me to choose a very
interesting novel as the object of my thesis and come forth with the ideas to
conduct this research. Writing this thesis has been a journey which I travelled and
along the way, I stumbled on few steps and had many accommodations from
many amazing individuals.
I would like to thank my advisor, Dra. A.B. Sri Mulayni, M.A., Ph.D. who
has patiently guided me, reminded me to always be humble, and supported me all
the way in finishing my thesis. I would also like to thank my co-advisor, Dra.
Theresia Enny Anggraini M.A., Ph.D. who has given me mind-opening
suggestions which makes me sure of my writing.
I am very grateful that I have my parents, little sister, and brother as my
biggest supporters. The utmost confidence my family have in me has brought out
the best out of me. I would also thank my loved one for always holding my hands
and becoming my soft and relaxing spot. Last but not least, I am really thankful to
my friends in Kepo Group, Stefani, Vyta, Esti, Gisel, Dedek, Yoga, Rendha,
Steven, Fitra, Sendy, Tata, Alvis, and the others. You guys are great, fun,
unforgettable and most of all really special in my time through college.
x
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH . vi MOTTO PAGE ... vii
DEDICATION PAGE ... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x
ABSTRACT ... xii
ABSTRAK ... xiii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 3
C. Objectives of the Study ... 3
D. Definition of Terms ... 4
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ... 5
A. Review of Related Studies ... 5
B. Review of Related Theories ... 7
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 7
2. Theory of Death ... 8
3. Theory of Violence ... 10
4. Theory of Child Psychoanalysis ... 11
5. Relation of Literature and Psychology ... 13
C. Theoretical Framework ... 14
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 16
A. Object of the Study ... 16
B. Approach of the Study ... 18
C. Method of the Study ... 19
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 21
xi
A. Characteristics of the Main Character ... 21
B. The Main Character’s View on Violence and Death ... 30
C. The Reason of the Main Character’s Changing View ... 42
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 47
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 48
APPENDIX ... 50
Summary of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at The End of The Lane ... 50
xii
ABSTRACT
RINALDI, FELICIA. A Child’s View toward Violence and Death in Gaiman’s
The Ocean at The End of The Lane (A Psychoanalytical Study). Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
This undergraduate thesis discusses a novel entitled The Ocean at The End of The Lane through psychoanalytic study. The novel was written by Neil Gaiman and was published in 2013. The unnamed main character of the novel returned to his childhood home and was drawn to a farm at the end of the lane. There, he toward the concept of violence and death.
This undergraduate thesis employed library research method. There are several steps conducted in this study. First, the researcher conducted close reading on the novel. Second, the researcher formulated problems and applied psychoanalytic approach which was taken as the sufficient approach to solve the problems in this study. Third, the researcher used Forster’s and Cornell’s theory of character and characterization, Piaget’s theory of child psychoanalysis,
Pritchard’sand Carlson’s theory of violence, and Matter’s and Speece’s theory of
death. The last, the researcher concluded the analysis.
The analysis resulted in some findings. The first is that the main character is portrayed as an introvert and lonesome, bookish and imaginative child, also a loyal friend. The second is that the main character’s view toward the concept of violence and death progress and regress at a certain level. The third is that the reason of the main character’s changing view was his emotional instability which was the result of experiencing violence.
xiii
ABSTRAK
RINALDI, FELICIA. A Child’s View toward Violence and Death in Gaiman’s
The Ocean at The End of The Lane (A Psychoanalytical Study). Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel yang berjudul The Ocean at The End of The Lane dengan menerapkan studi psikoanalitik. Novel ini dikarang oleh Neil Gaiman dan diterbitkan pada tahun 2013. Tokoh utama yang tak bernama di novel ini kembali ke rumah masa kecilnya dan mendapati dirinya berjalan ke arah perkebunan di ujung desa. Saat itu ia teringat masa lalunya ketika ia berumur tujuh tahun. Dia teringat akan masa kecilnya yang menakutkan dan mengerikan saat ia menyaksikan peristiwa kematian dan mengalami kekerasan yang dimaksudkan untuk membunuhnya. Pengertian tokoh utama yang berubah-ubah terhadap konsep kematian dan kekerasan menginspirasi peneliti untuk meneliti perubahan pengertian tokoh utama sebagai penggambaran pengertian psikologi anak-anak pada umumnya.
Peneliti memunculkan tiga rumusan masalah untuk dianalisis. Perumusan masalah tersebut adalah: (1) bagaimana tokoh utama digambarkan dalam perkembangan cerita, (2) bagaimana pengertian tokoh utama terhadap konsep kekerasan dan kematian ,dan (3) alasan di balik pandangan tokoh utama terhadap konsep kekerasan dan kematian.
Skripsi ini mengaplikasikan metode studi kepustakaan. Ada beberapa langkah yang diterapkan dalam studi ini. Pertama, peneliti membaca novel dengan seksama. Kedua, peneliti merumuskan masalah dan mengaplikasikan pendekatan psikoanalitik yang mana dianggap sesuai untuk memecahkan rumusan masalah dalam studi ini. Ketiga, peneliti menggunakan teori karakter dan karakterisasi yang dikemukakan oleh Forster dan Cornell, teori psikoanalisis anak yang dikemukakan oleh Piaget, teori tentang kekerasan yang dikemukakan oleh Pritchard dan Carlson, dan teori tentang kematian yang dikemukakan oleh Speece dan Matter. Langkah terakhir merupakan pengambilan kesimpulan.
Analisa yang telah dilakukan menghasilkan beberapa penemuan. Pertama bahwa tokoh utama digambarkan sebagai anak yang tertutup dan kesepian, gemar buku dan senang berkhayal, serta setia kawan. Kedua, bahwa pengertian tokoh utama terhadap konsep kekerasan dan kematian mengalami kemajuan dan kemerosotan pada tahap tertentu. Ketiga, bahwa alasan pada perubahan pengertian yang dialami tokoh utama adalah kondisi emosinya yang tidak stabil sebagai akibat dari pengalaman akan kekerasan.
