THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL PRESSURES AMONG ADOLESCENTS TOWARDS LUKE’S PSYCHOLOGICAL LIFE
AS SEEN IN JUDITH CLARKE’S NIGHT TRAIN
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain theSarjana PendidikanDegree
in English Language Education
By
Patricia Josephine Setyawan
Student Number: 051214121
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL PRESSURES AMONG ADOLESCENTS TOWARDS LUKE’S PSYCHOLOGICAL LIFE
AS SEEN IN JUDITH CLARKE’S NIGHT TRAIN
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain theSarjana PendidikanDegree
in English Language Education
By
Patricia Josephine Setyawan
Student Number: 051214121
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
v
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma :
Nama : Patricia Josephine Setyawan Nomor Mahasiswa : 051214121
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul :
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL PRESSURES AMONG ADOLESCENTS TOWARDS LUKE’S PSYCHOLOGICAL LIFE
AS SEEN IN JUDITH CLARKE’S NIGHT TRAIN
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Yogyakarta, 12 Agustus 2009
Yang menyatakan
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to present my greatest gratitude to the one and
only Father of mine, Jesus Christ, who always grants His guidance and blessings
throughout my whole life. I am so thankful for His blessing, as He has given me so
many meaningful people in my life. I deeply thank Him for the love and strength He
gives whenever I feel down and weary; as well as His endless assistance in
encouraging me to complete this thesis. My faith in Him truly leads me to keep
believing that He has such perfect plan in my life.
My deepest gratitude also goes to my beloved parents, Hery Setyawan
and Dra. Yanna Liliani, for their eternal love, care and prayer towards this stubborn
girl. I am so grateful especially to my dear mother due to her great patience and
support in motivating me during the process of this work. She is the one who much
inspires and strengthens me either in good times or bad times; she mostly deserves
my special dedication. Her marvelous knowledge about psychology has helped me
also in doing this thesis, so that finally I can proudly say “I am done!!” Furthermore, I
earnestly thank my younger brothers, Abbey and Luke, for the joy and laughter which
always cheer me up and ease my weariness. The same expression goes to Mr.
Boyamin, my foster parent. I truly thank him for such considerable love, care and
support he sincerely gives to me so far.
I also owe a great gratitude to my sponsor, V. Tripihatmini, S.Pd.,
vii
encouragement in helping me finish this work. My sincere gratefulness means
nothing compared to her patience and understanding; never does she feel bored and
reluctant in spending her valuable time to correct my thesis. Her contribution means a
lot to me.
To all PBI lecturers who have guided me throughout these past four
years, I do present my deep appreciation for such worthy knowledge, skill and tireless
teaching which eventually shape more mature personality as what I am now. I also
present my great gratitude to all staffs of USD who have given lots of contribution
during my periods of study as well as the making process of this thesis.
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of my wonderful
friends in PBI, especially my beloved sisters ever after, Paulina, Anis, Daien and
Dini. I am so thankful for the laughter and tears, joy and sorrow, happy and sad
moments we have shared throughout these difficult years. Their tireless love, care,
prayer and support have much encouraged me in passing through this life, bringing
such a light of hope and spirit within my life. What a beautiful friendship I have with
them. The same expression again goes to my dearest brother, Ko Gyovani, for the
care and prayer brought up into my life, giving me strength to keep struggling till I
finally reach the finish line.
To my lovely brother, mate, and lover all at once, Ko Luke, I earnestly
dedicate my warmest gratefulness to him for being someone special in my life
through the years, for the patience, love, care, and many other things he never stops to
viii
someone and find the meaning of true love ever since. I am so thankful for having
him in my life.
To my friends in campus, Ophie, Lia, Yaya, Verdi, Ian, Febby, and
many others whom I cannot mention one by one, let me present my deepest gratitude
for the unforgettable moment and friendship we have passed in our loveable PBI.
Nothing can replace it.
Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone, whom I have not
mentioned here, thanks a lot for giving me a hand both directly and indirectly, for the
help and support they give towards my study so that I can finally complete this thesis
after all. Those mean a lot to me. Thanks and I love them all.
With love,
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ..………... i
APPROVAL PAGES ………. ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ……….. iv
PAGE OF DEDICATION ………. v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………... ix
LIST OF APPENDICES ……… xii
ABSTRACT ………... xiii
ABSTRAK……… xiv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ………... 1
B. Objectives of the Study ………...….. 4
C. Problem Formulation ………..……... 4
D. Definition of Terms ………...……….… 5
E. Benefits of the Study ……….. 8
x
1. Theory of Literature ……… 10
a. Theory of Character ……….. 10
b. Theory of Characterization ……… 13
c. Theory of Critical Approaches ……….. 15
2. Theory of Psychology ……….… 16
a. Theory of Personality ……… 16
b. Theory of Motivation ……….... 18
c. Adolescent Development ………... 20
d. Self-Esteem ……… 22
e. Social Pressure ……… 24
B. Criticism ………... 32
C. Theoretical Framework ……… 35
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY A. Subject of the Study ………..……….. 37
B. Approach ………. 38
C. Method of the Study ………. 39
CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS A. The Characteristics of Luke ……….. 42
1. Indifferent ……… 43
xi
3. Sensitive ……….…. 46
4. Attentive ……….. 48
5. Loner ……… 50
6. Patient ………... 52
7. Thoughtful ……… 52
8. Complicated ………. 53
B. The Influence of Social Pressures among Adolescents towards Luke’s Psychological Life ……….. 54
1. Feeling of Guilty and Regret ……… 58
2. Negative Self-Esteem ……… 59
3. Self Estrangement ………. 62
4. Changing of Attitude ……….. 64
5. Psychological Disturbance ………. 66
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions ………. 70
B. Suggestions ………. 72
1. Suggestion to Future Researchers ……… 73
2. The Implementation of Night Train in Teaching Intensive Reading II ………..………. 74
xii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix 1 Biography of Judith Clarke ………... 80
Appendix 2 Summary of Night Train ………. 86
Appendix 3 Lesson Plan ……….……… 87
Appendix 4 Learning Material ……….. 89
xiii ABSTRACT
Josephine, Patricia (2009): The Influence of Social Pressures among Adolescents towards Luke’s Psychological Life as Seen in Judith Clarke’s Night Train. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This is a study upon a fiction novel written by Juditch Clarke, a well-known novelist from Australia. The book, entitled Night Train, merely tells about an eighteen-year old boy, named Luke Leman who seems to be under such pressures of his surroundings such as parents, peers, and school. Threatened at school, pressured by his parents, paralyzed by anxiety about his final exams, Luke begins to doubt himself. His psychological mind is gradually irritated. He begins to suffer from such hallucination, which leads him to hear the sounds of a train at night. No one else hears it or even believes that the train exists. Tragically, his mental problem eventually brings him to death, followed by his parents and friends’ regret ever since.
Trying to analyze Luke’s suffering from psychological pressures merely caused by his social interaction, there are two problems formulated in this thesis, which also cover the objectives of the study all at once. First, this study attempts to see the character of Luke as a figure of a teenager in general. Second, the study is aimed to find out how such social pressures among adolescents influence Luke’s psychological life, either in the way of acting or thinking.
In order to complete the analysis, this study employs library research, whereby the data are obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Judith Clarke’s Night Train becomes the basis of my analysis, while the supporting references are mostly taken from relevant books and internet. Dealing with the study, therefore, I use psychological approach as a tool to analyze the case as it concerns with human’s psychological aspect of life, personal and social problems of an adolescent as found in the character of Luke, and how to cope with that.
xiv
ABSTRAK
Josephine, Patricia (2009): The Influence of Social Pressures among Adolescents towards Luke’s Psychological Life as Seen in Judith Clarke’s Night Train.Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini merupakan suatu studi mengenai sebuah novel fiksi karya Judith Clarke, seorang novelis terkenal dari Australia. Buku yang berjudul Night Train ini bercerita tentang seorang anak lelaki berumur 18 tahun bernama Luke Leman yang berada di bawah tekanan lingkungan sekitarnya, antara lain orangtua, teman, dan sekolah. Merasa terancam di sekolah, tertekan oleh kedua orangtuanya, dan tak berkutik menyikapi kecemasannya terhadap ujian akhir, Luke mulai meragukan dirinya sendiri. Kondisi psikologisnya berangsur-angsur terganggu. Ia mulai sering berhalusinasi, mendengar suara-suara kereta api pada malam hari. Namun tak seorangpun mendengar atau bahkan percaya akan keberadaan kereta itu. Tragisnya, gangguan mental tersebut berakhir pada kematian Luke, seiring dengan penyesalan yang tak terhingga dari orang tua dan teman-temannya.
Mencoba menganalisa tekanan psikologis yang dialami oleh Luke akibat interaksi sosialnya, skripsi ini merumuskan dua pokok permasalahan, yang sekaligus mencakup tujuan dari studi ini. Pertama, studi ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan karakteristik Luke sebagai sosok seorang remaja pada umumnya. Tujuan yang kedua adalah untuk mencari tahu sejauh mana tekanan sosial yang dialami remaja berpengaruh pada kehidupan psikologis Luke, baik dalam hal cara berpikir maupun bertindak.
Untuk menyempurnakan analisis tersebut, studi ini menerapkan metode penelitian pustaka, di mana data-data yang ada diperoleh dari sumber primer dan sekunder. Novel Night Train karya Judith Clarke menjadi dasar dari analisis saya, sedangkan referensi-referensi pendukung lain yang relevan banyak diambil dari buku dan internet. Dalam studi ini, saya menggunakan pendekatan psikologis sebagai sarana untuk menganalisa masalah, yang pada dasarnya menyangkut aspek psikologis kehidupan manusia, persoalan pribadi dan sosial seorang remaja seperti Luke, dan cara menyikapinya.
xv
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This first chapter covers five main parts, namely background of the
study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, definition of terms, and
benefits of the study. The background of the study gives the explanation about the
topic of the study. The problem formulation consists of two questions, which
generally describe the problems that will be analyzed in this thesis. The objectives
of the study mainly state the writer’s purpose of writing the thesis. Definition of
terms deals with some terms used in the study. The last part, benefits of the study,
give the explanation of who can get the benefits from the study, and what kinds of
positive things those people may obtain.
A. Background of the Study
Human life and literature are inseparable because literature usually
deals with human experience in this life. In other words, literature can be
perceived as a portrait of human life. It talks about how human beings work out
with their lives, the way how they face and solve their problems, and their
thoughts as well. Literature can describe about sadness, tragedy, happiness,
comedy, irony, and many more. The story within literature can also portray social,
Undoubtedly, literature plays an important role in human life. Someone who
reads literature may gain several positive values, such as knowledge, pleasure,
and experience. From literature, he or she can also get some lessons and better
understanding about life (Moody 2-3, Wellek and Warren 30).
Related to the study of literature, Wellek and Warren mentioned that
this study can also be viewed from psychological perspective, which in many
ways are closely related to human experience. In other words, it can be inferred
that literature and psychology have a very close relation whereby some of literary
works talk about psychological cases (Wellek and Warren 81). Psychology is a
body of knowledge which studies human psyche, while the most related element
of literature to psychology is its human or human-like characters. Literature and
psychology have one common purpose that is to describe human conditions.
Literature tries to depict human conditions into drama while psychology studies
human characteristic systematically and scientifically (Benedetti 130, Bornstein
144).
As literature reflects human life, there should be such basic
understanding about human first. In fact, human is an individual which, together
with other individuals, form a group called society. This process can finally lead
to an understanding which states that human being is a social creature. He or she
cannot live alone in this universe but must live side by side with others. All
people have their own dependence on others, which is aimed at keeping the
human relationships. For example, students need teachers to help them gain
knowledge, a child needs parents to give them love and care as well as to help
them grow.
Unfortunately, what people found in the reality does not conform to
what was expected above. Some even face such problems come from the people
living around them, which is their social surrounding, and it is not rarely that the
problems are known as kinds of pressure. This fact, which is so called social
pressure, is mostly experienced in young age. It is normal to say that a teenage
year is a complex time in human life. Adolescents are often unstrained by social
norms. They do not know where they fit in social neighborhood, including in his
family and peers. They are expected to act in a mature attitude, choose and decide
something for their own future yet they are not ready to take the risks while their
attitudes sometimes cause a problem for others. If they are faced by the social
norms, they will usually consider those norms seem to be trivial or unimportant
because they always want to be free from anything. That is why adolescents are
used to rebel against authority.
Having much concern to the fact stated above, therefore, the study is
aimed to find out how far such social pressure among adolescents might influence
their psychological life, either in the way of acting or thinking. Night Train
(1998), an Australian novel written by Judith Clarke, is one good form of
literature which best represents the case of which the writer wants to dig out. This
his social surrounding. As what happens to Luke, the main character of the novel,
here Judith Clarke wants to implicitly analyze Luke’s suffering from
psychological pressures caused by the negative attitudes of the people surround
him, including his family, teachers and peers. His “bad label” as a trouble maker
leads him to suffer from such psychological distraction, such as hallucination,
which finally brings him to tragic death.
B. Objectives of the Study
There are two aims that can be achieved from this study. First, this
study attempts to see the character of Luke as a figure of a teenager in general.
Second, the study is aimed to find out how such social pressure among
adolescents affect Luke’s psychological life, either in the way of acting or
thinking, as seen in Judith Clarke’s Night Train.
C. Problem Formulation
Based on the explanation above, there are two problems formulated by
the writer:
1. How is the character of Luke, as the representative of adolescents in general,
described in the novel?
2. How do social pressures among adolescents affect Luke’s psychological life,
D. Definition of Terms
In this section, I will clarify some terms in order to make the readers
better understand the content of the study and to avoid any misconception due to
it. Some those terms are:
1. Social Pressure
According to Chaplin, social pressure is any type of coercion exerted
by an institution or a group of individual (434). In an online article, it was stated
that social pressures are the combined pressures that are around us during
everyday life (Margaret). She noted that there are several kinds of social pressures
which teens are familiar with, including peer pressure, academic pressure, and
socioeconomic pressure. Another online source mentions that social pressures are
used to come from many social environments in which we live, and those are
exerted by culture, religion, family, friends, hobbies, etc.
In this study, social pressure is defined as a kind of pressure which
generally comes from people living around one’s life, particularly family and
peers. Social pressure is found to be one factor which mostly causes lots of
problems towards one’s psychological life, in this case is mental depression
2. Adolescent
Hornby as stated in Oxford Sixth Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of
Current English defines adolescent as a young person who is developing from a
child into an adult (18). Furthermore, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia defines
adolescence as a transitional stage of physical and mental human development
that occurs between childhood and adulthood. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), adolescence covers the period of life between 10 and 20
years of age.
The transitional stage mentioned above involves biological (i.e.
pubertal), social, and psychological changes. Furthermore, it is explained that
adolescence represents the period of time during which a person experiences a
variety of biological changes and encounters a number of emotional issues. The
end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood varies by country as well as by
function, as even within a single country there will be different ages at which an
individual is considered mature enough to be entrusted with particular tasks, such
as driving a vehicle, having sexual relations, serving in the armed forces, voting,
or marrying.
In this study, adolescent refers to a young person who is experiencing
such kind of transitional period from a child into an adult. Lots of changes in
physical, mental and emotional normally occur during this age, which in fact lead
to many personal and social problems, as revealed in Luke, the figure of an
3. Self Image
According to an online article, self image deals with how we see
ourselves. This may be how we see ourselves physically or our opinion of who
and what we are, which is normally called self concept. It should be noted that
there are several things contained in self image, including what we think we look
like, how we see our personality, what kind of person we think we are, what we
believe others think of us, how much we like ourselves or we think others like us,
and the status we feel we have (Perera).
Self image is strongly related to self esteem. The article defines self
esteem as how we feel about ourselves. They are closely connected because if we
have a poor opinion of ourselves, our self esteem will be low as well.
In this study, thus, self image is seen as the way someone perceives
his/her self in many different aspects, either physical look or personality. Self
image, in many ways, determines one’s psychological life particularly towards
one’s self esteem. It eventually influences the way someone thinks, speaks and
behaves. There are many factors affect one’s self image, one of which is social
pressure, which can be found in the case of Luke.
4. Psychological Life
In order to understand the definition of psychological life, it seems
better to firstly break down the phrase and get the meaning of each word.
concerns itself with how and why organisms do what they do (Gleitman 1).
Another insight precisely pointed out that psychology affects so many aspects of
our lives, notably which deals with human problems-solving. Psychology gives
better understanding of why people behave as they do and provide insights into
our own attitudes and reactions (Atkinson, Richard, and Hilgard 5-6).
The term life in this context apt to be defined as the state of being
alive as a human being; an individual person’s existence. Dealing with such
period of time, moreover, life refers to the period between someone’s birth and
their death when they are in a particular situation (Hornby 774).
As proposed in a book, psychological life is profoundly metaphorical
in nature, and yet unmistakably grounded in concrete experience (Romanyshyn).
In this study, psychological life is thus seen as the mind state of one’s existence as
human being which strongly influences how he/she thinks and behaves in a
particular situation. Therefore, psychological life is mostly related to both mental
and emotional state of one’s mind; as it is portrayed on Luke in the face of several
problems caused by social pressures surround.
E. Benefits of the Study
There are several benefits supposed to achieve by conducting this
1. For the readers
a. Especially for those who are willing to study Judith Clarke’s Night Train.
This study will help them in studying the literary work itself, since it will
give them some additional information in understanding this novel
particularly in analyzing the central character and the psychological aspect
upon which it is involved.
b. To be more general, this study can give beneficial information about
children psychology for novice parents, so that now or later this valuable
lesson can be well-applied in educating their children.
2. For PBI and PBI students
a. For PBI students, this study provides lots of additional information in
understanding the novel as one reference to improve reading skill, both in
terms of vocabulary and reading comprehension.
b. As teacher candidates, PBI students are supposed to be ready in teaching
school students later, not to mention adolescents. They have to own such
deep understanding about adolescent’s development and how to cope with
that. Given this study, much information about adolescent’s psychological
10 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter’s points are to explain some theories that are related to
this study. It is divided into three parts. The first one is the theoretical review used
to support the analysis, including theory of literature and theory of psychology. In
the theory of literature, there are theory of character, characterization, and critical
approaches, while theory of personality, motivation, adolescent development,
self-esteem, and social pressure are presented in the theory of psychology. The
second part states criticism which conveys some criticism about the novel of this
study. Those theories function are thus covered in the theoretical framework.
A. Theoretical Review 1. Theory of Literature a. Theory of Character
A character is an important factor in fiction. It is needed as the
introduction given by the author for the readers. Furthermore, character is placed
in human situation. Thus, it makes them behave like actual human being. It means
that each character in the literary work is the reflection of people in life. People’s
thought, speech and behavior are described verbally in the literary work in the
Roberts and Jacobs 119).
Abrams has two definitions of character. First, it is the name of a
literary genre which is usually a short and humorous prose of a distinctive type of
person. Second, it refers to the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work.
This person is usually interpreted by the reader as being provided with moral,
dispositional and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say (the
dialogue) and by what they do (the action) (23). The second definition of
character is the most appropriate in discussing the definition of character in this
study. To make it simpler, Kennedy and Gioia define character as an imagined
person who inhabits a story (60).
A character also has its classification. E.M. Forster classifies character
into two types. First, the flat character that is built around a single idea and
quality and is represented in outline and without much individuality detail, and so
they can be fairly described in a single phrase or sentence. The flat characters are
characterized by one or two traits. The last type of character is the round
character; characters which are complex in temperament and motivation and are
represented with subtle peculiarity. Therefore, those characters are difficult to
describe with any adequacy as a person in real life and like most people, they are
capable of surprising us. While another classification of character can be static or
developing. The static character is the same sort of person at the end of the story
undergoes a permanent change in some aspect of his or her character, personality
or outlook (Forster 18).
Kenney describes characters into two categories; they are simple and
complex characters. “Simple character is less the representation of a human
personality than the embodiment of a single attitude or obsession a character”
(30). It is called simple because we only see one side of the character. On the
other hand, complex character is not seeing a single side of the character only. In
life, there are many aspects to be considered. Life can be different from many
aspects and many characters. “Complex character is obviously more lifelike than
the simple one, because in life people are not simply embodiments of a single
attitude” (29).
Another case classifies characters in a novel into major and minor
characters. Major character is the most important character, the central character,
the one to whom all the events in the story have relevance (Rohrberger and
Woods 20). Usually the events in the story cause some changes either in the
central character or in the reader’s attitude toward the major character (Stanton
17). Major character is often called the protagonist or the hero (Van de Laar and
Schoonderwoerd 164). Minor character or the secondary character is the other
character in a story. Although minor character performs more limited functions,
their attitude toward the major character is important. The similarities and or the
differences between the major and minor characters help to define the major
b. Theory of Characterization
According to Holman and Harmon, characterization is the creation of
imaginary persons in fictions (drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem), so
that they exist for the reader as lifelike. They define three methods of
characterization afterwards: firstly, by the explicit presentation from the author of
the character through direct exposition; secondly, by the presentation of the
character in action; and thirdly, by the representation from within a character (81).
Little, instead, states that “to be of interest and value in literature,
characterization must be to some degree realistic”. The consistency of character is
vital to development of the plot. Therefore, even in a fantasy, an essential element
is truth to life. The character should be real, believable, and based on possible
variations of human nature so that the readers are able to identify themselves with
the human creatures, to maintain the interest and concern with the theme of the
story (92).
Murphy, furthermore, proposed nine ways by which an author is able
to make his characters understandable to the readers (161-173):
1) Personal description
The author describes a person’s physical appearance and clothes to build the
character.
2) Presenting the characters as seen by another
Here, the author describes his character through another’s eyes and opinions,
The readers get the points through reflected image.
3) Speech
The character is recognized by the readers from what other persons in the
story say.
4) Past life
Letting the readers know and learn something about a person’s past life surely
can give a clue to shape the person’s character. This can be done by direct
comment by the author or through a person’s thoughts, her conversation or
through the medium of another person.
5) Conversation of others
What other people talk about the character, it can give some clues to
recognize the character talked about.
6) Reactions
Considering a person’s reaction toward some situations or events may give
the readers some clues to the character.
7) Direct comment
The author can also describe or comment on a person’s character directly.
This is actually the clearest description of a character where the reader can
directly draw conclusion of someone’s character.
8) Thoughts
By knowing what a person is thinking about and what is in his mind, the
tell the readers about different people’s thoughts. The readers are led to the
mental process of the character that conveys the ideas.
9) Mannerisms
The author can describe a person’s traits, habits, and ways of life in order to
tell the readers something about his personality.
c. Theory of Critical Approaches
Rohrberger and Woods state that critical approach to literature
necessitates an understanding of its nature, function and positive values contained
in literary work, such as novel, to provide the means whereby readers can
understand how literature is shaped (3). According to Rohrberger and Woods,
there are five critical approaches that we have to know to put us in a position to
receive some of the positive esthetical values, namely formalist approach,
biographical approach, sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeic approach,
and psychological approach.
Another opinion proposed by Kennedy and Gioia state that there are
ten critical approaches to literature. They are formalist criticism, biographical
criticism, historical criticism, psychological criticism, mythological criticism,
sociological criticism, gender criticism, reader-response criticism,
deconstructionist criticism, and cultural studies (630-658).
Dealing with the study, therefore, I use psychological approach as a
personal and social problems of an adolescent, and how to cope with that. This
argument is strengthened by Kennedy and Gioia as follows:
Psychological criticism carefully examines the surface of the literary work, it customarily speculates on what lies underneath the text, which is the unspoken or even unspeakable memories, motives, and fears that covertly shape the work, especially in fictional characterizations (641).
2. Theory of Psychology a. Theory of Personality
In Drever’s point of view, personality is defined as a term used in
various sense, both popularly and psychologically. The most comprehensive and
satisfactory being the integrated and dynamic organization of the physical,
mental, moral, and social qualities of the individual as that manifests it to other
people, in the give and take to social life. On further analysis it would appear in
the main to comprise the natural and acquired impulses, and habits, interests and
complexes, the sentiments and ideals, the opinions and beliefs, as manifested in
his relations with his social milieu (203).
Such difference among people and the stability of any individual’s
behavior over long periods is the essence of personality. According to Freud,
personality consists of three interacting aspects: the id, the ego, and the superego.
The id or unconscious consists of the biological drives with which the infant is
born, and its energy is divided between Eros, the life instinct generated by the
pressing for some kind of satisfaction. The ego or the “I” forms the rational part
of the psyche. It develops at about the age of six months, controls the individual’s
actions and manipulates the environment according to the reality principle, which
is based on the organism’s concern for safety. The ego opposes the id, as well as
the superego. The superego or conscience is the part of ourselves that regulates
our moral judgments, telling us what is right or wrong. It impels the individual
toward an ego ideal of moral perfection, is also an approximate equivalent of
conscience (414).
Carl Jung believed that a forward movement characterizes personality
development: people are guided by the future aims as well as by their past
experiences. Human beings continually try to realize their full potential and to
achieve unity among all aspects of their personality. A person begins this effort
by developing all parts of his or her personality. This process is called
individuation. Jung proposed that there are two major personality orientations.
First is introversion, in which the person withdraws interest from the external
world and consequently is quiet, reserved, and cautious. Second is extraversion,
in which the person primarily oriented to the external world and thus is outgoing,
b. Theory of Motivation
Motivation is the intentions, desires, goals, and needs that determine
human and animal behavior. An inquiry is made into a person’s motives in order
to explain that person’s actions.
People conduct an action with motive. This motive leads them to
behave in their manner to get some achievement. It would be impossible to
discover motivation unless behavior was organized (Bootzin, Loftus, and Zajonc
367). It is believed that some purposes guide a person’s behavior to get an end
state, which may be a goal or the satisfaction of some needs. Therefore,
motivation can be inferred as the process of behaving that is organized and that
defines its end states.
Motivation cannot rouse without any stimulus. Some stimuli are
needed to evoke goal-directed behavior, as Bootzin et al. explain in their book
(368). Thus, the concept of motivation is based on two components: internal drive
and external incentives. The internal drive activates and adjusts the being toward
some goals, whether the external incentive is the goal itself.
According to Hufman, Verney and Vernoy, there are two kinds of
motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (377). Intrinsic motivation means
the desire to perform an act for its own sake. For example, someone reads literary
books for his or her own interest and pleasure, not for his or her needs to get a
external rewards or avoidance of punishment. For example, a student studies hard
in order to get a reward and good grade from his or her teacher.
As stated previously, there are some drives or reasons or motives
which cause people to conduct an action. Maslow says that people conduct an
action to fulfill their needs. He develops a five-level hierarchy of needs that each
need level must be generally satisfied before the person attempts to fill those
needs on the next level (Goble 38-42).
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs consists of psychological needs, safety
needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. The
first two needs are considered primary or lower-order needs; the remaining three
are secondary or higher-order needs.
The psychological needs are the fundamental needs for food, clothing,
shelter, comfort, and self-preservation. Someone who faces death by starvation or
any other need of this level may resort to murder to meet fundamental,
life-sustaining need, despite what society might think.
The safety needs are the needs to avoid bodily harm an uncertainty
about one’s well being. An insecure person behaves as if a great tragedy is almost
always impending. This person has an over need for order and stability, and tries
hard to avoid the strange and the unexpected.
The next needs are the belonging and love needs. Love is a
healthy-loving relationship between two people which includes mutual trust. In the proper
will stifle growth and the development of potential. The thwarting of love needs is
considered as a prime cause of maladjustment. Love hunger is a deficiency
disease.
The esteem needs has two categories, they are self-esteem and respect
from other people. Self-esteem comprises such needs as desires for confidence,
competence, mastery, adequacy, achievement, independence, and freedom.
Respect encloses such concepts as prestige, recognition, acceptance, attention,
status, reputation, and appreciation.
The self-actualization needs are described as the desire to become
more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of
becoming. These needs are the identification of the psychological needs for
growth, development, and utilization of potential. These needs also appear after
reasonable satisfaction of love and esteem needs.
c. Adolescent Development
Muuss, as quoted in Kimmel’s book, pointed out that the word
adolescence comes from a Latin word that means “to grow up”, “to grow into
maturity” (2). According to Lefrancois, adolescence is defined as a general term
for the period from the onset of puberty to adulthood and typically including the
1) The psychological self is composed of the adolescent’s concerns, feelings,
wishes, and fantasies. This self reflects adolescents’ emotions, their
conceptions of their bodies, their ability to control impulses.
2) The social self consists of adolescents’ perceptions of their relationship with
others, their morals, their goals and aspirations.
3) The sexual self reflects attitudes and feelings about sexual experiences and
behavior.
4) The familial self consists of adolescents’ feelings and attitudes toward parents
and other members of their family.
5) The coping self mirrors psychological adjustment and emotional well-being,
and also taps how effectively the adolescent functions in the outside world.
Parsons also stated that adolescence is a dramatic stage in human
development. It is a period of development which places special demands on all
involved in the nurturing of these youths.
… even though adolescence is a period of turmoil, a time of storm and stress, it is also a period of excitement, a time of “rebirth”. The adolescence is filled with new ideas, sensations, feelings, talents, and visions of self and others. Adolescence is a time which, with the proper support and nurturance, can signify one’s new start (5).
Adolescents are experiencing intense guilt and depression because of
the conflicts they experience between their “values” and their sexual urges, for
example, need to be guided, counseled and touched by a message of forgiveness.
of uncertain change and frustration. It is a time of experimentation, discovery and growth. It is a time when the adolescent attempts to answer the questions “Who am I?” and “Who am I to be?” (Parsons 24)
An important characteristic of adolescence is the development of the
ability to choose. In his book, Conger stated that adolescent is confronted with a
wider range of conflicting pressures in the adoption or modification of personal
values than the average younger child (523). A central problem of the adolescent
period is the development of one’s own identity as a person, or which is so called
ego identity.
Based on a recent series of studies toward several West Virginia
adolescents ages 13 to 18, the result showed that males emerged throughout as
significantly more extroverted, more tough-minded and assertive, more
individualistic and independent, less emotionally labile and apprehensive, more
aggressive and lacking in humility, and more concerned with achievement
striving.
…the adolescent has had many years in which to develop an elaborate set of learned needs or motives-for social approval, friendship, love from parents and others (including opposite-sex peers), independence (or dependence), nurturance of others, achievement, a sense of self-esteem, and a sense of identity (64).
d. Self-Esteem
Self-esteem, according to Lefrancois, is a personal judgment of
Another insight taken from internet stated that self-esteem is how you feel about
yourself. Self-esteem is closely related to self-image, whereby self-image is
known as how you see yourself and how you believe others see you. This may be
how you see yourself physically or your opinion of who and what you are which
is normally called self concept. It is important as it affects your self esteem and
confidence. They are closely connected because if you have a poor opinion of
yourself, your self esteem will be low as well.
Image is to do with perception. How you see yourself is vital because this will affect your behavior, your thinking and how you relate to others. Self image includes what you think you look like, how you see your personality, what kind of person you think you are, what you believe others think of you, how much you like yourself or you think others like you, and the status you feel you have (Lefrancois).
Self-esteem, therefore, is one of the most important factors which
much affect adolescents’ development. According to Parsons, in addition to
acceptance, the adolescent needs to feel “prized” and valued. Quite often the
adolescent brings to an interpersonal encounter feeling of negative worth and
minimal self-esteem. The adolescent sees self as valued, prized, respected only
under the “conditions” of producing good grades, having the right clothes, or
fulfilling another’s expectations (17).
Coopersmith proposed some factors related to the development of high
or low self-esteem: the significant relationship between parental characteristics
attitudes and behaviors are closely implicated in the development of self-esteem
(457). Another opinion claimed by Conger states as follows:
The loss of self-esteem, a negative identity, and an alienation from the self. For some, the roots of alienation have derived from particular kinds of developmental experiences, such as disturbed parent-child relationship. It sometimes involves deep despair, apathy, or defeat, without any meaningful alternative commitment to relieve their feelings of alienation (556).
e. Social Pressure
As stated in a book of sociology, small social groups occupy a
strategic position as determiners of the behavior and attitudes of their members.
That it to say, attitudes and behavior patterns are communicated and learned from
other people, through which much of the development of these attitudes and
behavior patterns would occur. Such things as customs and institutionalized
patterns of social interaction among people somehow produce a large measure of
conformity in people and the problem of the sources of the pressures to
conformity itself (Festinger, Schacter and Back 3).
Therefore, Festinger, Schacter and Back proposed two general sources
of such pressure. Some of it undoubtedly comes from within the person himself,
who has accepted many values and ideologies by means of institutions and laws
and taboos, rather than by face to face communication. On the other hand, much
of the pressure to conformity comes from the smaller groups within a society to
According to an online article, one thing pressures have in common is
that they exist because of outside forces and expectations conflicting with internal
ones (Margaret). Pressure results when someone worries what other people think
of him/her. One also experiences pressure because of life circumstances and
demand beyond his/her control.
In the case of adolescent development, social pressure is one chronic
problem to confront, particularly in the face of family and peers. These pressures,
furthermore, can lead to such unavoidable stress and depression. “Adolescents in
turmoil come from a world of actual or perceived rejection. Rejection by self and
by their significant others (e.g., parents, teachers, friends) is often primary reason
for seeking support” (Parsons 15).
Discussed in the study, there are three main sources of social pressure
which commonly occur during adolescence period, including family, peers, and
school. They are considered as important aspects of the adolescent’s social
ecology as well (Kimmel 228).
1) Family
Parents and friends are perceived as the most important sources of
social regard in determining the adolescent’s self worth. Young adolescents are
dependent on the family in a literal sense, not only for physical comforts but also
for the psychological support it provides. They need to feel “prized’ and “valued”.
own person, to choose their own companies and pastimes, and to preserves the
privacy of their thoughts, feelings, and belongings (Lefrancois 407, Kimmel 234).
In his book, Kimmel pointed out three kinds of family relationship
patterns (434-435):
a) Democratic parents
They are in the best position to help an adolescent son or daughter progress
toward identity achievement. Their supportive, accepting, and responsible but
not domineering stance fosters security in considering alternatives.
b) Autocratic parents
They tell their children what to think and do. In some cases adolescents may
rebel against the dictates of autocratic parents and insist on finding their own
way of life.
c) Permissive parents
They give their children free rein to make their own decisions but seldom
guide them in choosing well or help them in facing up to their mistakes. As a
result, permissively reared adolescents tend to shy away from considering
alternatives.
Apart from those kinds of family relationship patterns, Conger
straightened out that not having a father or having one who is ineffective, passive,
neglecting, or distant from the child is likely to handicap the boy in cognitive
psychologically, have more difficulty in forming satisfying peer relations, and are
less popular with their peers (258).
Furthermore, as what happened to Luke, the subject of this study,
parents who are employing “love-withdrawal techniques” simply give direct but
not physical expression to his anger or disapproval of the child for engaging in
some undesirable behavior. Such a parent may ignore the child, refuse to speak to
him, express dislike, or threaten to leave him. This parental pattern disrupts
communication and learning opportunities between child and parent, and fails to
make use of the child’s capacity for empathy (Conger 528).
Thus, it is commonly held that much of the trouble between the
generations (either parent or adolescent) is due to their inability or unwillingness
to communicate, misunderstandings, and parents’ interference towards
adolescents’ need for independence (Conger 330, Ausubel 229). Sebald, however,
perceives that conflict between adolescents and their parents stems from their
desire to associate more frequently and more closely with peer groups and also
from a variety of other sources as parental interference with social life, lack of
adequate financial assistance, parental intrusion about schoolwork or criticism of
grades, and parental criticism of friends. In words, parent-adolescent conflict
typically arises because the changing needs and interests of the adolescent require
a readjustment in the family system due to the difference in age between
2) Peers
As a matter of fact, peers play a vital role in the psychological
development of most adolescents. Peer relations perform many of the same
functions in adolescence as in childhood: they provide an opportunity to learn
how to interact with agemates, to control social behavior, to develop age-relevant
skills and interests, to share similar problems and feelings, to increase one’s own
level of cognitive development, and to reduce egocentrism among adolescents
(Conger 325, Ausubel 367, Kimmel 149). Lefrancois, in addition, has another
perception. According to him, peer groups are of particular importance in
developing positive self-concepts, as well as in the formation of sexually
appropriate values and attitudes (408).
The peer group is the major training institution for adolescents in our society. It is in the peer group that “by doing they learn about the social processes of our culture. They clarify their sex roles by acting and being responded to, they learn competition, cooperation, social skills, values and purposes by sharing the common life” (Ausubel 384).
Adolescent peer groups vary in size, interests, social backgrounds, and
structure, but it tends to consist of individuals of relatively similar ages. Another
type of peer relationship is formed by individuals with different sexes, and
frequently this kind of relationship grows into such feeling of love. Kimmel states
that the love of adolescence is the developmental necessity to discover one’s own
romantic love is important in adolescence partly because it fits adolescent
egocentrism (382-383).
In adolescent friendship, the more important thing is similarity in
orientation and competence in social relationships as judged by measures of social
adjustment, social maturity, social intelligence, and sociality (Ausubel 368).
Conger, as stated in his book, explains that an adolescent’s personality
characteristics and social behaviors affect the likelihood of being accepted by
peers, whereas the other factors include intelligence and ability, physical
attractiveness, special talents, social class and socioeconomic status, and
ethnic-group membership (343).
Every important social relationship undergoes changes during
adolescence. Changes in the adolescent’s ongoing relationships with family and
friends, as well as new relationships with teachers, employers and other members
of the community, require a development of new strategies for interpersonal
relating. It is not rare, therefore, that peers may also create such pressure towards
adolescent’s social life. Pressures for conformity to peer group originate both
from the group and from within the individual. Moreover, there are several
reasons which can break up adolescent friendships, the most self-evident of which
is tension generated by disparity in age, ability, physical maturity, and
3) School
One cause of adolescent’s problems is more likely come from the
environment outside family and peers, whereby adolescents get used to socialize
in an educational institution namely school. Adolescents who are under such
pressure often results in poor school performance or dropping out of school.
According to Conger, there are several factors affecting school dropouts, such as:
intelligence, school difficulties both academic and social, individual teacher-pupil
relationship, deficiencies in home background, in motivation, in emotional
adjustment, family and peers influences and in individual psychological
characteristics of the students themselves, including less confident of their own
worth, lower in self-esteem, more lacking in a clearly defined self-image and
sense of identity (407-408).
Underachieving students are more likely to be characterized by a high level of free-floating anxiety; negative self-concepts; hostility toward authority; difficulty in relating to peers, combined with excessive dependence on the peer group; a high level of independence-dependence conflict; a social, pleasure-seeking orientation, rather than an academic one; and unrealistic goal orientations or no long-term goals at all (Conger 396-397).
Lack of educational stimulation in the home and parental disinterest in
academic achievement are thus directly related to children having school-learning
problems and receiving relatively low grades. As further results, adolescents who
do poorly or drop out of school often develop low self-esteem, remain
psychologically immature, and fail to realize their intellectual potential (Kimmel
Furthermore, as stated in Journal of Educational Psychology, the
characteristics of social pressure on minorities in an academic and social
environment such as school includes several things as follows: a dramatic
increase or decrease in grades, not volunteering to speak in class or other public
forums, not participating in extracurricular activities. It is concluded that these
characteristics would innately influence the performance of students as well as
their social status. The effects of social pressure can be both positive and
negative. Putting doubts into a student’s mind is a form of social pressure that can
reduce his or her motivation, which is one example of the negative one. In
contrast, if people are given positive impression, they are more likely to perform
better (Allen and Bragg 302-308).
Having explained three sources of social pressure on adolescents, it is
wise to also recognize several negative effects of it.
1) Loneliness
According to Parsons, loneliness occurs at those times when one has a
feeling of desolation, of isolation, of being cut off and estranged. Quite often the
lonely, alienated youth has failed to develop the necessary prerequisite skills for
gaining admission and acceptance into the peer group. They feel like living in a
chronic state of disappointment and experience a state of total estrangement
between themselves and the world-an estrangement in which they not only feel
2) Psychological disturbance
Susceptible to depression, failing to find support from the significant
others in their environment, and feeling hopeless and helpless, adolescents are
often left with a sense of total despair. The sense of loneliness, hopelessness and
helplessness which accompany depression often blocks the adolescents’ ability to
define and resolve the real problems facing them (Parsons 131).
Moreover, Conger pointed out that the depressed adolescents may
reveal their feelings through bodily complaints, such as waking up tired and
fatigued or exhibiting hypochondriacal symptoms and excessive bodily
preoccupations, difficulties in concentration and failing school performance.
Those symptoms may chronically lead to such psychological disturbance called
hypochondriasis. It is an excessive preoccupation with functioning of the body
which deals with anxiety. Psychological disturbance in an adolescent, thus, may
be reflected in real or imagined physical symptoms like what is known as
hallucination (605-609).
B. Criticism
Criticism toward the author and his work are needed to get more
information about the study. However, since this is a new and little-known novel,
there are not so many related studies that can be found both in library and
internet. There were many studies discussing about adolescents and its
as the object. This novel deals with the subject of psychology that is quite
difficult to find any literary studies. Thus, the followings are few of the studies
which have to do with the topic of this thesis.
In one internet site namely Boyds Mills Contributors, Judith Clarke is
told as the author of many other award-winning books for young adults, including
Kalpana’s Dream, Wolf on the Fold, Night Train, and Friend of My Heart. She
was born in Sydney, Australia, and lives in Melbourne. Once she acknowledged
that she never made a conscious decision to be a writer. Writing was her hobby
since she was a child in the western suburbs of Sidney in the 1950s. Night Train,
one of her masterpiece, was found to grab several awards such as Children's
Books of the Year Awards Honor Older Readers, Children's Book Council of
Australia, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Winner, and Young Adult
Fiction-State Library of Victoria, Australia.
Thus, several reviews and comments toward this novel were started to
emerge, both from the publisher and the customers. As stated in Amazon.Com,
considered Night Train as an excellent book for use in high school discussions of
teen depression. Being compiled with such flashback plot, this novel made the
readers feel curious and interested to read (Jennifer Hubert). One of the readers,
instead, stated his brief comment as follows:
life' is poignantly developed throughout the book” (Raymond Mathiesen).
Apart from those comments, however, there was few negative
criticism toward the content of this book as well. As Bookworm, the initial name
of one of the readers implied, the never ending circle of repeated plot an
antagonizing conflict that the main character faces actually frustrated the readers.
The sounds of the “mystery train” (that only Luke could hear) seems bewildering
in some senses likewise. It might bring the readers throughout the bias gap
between reality and imagination, though.
An essay entitled “Adolescent – Identity and Depression” stated that
adolescents are often confused as to what their parents expect of them and feel
like they are always complaining about something. “Depreciation, rejection and
the inability to live up to high parental expectations can cause significant loss of
self-esteem and trigger reactive depression in adolescents” (McCoy).
Another similar study about adolescent’s psychological aspect was
also found in an article, particularly one which was related to social pressure:
Resisting such pressure is more complex than it appears. It requires that adolescents think about the possible consequences of their behavior, and that they feel emotionally strong enough to risk rejection by a peer or friend. It also requires a sense of empathy for the person applying the pressure, and the ability and self-confidence to propose different behavior (Dr.Kutner).
However, this study develops something new and different from the
other studies since those studies mentioned above tend to focus on psychological
focuses more on the relation between the title i.e. the influence of social pressure
among adolescents on Luke’s psychological aspects of life, either in the way of
acting or thinking as found in Judith Clarke’s Night Train.
C. Theoretical Framework
To conduct this study, some theories are applied. The theory used
firstly in this study is the theory of literature, including theory of character,
characterization, and critical approaches. This theory of character and
characterization will help me to determine the characterization of the main
character. By using these theories, we can figure out the character’s personality,
action, and way of thinking. The next theory deals with several critical
approaches used to analyze any literary studies
The second part of this chapter is the theory of psychology. Here I
present several supporting theories, not to mention theory of personality by
Sigmund Freud, theory of motivation proposed by Maslow, and also the other
additional explanations about adolescent development, self-esteem, social
pressure. These theories are in some senses necessary to answer the second
problem formulation presented in this study. By using theory of adolescent
development and social pressure as the main tool, the influence of social pressures
towards adolescent’s psychological life, which in this case is represented by the
figure of Luke, can be deeply analyzed and elaborated. The other theories such as
support the analysis, particularly which is related to the deep character of Luke
itself.
Those theories provide me with lots of contribution in such a way that
it gives me knowledge and information needed to conduct this study. The
information can be used to elaborate and strengthen the study, and also give me
37 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter includes three sections. The first part deals with the
subject of this study. The second part concerns with the literature approaches used
to answer the problem formulation. Next is the method of the study, which deals
with the methodology, sources, steps and process in conducting this thesis.
A. Subject of the Study
This thesis studies the novel Night Train. The novel was written by
Judith Clarke, a well-known Australian novelist. It was published by Penguin
Books, Australia in 1998. This book consists of 171 pages and 26 chapters.
This novel is a fiction. It merely tells about an eighteen-year old boy,
named Luke Leman who seems to be under such pressures of his surroundings
such as parents, friends, and school problems. Threatened at school, pressured by
his parents, paralyzed by anxiety about his final exams, Luke begins to doubt
himself. His psychological mind is gradually irritated. He begins to suffer from
such hallucination, which leads him to hear the sounds of a train at night. No one
eventually brings him to death, followed by his parents and friends’ feeling of
regret.
This book has a flashback plot. The ending of the book has been
revealed in the beginning, yet it does not reduce the suspense and the curiosity of
the readers in longing for the process led to climax. It is a recommended book for
those who want to deeply recognize the world of adolescent and its psychological
development.
B. Approach
According to Rohrberger and Woods, psychological approach is to
explain human motivation, personality, and behavior patterns written in literary
object, therefore, knowledge of psychology ground is important in order to
understand the literary works (12).
Another statement said that psychoanalytic criticism takes the methods
used to analyze the behavior of people in real life situations and applies them to
the dramatized patterns of human behavior in literature. “Psychological
interpretation can afford many profound clues toward solving a work’s thematic
and symbolic mysteries, but it can seldom account for the symmetry of a well
wrought poem or a fictional masterpiece” (Guerin).
Dealing with the study, therefore, I use psychological approach as a
tool to analyze the case as it concerns with human’s psychological aspect of life,
using theory of adolescent development and social pressure as the main tool, the
influence of social pressures towards adolescent’s psychological life, which in
this case is represented by the figure of Luke, can be deeply analyzed and
elaborated. The other theories such as theory of personality, motivation and self
esteem are therefore used as a base to support the analysis, particularly which is
related to the deep character of Luke itself.
C. Method of the Study
In order to complete the study, a lot of thought as well as reference
books and notes are required. As the data gathered to support the analysis are
mostly taken from books and literary work, the methodology applied in
conducting the thesis is thus called library research. There are many sources that I
used in analyzing the psychological aspect of an adolescent as reflected in Luke’s
life. The sources are basically divided into two parts. The first is primary source
which becomes the basis of my analysis about adolescent’s psychological aspect
of life as revealed in the character of Luke. The primary source used in the study
is an Australian novel, Night Train, which was written by Judith Clarke. The
second parts are the secondary sources which become the supporting sources in
giving data and information to the study. There are four main books which are
used to support the analysis. They are Adolescents in Turmoil, Parents Under
Stress: A Pastoral Ministry Primer by Richard D. Parsons, Adolescence and
Conger, Human Motivation by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and The Lifespan by
Guy R. Lefrancois.
Besides those four books, there are many other books and also internet
sources that much support the analysis likewise. The complete information about
all the books and internet sites which are used can be found in the references of
the thesis.
Furthermore, there are several steps followed to conduct the thesis as
well. As stated in the previous paragraph, the research that was conducted was a
library study. That is to say, the main procedure that I used to gain the data was
by reading and taking important notes which would be helpful in analyzing the
novel. Besides reading and taking notes, there are other steps that I also used
during the process of the study.
In finding the primary source, first I tried to read several novels to
look for the one which was felt to be the more appropriate to my interest. Getting
several novels lend by my relative, I started to read one by one until finding the
most favorable one.
After I got the novel, I read it in general and decided to use Clarke’s
Night Train as my primary source. Then, I reread the whole content of the novel
thoroughly to get the essence of the story.
After having several times consultation with the lecturer, I determined
life. Next, I formulated the problems of the study and gathered the supporting
data from various sources.
Afterwards, I reread the novel one more time and highlighted several
important points of the text that support my analysis. I made such critical analysis
by using theory of literature, theory of psychology, and psychoanalysis approach
42 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter covers the analysis of the two questions which are stated
in the problem formulation. The first analysis deals with the description of Luke,
the main character of this work, viewed as the representative of adolescents in
general. The second analysis thus explains the influence of social pressures
among adolescents towards Luke’s psychological life, either in the way of acting
or thinking.
A. The Characteristics of Luke
Referring to the theory of character proposed by Rohrberger and
Woods, Luke can be categorized as the major character or the protagonist of the
story (20). As the centra