CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Despite the tradition of regarding literature as a fine art, literature is imaginative writing. If literature is not simply imaginative, fictional, or poetic discourse, what then, makes a given written work literary? A common, and commonsensial, response is that literature employs a special form of language, more evocative and “connotative” than that used in other forms of writing; in this sense, literature is “fine” or creative writing, no matter what the content. Wellek (1977:94) says,”Literature is a social institution, using as its medium language, a social creation.” Literature is a term used to describe a spoken or written material anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific work.
Literature refers to compotitions that tell stories, dramatize situations, express emotions, and advocate ideas. Literature helps us grow, both personally and intellectually. It provides an objective base for knowledge and understanding. In literature is known the kinds of literature as prose fiction, poetry, drama, and non fiction prose.
real life, or a history of someone’s life in his/her age, which means it tells the readers about a true story.
Elements of novel is devided into five elements. They are character, plot, setting, theme, and style of writing. Gregory (2007:117) says,”The level of action is dominated by character, which is not a “being” in the psychological sense, but a “participant” enacting a function within a specific sequence.” Character is any person, personal, identity, or entity whose existence originate from a fictional work or performance. Character can not be separated from literature, because the author always uses character as the main point and participant in the story. Character is revealed by how a character responds to conflict, by his or her dialogue, and through descriptions.
In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and ponder themes. Edgar (1995:51) says, ”Stories, like plays, are about characters, characters who, though not real people, are drawn from life.” A character is a reasonable facsimile of a human being, with all the good and bad traits of being human. Characters are the most analyzed elements in literature because they provide the richest analysis of the author’s intent. As with ordinary human beings, fictional characters do not necessarily understand how they may be changing or why they do the things they do. Nevertheless, their actions express their characters. Actions may also signal qualities such as naivete, weakness, deceit, strong inner conflicts, or a realization or growth of some sort.
character is such opening quotation marks, opening parentheses, and currency signs that should not be separated from succeeding characters.
The author, Nicholas Charles Sparks can make the readers appreciate all events written in the novel well with the interesting story. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska Dec 31, 1965. When he was 28 years of age in 1994, he wrote the Notebook over a six month period. It was published by Warner Books in October of 1996 and is currently only the third novel in recent history to spend over a year as a hardcover best seller and 7 others novel were domestic and international best-sellers which have been translated into more than 35 langauges, and 2 others which were unpublished.
In this thesis, the writer will analyze about novel The Notebook written by Nicholas Sparks who is an American author most noted for his romance novels, based on true story. The novel was later adapted into a popular romance film. The writer would like to discuss about the conflict from the leading character in this novel. As we know conflict is the part of the basic elements of novel. Conflict also can involve a character’s struggle against another person, against the environment, or against herself or himself and conflict is very important, because conflict needed to move the plot.
The leading character in the novel is Allie. She has many conflicts with
another, such as her parents, her boyfriend, and herself. She comes from a privileged
family. Since childhood she had been accustomed to living in luxury and not allowed
out of the house without the consent of her parents. That conditions make her did not
know what she must do for herself. She felt remorse born of a wealthy family. It is
the conflict between Allie and herself.
When she was growing up, she knew Noah, a man who lived simply and fell
in love with him. But their relationship is not sanctioned by her parents caused by
difference in status. That condition makes her and Noah separate for a long time.
Noah could not do anything for their relationship anymore. The difference status is
the conflict between Allie and Noah, her boyfriend.
She feels disappointed and depressed because her parents are always too set
her life. Her parents do not allow she does her choices. It makes she hates her parents
so much. Her parents think what they do are the best for their daughter, without ask
what she wants. It is the conflict between Allie and her parents. That is all the writer
would like to analysis about conflict which are described through the leading
character, Allie.
The writer is interesting to analyze this novel because this novel tells about the
love story that was not sanctioned by parents caused by difference in status. It also
shows the attitude of parents who always impose their will on their children too
much that also often occurs in real life. There are many conflicts about emotions and
actions of characters put into a family and love story. The scientific analysis to find
the leading character’s conflict in this novel can show the readers that in reading
living their life. The Notebook teaches what it means to be good parents and how to maintain love.
1.2 Problems of the Study
The novel The Notebook is a novel which is dominated by conflict, most characters in this novel experience conflict. In this thesis I want to analyze conflict
that experienced by the leading character. The problems of the study in this thesis
are:
1. What is the root of the conflict?
2. How is the conflict solved?
1.3 Objective of the Study
The objectives lead to something that should be found out and solved.
Derived from the problems of the analysis above, the objectives of the study are:
1. To identify the root of conflict experienced by the leading character.
2. To explain the solution of the conflict.
1.4 Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is the leading character’s inner and outer conflict as
expressed in the novel.
1.5 Significance of the Study
By writing this thesis, the writer hopes it could enrich the scientific research
leading character’s conflict. The significances which are hoped in doing this thesis are:
1. This thesis will give information to readers about literature especially novel.
2. This thesis can be the reference for those who want to analyze conflict. 3. This thesis will show the root of conflict and how the conflict is solved in
The Notebook.
