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AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ESTETI NILAKANDI
Student Number: 044214081
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
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No temptation has overtaken you
except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it
( I Corinthians 10: 13 )
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My beloved parents
Brother
Bestfriends
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like to express my countless gratitude to Jesus Christ who blesses me with the strength and guidance in my life and especially in finishing this thesis.
I would like to express my gratitude to Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, S.S., M.Hum., my advisor. I am very grateful for his patience and guidance in writing this thesis and who has spent his time to read, re-read and correct my thesis. I would like to thank for his suggestions and encouragements in revising the thesis for me and those helps have made me able to finish my thesis. And I would like to thank Tatang Iskarna, S.S., M. Hum., as my co-advisor who has read, corrected and criticized my thesis.
My gratitude also goes to all lectures in the English Letters Department for their guidance during my time of study. I also thank all the secretariat members in English Department and all the librarian staffs in Sanata Dharma University for their friendly and helpful assistance.
I would give my deepest gratitude to my father, Cuk Suryono S. and my mother, Yayuk Dyah I. for their everlasting love, patience, advices and supports in my life and also my younger brother Ismawan Adi S. for his support.
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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PESETUJUAN PUBLIKASI …………... vi
PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN KARYA ……… vii
A. Background of the Study... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 3
C. Objectives of the Study ... 3
D. Definition of Terms ... 4
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ... 6
A. Review of Related Studies ... 6
B. Review of Related Theories ... 9
C. Theoretical Framework ... 16
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY... 17
A. Object of the Study ... 17
B. Approach of the Study ... 18
C. Method of the Study ... 19
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 20
A. Character Development of Jamal ... 20
B. Factors that Influence Jamal’s Personality Development ... 29
C. Dominant Environment of Jamal’s Personality Development .… 41 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ………. 51
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……….. 54
APPENDICES ………. 56
1. Summary ofScorpions ………. 56
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Jamal Hicks’ Personality Development in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This study discusses Scorpions, a novel written by Walter Dean Myers. This novel presents a character named Jamal, who experiences unpleasant treatment and oppression from the people around him during his young age. The environment gives Jamal a lot of influences that finally leads him to his personality to develop.
This study is meant to answer the three problems that are concerned to the main character’s personality development. The first problem is how Jamal’s character development is depicted in the novel. The second problem is about the factors that influence Jamal’s personality development. While the dominant factor in Jamal’s personality development becomes the third problem.
The method that the writer used was library search. The writer got and had the information from any books that are related and supporting the topic of the study. The primary sources were the novel itself and the books that are related to psychology. The secondary source was web or internet search that support the topic. Theory of character and characterization was applied in order to answer the first problem. Theory of human personality development was applied to answer the second and the third problem. The approach that the writer applied was psychological approach.
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ABSTRAK
ESTETI NILAKANDI. (2009). The Influence of Surrounding Adult Toward Jamal Hicks’ Personality Development in Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions.
Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Studi in membahasScorpions, novel yang ditulis oleh Walter Dean Myers. Novel ini menceritakan tentang seorang tokoh yang bernama Jamal. Dia mengalami perlakuan yang tidak menyenangkan dan tekanan dari orang- orang disekitarnya diusia mudanya. Lingkungan tersebut mempengaruhi Jamal yang kemudian mendorong kepribadiannya untuk berkembang.
Studi ini dibuat untuk menjawab tiga pokok permasalahan yang terfokus pada perkembangan kepribadian tokoh utamanya. Pokok permasalahan yang pertama adalah bagaimana tokoh Jamal Hicks berkembang seperti yang ditunjukkan di novel. Pokok permasalahan yang kedua adalah tentang faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perkembangan kepribadian Jamal. Sedangkan faktor-faktor yang dominan dalam mempengaruhi kepribadian Jamal, menjadi pokok permasalahan yang ketiga.
Metode yang digunakan oleh penulis adalah studi pustaka. Penulis mendapatkan informasi- informasi dari buku- buku yang berhubungan dan mendukung topik dalam studi ini. Sumber utama dari studi pustaka ini adalah novel itu sendiri dan buku- buku yang berhubungan dengan psikologi, sedangkan sumber pendukungnya adalah pencarian di web atau internet. Teori watak dan perwatakan diterapkan untuk menjawab pokok permasalahan yang pertama. Teori perkembangan kepribadian manusia diterapkan untuk menjawab pokok permasalahan yang kedua dan ketiga. Pendekatan yang penulis terapkan adalah pendekatan psikologi.
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A. Background of the Study
A novel is one of medias for an author to send and convey ideas. The ideas can be his or her own imagination about life as stated by Rohrberger and Woods in their bookReading and Writing about Literature.
In the short story and novel an author presents an illusion of reality which must be credible and which the reader must accept as credible. Even in fantasies and science fiction, in which the reader knows that what is being described is not literally true what is described must seem believable in light of the reader’s ideas of probability (1971:19-20). Character, one of the literary devices in the story, performs a certain personality and an action of life. The character’s personality is an important thing to show how he or she performs the action and faces things that happen in their life, because personality may differentiate somebody with another. Every body has their own personalities and there is nobody that has exactly the same personalities with another person.
The term of character here should be differentiated from the literary and psychology ways. Character in literary term is the person in the story, while character in psychology is personality. Here, in this study, the writer uses the term character that refers to the person in the novel, and uses the term of personality that refers to the characteristic of the character.
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personality as a dynamic organization of characteristic attributes leading to behaviour and distinguishing one individual from other individual (1973:52-53).
Personality development is experienced by everyone, and it can be caused by many things. According to Hurlock in her book Personality Development,
there are three major factors that determine and can influence someone’s personality. Those three factors are hereditary endowment, family and also environment (1974: 19-20).
The novel entitled Scorpions written by Walter Dean Myers has a notion of personality development that is experienced by the main character, Jamal Hicks, a twelve-year old boy. He is a black boy of a poor family and lives with white people in the environment surround him. Jamal also involves himself with many white children. Those white people surrounds him underestimate and tend to oppress him. Not only do his classmates like to discriminate him but also his teacher in school.
In the beginning of the story, before Jamal joins the gang, he is described as a marginalized child. Jamal’s personalities change and develop day by day as he faces the problems surround him. His involvement to the Scorpions gang influences his personality development, because he finally finds a way that encourages him to face the white people who underestimate him. After he joins the gang, he changes into a brave child because he finds a kind of support from the gang.
Therefore, the writer will see and examine further in details how and in what way the personality of Jamal can develop from a marginalized child into an admitted child, here, environment becomes the main factor that dominantly influences him.
B. Problem Formulation
1. How is Jamal’s character development depicted in Walter Dean Myers’Scorpions?
2. What are the factors that influence Jamal’s personality?
3. What is the dominant factor in Jamal’s personality development?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study is conducted in order to answer the previous problem formulation. The first is that the writer wants to examine the personality development of Jamal, the main character of the novel. Here, the writer wants to know and understand the description of Jamal Hicks in the novel.
The second is to identify the factors that influence Jamal’s personality development. The writer wants to analyze how the factors influence Jamal’s personality development and the process of the development itself.
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D. Definition of Terms
Some terms need to be defined in order to avoid ambiguity or misunderstanding. The terms are character and character development, personality and personality development, environment, and heredity. The definition of those terms can be seen as follows:
1. Character and Character Development
Abrams in his book,A Glossary of Literary Termsdefines character as the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who is interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say (the dialogue) and by what they do (the action). Meanwhile, the main character is the most important person in the story. Character can be the focus in the story. The act of the story is focused on this character from the beginning to the ending of the story (1981:20). Character development is the development or the changes of one’s characteristic.
2. Personality and Personality Development
Personality development is the product of interaction between internal psychological dynamics and the external socio-cultural environment which is adapting from the situation of his or her life (Samuel, 1981:73).
3. Environment
The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language defines environment as “the combination of external condition that affect and influenced the nature of an individual or a community.” Environment as the external condition of the environment refers to the community or people outside the home that influence the nature of an individual or a community (1996:616).
4. Heredity
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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
This chapter provides three sections that will be discussed further. The first section of this chapter is the review of related studies. Review of related studies deal with criticism on the novel and theses that have the same topic about personality development. The second section is the review on the related theories that include the theories that are applied in this paper to analyze the topic. Those theories are the theory of character and characterization, and the theory of human personality development. The last section is theoretical framework.
A. Review of Related Studies
<http://www.buildingrainbows.com/bookreview/reviewid/5639> (October 2, 2007).
The other review is written by Jim F. He states that this is the story of a boy named Jamal Hicks. He lives in Harlem with his mother and sister. His brother, Randy, was sent to jail after killing someone with two other members from his gang, the Scorpions. An older boy named Mack, who is Randy's best friend, decides to have Jamal be the leader of the Scorpions and gives him a gun. Jamal feels power with the gun but he also feels scared and guilty. "That ain't real" Dwayne said. "Come on" Jamal said. There was the taste of blood in his mouth. "You gonna see its real." Dwayne didn't move. Jamal held the gun pointed at Dwayne. He could hear the sound of his own breathing and Dwayne's even heavier breathing. "That ain't nothin' but a cap pistol," Dwayne said. "The Scorpions don't have no fake guns," said Jamal. "You ain't no Scorpion" "I'm the leader of the Scorpions." Will Jamal make the right choice? Read SCORPIONS by Walter Dean Myers to find out.
< http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/myers_scorpions.htm> (October 2, 2007). Reviews of related studies are also taken from the undergraduate theses that have the same topic about character or personality development. The first review is taken from Prihantara’s undergraduate thesis, The Influences of Family and Environment toward Richard Wright’s Personality Development as Seen in
Richard Wright’s Black Boy.
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personality development. The black people are always one-step behind the whites and the blacks are always gets injustices in every part of their life such as in the social, education and economic right. He also states that kind of environment tends to stimulate Richard’s personality to change to be rebellious, depressed, independent, difficult to adapt and he wants to improve his quality of life (Prihantara, 2004:76). Another thesis that has the same topic about personality development is Widayanti’s undergraduate thesis, The Psychological Effect of Alienation toward the Personality Development of Antoinette Mason in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargaso
Sea.
Antoinette personality development is influenced by the alienation from her own family and environment. Antoinette’s personality development can be seen from her development from a young solitary girl in Jamaica into deprave lunatic in English garret. Alienation brings a great impact toward her mental condition, from an ordinary girl into easily irritable, aggressive and paranoid girl (Widayanti, 2005:60).
The next review on related studies is taken from Lestari’s undergraduate thesis,The Influence of Morrie on Mitch’s Personality Development as Reflected in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdasy with Morrie.She states that Morrie’s characteristic as a wise and modest person has the important role in Mitch’s personality development. Mitch is influenced by Morrie’s lesson, advices and their interaction. Mitch develops from an arrogant, selfish and greedy to be a wiser person (2007:71).
novel is the one of the factors that leads the main character’s personality to develop.
A. Review of Related Theories
In analyzing the topic in this study that deals with character and personality development, there are two theories that are needed and applied. Those theories are the theory of character and characterization, and the theory of human personality development.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Abrams in his book,A Glossary of Literary Termsdefines character as the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who is interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say (the dialogue) and by what they do (the action). Meanwhile, the main character is the most important person in the story. Character can be the focused in the story. The act of the story is focused on this character from the beginning to the ending of the story (1981:20).
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Barnet in his Literature for Composition tries to disclose some important elements in understanding the characters. The first element is the understanding on what the character says. The character’s characteristic of can be seen from the dialogue that he or she says. The second element is the understanding on what the character does. The action that is done by the character may reflect his or her characteristic. Third element is the understanding on what other characters say about the character. The comments from other characters are one of important element to show the characteristic of the character. The last element is the understanding on what the others does, meaning to say that the other characters’ action may show what the character can do (1988:712).
According to M.J. Murphy in his book Understanding Unseen: an Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Student
(1972:161-173), there are some ways which is used by the author to represent the characters. The nine ways are listed as follow:
1. Personal Description
The author describes the characters through their physical appearance such as their clothes, their hairstyle, etc.
2. Character as seen by another
3. Speech
The nature of the character can be known from the way he or she speaks to other characters.
4. Past Life
The past life of the character can give a clue to the readers how the nature of the character is shaped. The character’s past life can be known from the author direct comment, his or her thought, and also his or her conversation to other character.
5. Conversation of other character
The conversation of other also can give a clue to the readers to get the nature of the character.
6. Reaction
The character’s nature can be known from their reaction toward the situation or condition that he or she experienced.
7. Direct comment
The author can show the character’s nature by giving his or her own comment toward the character.
8. Thought
The nature of the character also can be known from his or her thought of about something.
9. Mannerism
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Holman and Harmon in their book titled A Handbook to Literature state that characterization is the creation of playwright’s imagination about character as real human being, so that they exist for the audience or reader as lifelike. They also state that character and characterization are related each other and cannot be separated. The author always reveals the character of imaginary person in the story, and that it is called characterization. In other words, characterization can be defines as the creation of imaginary person so that they exist for the reader as if the people in real life (1986: 81)
2. Theory of Human Personality Development
According to Hurlock, personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psycho-physical system that determine his characteristic behaviour and thought. Personality is often interpreted as same as character, though those two terms are rather different. Hurlock states that character has a moral standard and involves a judgment of value. When the character is used within personality, character is related to the behaviour that is regulated by personal effort and will (1974:8).
a. The influence of family
Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow state that a child will be hindered by the social group rather than helped in his struggle for acceptance if he is raised in a home which there is little or no co-operation within the members of family.
Parents are regarded as one of the biggest influential factors in forming child’s personality. It is because the child’s first social environment is the home where he lives. The home and family will determine his attitudes toward other people and is social activities. As a result, the family has its important role in shaping child’s personality.
b. The influence of environment
The first environment that may influence child’s personality development is the school. Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow include two areas that become the part that played by school in the child’s personality development.
First area is teacher-pupil relation. During the elementary school period, the child tends to regard the teacher as the source of all wisdom, and he also tends to imitate the teacher behaviour. The child is also sensitive toward behaviour traits exhibited by the teacher, such as degree of fairness and justice, honesty, appreciation of effort, sympathy and understanding, ability to explain things, and expectation of co-operative and controlled behaviour on the part of the child in the teacher-pupil relationship (1958: 192).
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adolescent strives to find self-realization through accomplishment, he must compete with his own record as well as with the performance of others (1958: 192).
Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow’s theory is completed by Hurlock’s theory, because they have more or less the same idea about personality development. Hence the writer applies and combines those two theories to analyze this study.
Hurlock states that beside the school, the child’s personality development is also shaped and influenced by their environment in which they live. It means that people outside the house or the people in their environment have a role to shape one’s personality. Adult in the surrounding environment may also have an effect on young children social status and behaviour. When children associate with people who older than they are, they will make every effort to keep up with them, and as a result, they develop more mature patterns of behaviour than their age friends (Hurlock, 1974:234). Hurlock says, a child in the period of critical ages experiences the development of personality where he or she is put in the dependent and frustrated condition, and unsure of himself or herself (1974: 124).
According to Medinnus and Johnson in their book, Child and Adolescent Psychology, a child tends to search a more supporting environment outside the family that gives more contribution to his personality development (1969: 668).
deals with patterning of one’s self-concept, habits, attitudes, emotional states, sentiments, and motives. Furthermore, she also describes that there are three major factors, which determine the development of one personality pattern. The first is the individual’s hereditary endowment, the second is the experiences within one’s family, and the third is important events outside one’s home environment (1974: 19).
The individual’s heredity endowment provides some potential qualities in heritage from parents. The development of an individual to be a good or bad person depends on the family and the environment. The experiences within one’s family and the important events outside one’s home environment as the second and the third factors are the parts of social aspect.
As a result one’s personality pattern is not product of learning exclusively and hereditary exclusively. The one’s personality pattern comes from an interaction of the two, or it can be said that direct training and altering one’s environment may later change behaviour learned in childhood (1974:19-20).
Justin Pikunas in his book Human Development: an Emergent Science
states that personality development is influenced by hereditary influence and environmental influence. The hereditary influence is concerned with DNA and RNA molecules, and influences personality biologically. Environmental influences include physical environment, family, peers as models, and education for life, and community (1969: 54).
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which can influence the personality, are heredity, physical environment, and culture (1987:114). Heredity is inherent factor from our parents. It means that our parents shape our basic personalities. The physical environment means the environment surround us such as our parents, friends, and other people. Culture in society presents some experiences that are experienced by the people in the society.
B. Theoretical Framework
In this study, the writer applied two theories to analyze the topic. The theories are theory of character and characterization, and the theory of human personality development.
The theory of character and characterization are used to answer the first problem formulation. It is needed because the writer is going to analyze the main character in the story. The theory is applied in order to know the nature of the main character in the story and the way the author characterized the main character.
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A. Object of the Study
Walter Dean Myers’ Scorpions is chosen as the object of the study in this undergraduate thesis. This work is a novel that was written in 1988. Harper Trophy Publishers first published the novel in 1988 in New York. It consists of 216 pages. Harper Trophy rates this book is suitable for ages twelve and older, but it is not impossible for younger mature children to read the book. In this book, there are some truly scary characters, as well as the violence in the form of first fight and guns. References to drugs and drinking weave through the story. It is a kind of terrific story for parents and children to read and discuss the book.
This novel is divided into twenty chapters and each chapter is untitled. This novel won a Newbery Honor Award as the runner up in 1989, which is the top award for children’s literature. This novel conveyed some important issues that happen to the black people. It brought the issue of discrimination, racial, and it showed how hard the life of the blacks.
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and change from the time before and after he joins the gang. His involvement to the gang influences him and brings some effects to his life. The problems that come in his life make him more mature.
B. Approach of the Study
To analyze the problem formulations mentioned in the previous part, the writer applies psychological approach. Psychological approach is chosen because the topic of this study is dealing with the personality development and the psychological aspects are needed to analyze a person’s personality development.
C. Method of the Study
Realizing that only by reading the novel is not sufficient, so the writer tries to collect many sources that can help to get more information. The data are mainly collected by library search as the primary source and web or internet search as the secondary source. Therefore, the writer tries to get and have the information from any books that are related and supported the topic.
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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the three problems that have been formulated before will be answered. The first is the analysis on the way the novel depicts Jamal’s character development. The second is the analysis on the factors that influence Jamal’s personality development. The last is the analysis on the dominant factor in Jamal’s personality development.
A. Character Development of Jamal
In this analysis the writer will reveal the characteristic of the main character, Jamal. The writer applied six ways of nine ways to characterize a character from M. J. Murphy. Those six ways are, speech, character as seen by another, conversation of other character, reaction, direct comment, and also thought.
1. Jamal’s Characteristics before Joining the Gang a. Inferior
Jamal is an inferior child, he is considered as a minor child and has no power. It can be seen from the way his classmate named Dwayne treats him. Dwayne always mocks Jamal because he knows that Jamal is poor.
“Yo, Jamal, what kind of sneakers you wearin’?”
“They look like Brand X sneakers to me,” Dwayne said. “Hey, Billy, I think he got them sneakers from the Salvation Army.”
Billy giggled and looked down at Jamal’s sneakers. “I got these sneakers from Bradley’s,” Jamal said.
“They look like they come from the garbage can behind Bradley’s,” Dwayne said. “You probably got that raggedy shirt from there too.” (p. 21).
Jamal’s poverty is always used by Dwayne to oppress him. Dwayne not only mocks Jamal’s shoes, he also mocks the shirt that Jamal wears to school. Dwayne always looks for something in Jamal that he can use to oppress Jamal.
“How come your shirt look okay in the front and all wrinkled up in the back?” he said, making sure everybody could hear him.
“How come your face is all wrinkled up?” Jamal said (p. 67-68). Dwayne also mocks Jamal in front of many children in the class and tries to convince them that Jamal is a coward and he loses when they fight. Dwayne also tells them that Jamal has no bravery to fight him back.
Dwayne started up again. He started telling everybody how Jamal had punked out.
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That Jamal is an inferior child also can be seen from the way his teacher treats him. Mr. Davidson forbids the other children to play and associate with Jamal.
“Oswaldo, you have a fairly decent record.” Mr. Davidson held a folder in his hand. “Why are you associating with somebody like Hicks?”
Ozzie shrugged and looked down at his shoes (p. 59).
Mr. Davidson statement implies a bad judgment toward Jamal. Mr. Davidson judges Jamal as a troublemaker.
….“The second warning is that if you continue to find people like Jamal Hicks for your friends, you’re going to be in trouble if you like it or not. Do you understand that?” (p. 59).
Jamal’s inferiority can be seen not only from his classmate’s and his teacher’s treat but also from the children in the gang, Scorpions. Angel and Indian do not agree if Jamal becomes the leader of the Scorpions because he is too young and know nothing about the gang.
Jamal felt his mouth go dry. He looked toward the television, where a guy was training by lifting heavy stones.
“Jamal ain’t nothing but a kid,” Indian said. “He Randy’s brother.”
“That don’t mean nothing.” Blood took a long drink from his soda (p. 81-82).
Jamal is considered as just a kid and he cannot run the gang because he has no experience in handling the dealers of the drugs that the gang is dealt with. Jamal does not know how to get some money by selling drugs.
b. Faint-hearted
Jamal is a faint-hearted child. Jamal has no bravery to face all of his problems. It can be seen from the way Jamal faces his teacher in school. When he comes late to school and Mr. Davidson calls him, he cries because of Mr. Davidson’s saying.
“I would ask you to bring your mother to school, but she probably doesn’t care anymore about your education than you do.”
Jamal felt tears coming to his eyes. He looked up at Mr. Davidson again, and this time he didn’t put his head down (p. 16).
That Jamal is a faint-hearted child also can be seen from the way he reacts toward his friend who disturbs him. Jamal does not have enough bravery to face Dwayne when he starts to disturb Jamal.
Dwayne made Jamal feel small inside. Even when the older boy turned away from him, Jamal could still feel his grin. Lots of things made him feel the same way, small inside, and weak. The guy at the furniture store who had yelled at Mama made him feel that way. Teachers who made him stand up in class when he made a mistake or didn’t have his homework. Big kids who laughed at him were the worst because there wasn’t anything he could do to stop them. Not by himself, not while he was small and not as tough as they were (p. 22).
Jamal’s faint-hearted also can be seen when Mack, one of members of the gang asks him to be the leader of Scorpions. Jamal does not have any confidence to take Mack’s offering.
“You his boy-why don’t you take over the Scorpions and get the money up?” Jamal asked.
“That ain’t what Randy say,” Mack said.
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c. Passive
Jamal is passive child. It can be seen from the way he reacts toward Dwayne’s annoyance. Jamal does not face it bravely, he tends to keep in silent and ignoring Dwayne’s mockery. Jamal just walks away when Dwayne starts to mock and disturb him.
Jamal ignored Dwayne for the rest of the period. It wasn’t easy, especially when some of the girls started giggling. When the last period was finally over, he just got his coat and walked out (p. 23).
2. Jamal’s Characteristics after Joining the Gang
Jamal’s characteristics change after he joins the gang. He finds a kind of support from the gang that leads him to his character development. The further analysis on Jamal’s character development after he joins the gang can be seen as follow.
a. Superior
Jamal is superior child especially from his main rival, Dwayne. Finally Dwayne admits Jamal’s superiority when Jamal shows the gun to Dwayne when they fight and says that he is the leader of Scorpions. Dwayne is afraid of Jamal when he points the gun at Dwayne face.
Dwayne started backing up. He put his hands in front of his chest. Jamal was trembling. His heart was racing. He looked at Dwayne’s face and saw his fear. He moved closer to Dwayne and watched the bigger boy lift his hands until they were in front of his face and slide down the wall to the floor (p. 106).
“Please!” He was wrapping himself into a ball. Jamal kicked him in the side, hurting his toe. He started to kick him with the other foot, then stopped.
“Next time you dead, man,” he said. He backed away, found the bag on the floor, and put the gun in it. He looked back at Dwayne, still in the corner, now crying. He turned away (p. 107).
Jamal also feels that he is superior to the other child in the gang because he has the gun. When Indian, one of the members of the gang who does not like him, sees the gun in Jamal’s belt, he steps back. It makes Jamal feels certain that the other children start to admit him as superior child.
Indian had backed off when he saw the gun. People didn’t mess with you when you had a gun. Maybe it wasn’t right to have it, but people still didn’t mess with you (p. 109).
b. Brave
The oppression that Jamal experienced and the gun that he has, change him into a brave child. Jamal is not afraid of Dwayne anymore and Jamal wants revenge what Dwayne has done to him to stop his annoyance.
The only way to deal with somebody stupid like Dwayne, Jamal thought, was to punch him out. Dwayne always acted so tough, and he thought Jamal was scared of him, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t scared of anybody (p. 60).
Jamal’s bravery also can be seen from his certainty that he can beat Dwayne although Dwayne is bigger and stronger than Jamal. Jamal is certain that he will not lose when they fight.
Jamal didn’t feel like fighting. “Let’s just go,” Tito said. “I ain’t gonna punk out.” “He too big.”
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That Jamal changes into a brave child also can be seen from the way he accepts Dwayne’s challenges to fight. Jamal tends to revenge Dwayne directly without thinking about the consequence of it.
“We gonna have to settle this mess,” Dwayne said when they reached math. “You gonna punk out?”
“I’ll be there,” Jamal said. “Just bring your butt so I can kick it again.” (p. 72).
Jamal’s bravery also can be seen when he promises that he will never give Dwayne any chances to beat him. Jamal will fight and beat Dwayne so he will never oppress Jamal anymore.
Jamal told himself that this time the fight would be different. He was going to try to tear Dwayne’s shirt, and then, instead of grabbing him around the waist, he was going to go for his face right away (p. 72-73).
Jamal faces Dwayne’s oppression bravely. Jamal wants to prove to Dwayne that he has change and he can do the same thing that Dwayne has done to him.
Myrna gave Dwayne a disgusted look. She didn’t like him any more than Jamal did.
“You be down in the storeroom at lunchtime or I’m going to beat your butt right in the classroom,” Dwayne said.
“I’ll be there,” Jamal said (p. 98).
Jamal’s bravery can be seen when he challenges Dwayne to fight and show Dwayne that he is stronger than before.
“Hey, Dwayne.” Billy was close to Jamal. “I bet you can’t knock him out.”
“I bet I can,” Dwayne said.
“What you say, Jamal?” Billy cupped his hand as if he were holding a microphone, and put it in front of Jamal.
“I see you in the storeroom, Jamal said. “That’s what I said.” (p. 100).
Jamal shows his bravery by accept and challenge Dwayne back. Jamal challenges Dwayne to show that he can beat Dwayne. Jamal also wants to prove to the other children that he can beat Dwayne, he wants to show to the other children in the school that he is not weak as they thought.
“Then I ain’t going in,” Jamal said. “He punking out!”
“I ought to slap your face right here.” Dwayne stood as close as he could to Jamal, looking down at him.
“Look how scared he look.” Tamia Davis was triyng yo look around Dwayne’s shoulder to see Jamal.
“You want to fight me, the just you and me got to go in,” Jamal said (p. 102).
c. Aggressive
Jamal changes from a passive child into an aggressive child. It is influenced by the oppression that Jamal experienced. Jamal tends to fight back what Dwayne did to him. It can be seen from the way Jamal defends himself from Dwayne.
Dwayne kicked him across the aisle. Jamal waited until Mrs. Rich was facing the board, and then he kicked Dwayne back as hard as he could on the back of his leg (p. 68).
Jamal’s aggressiveness is shown by directly revenge what Dwayne has done to him. Jamal revenges Dwayne physically and not just walks away like the time before.
“Fight!” Myrna called out, and some kids from across the street crossing over.
“So why you kick me, fool!” Dwayne stood as close as he could to Jamal.
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Dwayne pushed Jamal and Jamal pushed him back. Then Dwayne kicked Jamal just below the knee.
The pain was sudden, and Jamal bent over to grab his knee. Dwayne hit him on the back of his head, and Jamal grabbed Dwayne around his waist (p. 69).
That Jamal changes into aggressive child can be seen from the way he tries to revenge toward Dwayne’s oppression. Jamal wants to punch Dwayne back when he fights with Dwayne. Jamal wants to make Dwayne stops disturbing him.
Dwayne had pushed himself up against Jamal so that their chest were just touching. Dwayne wasn’t sure of himself, Jamal thought, or he would have just started the fighting instead of wolfing at him. Jamal pushed Dwayne away from him, and Dwayne threw a punch that caught him squarely in the nose ad sent him backward against the door (p. 103).
When Jamal is almost defeated on the fight, he shows his aggressiveness. Jamal takes the gun because he is forced in the corner. Jamal does not mean to shoot Dwayne with the gun, he just wants to scare Dwayne.
“That ain’t nothing but a cap pistol,” Dwayne said. “Come on and find out,” Jamal said.
Dwayne straightened up and looked at Jamal. “I know it ain’t real.”
“The Scorpions don’t have no fake guns,” Jamal said. “You ain’t no Scorpions.”
“I’m the leader of the Scorpions.” (p. 106).
Jamal shows his aggressiveness when Dwayne threatened Jamal that he will call the police and tells them that Jamal has a gun. Jamal tries to oppress Dwayne back by saying his involvement in the gang. Jamal threats Dwayne that the Scorpions will not let Dwayne starts mess with one of its member.
“I thinking about going to tell the police and telling them you got a gun,” Dwayne said.
Jamal knew Dwayne was serious, but he also knew he wasn’t sure of himself again. If he had known what to do, if he had been really sure about going to the police, he would just have gone.
“You got to mess with the Scorpions, right?” Jamal said.
“I’m just messing with you,” Dwayne said. He shifted from one foot to the other.
“You do what you got to do,” Jamal said. “But you better know what you being about.” (p. 121-122).
B. The Factors That Influence Jamal Personality Development
In this part, the analysis of the factors that influence Jamal’s personality development will be discussed further. The writer finds that Jamal’s heredity endowment, family and his surrounding environment have contribution in determining Jamal’s personality and lead him to his personality development. The writer applied theory of human personality development that is taken from Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow and completed by Elizabeth Hurlock’s theory. The writer combines their theory because more or less they have the same idea about personality development. The analysis can be seen as follows.
1. Heredity Endowment
Jamal inherits some characteristic from his parents especially from his mother. Jamal is a caring and loving child. Jamal cares much about his mother and it can be seen from the way he worries about his mother’s health. Jamal is worry and he wonders if his mother has taken an umbrella or not (p.3).
His caring is shown by the way Jamal wants to make his mother feels happy. Jamal wants to buy a recording machine for his mother when he gets a job.
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He thought about how he would tell Mama he had the money for the recording machine. Maybe he wouldn’t even tell her-just go out and buy it for her and bring it on in the house (p. 4).
His caring of his mother also can be seen from Jamal’s longing to help his mother in getting money for his brother’s appeal. Jamal wants to have a job so he can give the money for his mother (p.19). Jamal’s idea about getting a job can be seen in the quotation below.
Jamal turned away. The last time Mama borrowed money from Mr. Stanton, to pay for Randy’s lawyer and to buy him a new suit so he would look good at the trial, she had had to work for him almost six month for nothing to pay the loan off.
“I could get an afternoon job,” Jamal said (p. 52).
Jamal’s caring and loving child to his mother can be seen from how he does not want to see his mother sad. Jamal hates Randy because he makes Jamal’s mother sad and cry so often. Jamal is mad at Randy, because he only causes a trouble for himself that makes Mama upset.
Jamal was mad at Randy, real mad. Mostly because of Mama crying and everything. When she got home at night from the trial, she would just sit and rock, and sometimes cry (p. 38).
Jamal’s caring of his mother also can be seen in the way he wants to make her happy. Jamal has another dream if he gets his two thousand dollars and he does not have to spent it for Randy’s appeal, he would bought a car so he, his mother and his sister can go with the car (p. 124).
Mama went into the bedroom, and Jamal could hear the bedsprings under her weight. That was what the whole thing with Randy was doing to her-making her tired, her-making her just want to lie down and go to sleep.
“I hope Randy get out soon,” Sassy said.
“I hope he don’t never get out,” Jamal said (p. 54).
Jamal is a child that has a great effort. It is shown by Jamal’s effort to do all the right things so that Mr. Davidson, the principal of the school, will not give him any punishment that makes his mother upset. Jamal wants to show his work on painting the trees to his mother on the day of the play performance.
The play was still three days off. If everything went okay between now and then, he would ask Mama to come and see the play. He’d have to find out who was coming, though, because he didn’t want Mr. Davidson or anybody starting up anything with her. He would try to be real good until then. Do his homework everyday and everything. Then he would ask Mama to come to the play, and she could see the trees and stuff he had painted (p. 20).
Jamal’s effort also can be seen from the way Jamal wants to help his mother in getting the money to pay the lawyer that will help Randy’s appeal. Jamal works at Mr. Gonzales store in the summer holiday to get some money. Jamal has to deliver packages and help in the store from ten in the morning until one in the afternoon (p. 123).
Jamal is a persistent child. His persistence is shown by his effort to do the thing that is too hard for him. Although he has to bring a heavy box of grocery to a woman’s house, Jamal does not complaint.
Not too may people wanted their groceries delivered. One woman had bought a whole box of heavy stuff that she wanted carried home with her, and Jamal thought he was going to drop it before he got it to her house (p.125).
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He had tried to carry the box on his shoulder, but it hurt his shoulder. Then he tried to carry it on his head like he had seen some African dudes do o television, but that was even worse. It hurts his head something terrible, and his arms got tired from just holding the packages up. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to lose the job (p.125).
Jamal is a polite child. It can be seen from the way he reacts toward what the woman says to him. Jamal accepts whatever she says to Jamal that he is the weakest boy that she ever seen in her life. Jamal tries to be nice and do all the woman wants (p. 125).
2. Family
a. Jamal’s mother
Jamal’s mother is a hard worker. She has to work hard to support Jamal and Sassy, Jamal’s younger sister and to fulfil their daily needs. The time when she gets home shows that she is a hard worker. She often works until late night everyday.
It was almost twelve o’clock when Mama got home. Jamal was in the bathroom when he heard the key in the door. He came out as quickly as he could. He saw that Mama had awakened Sassy and taken her into the bedroom (p. 5).
Jamal’s mother is a person with a great effort. She is trying to get some extra work to get the money to pay the lawyer that will help her on Randy’s appeal. Her effort can be seen from Jamal and Tito conversation about having a job. Her great effort influences Jamal to help his mother in getting the money.
“I don’t know. Mama was talking about getting some extra work to get the money for the appeal.”
“She said only five hundred, something like that.”
“If we could carry packages from A&P, we could make maybe five dollars a day.” (p. 46).
Jamal’s mother is a caring person. She cares much about her children. It can be seen from the way she treats her children. She always makes sure that her children have their needs.
“How come you didn’t tell Sassy to go bed?” Mama said. “She wanted to watch television.”
“She eat?” “Uh-huh.” “What she eat?”
“That chicken from Sunday and some potatoes. We saved you some.” (p. 5).
Jamal’s mother caring about her children also can be seen from the way she asks Jamal to not hang around with Mack and the Scorpions because she worries that Jamal will get into trouble if he hangs around with Mack.
“What you know about Mack?”
“I know he used to come here with Randy,” Jamal said.
“Why you think Randy want you to see him?” Mama voice rose ever so slightly, and Jamal looked up at her.
“I don’t know,” Jamal said. “What I’m supposed to see him about?” “He just said he wanted him to tell you who to look out for in the Scorpions.” Mama put another teaspoon of sugar in her tea. “Jamal, you ain’t been hanging around the Scorpions, have you?”
“You know I don’t hang around no Scorpions,” Jamal said. “I don’t want you hanging around no Mack, either.” (p. 10).
Jamal’s mother caring also can be seen from the way she treats Tito, Jamal best friend when Tito is in trouble. She tries to help and calm him down. She treats Tito just like his own child.
“Tito, come on over here, child.”
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Jamal’s mother is a wise woman. It can be seen from her advice to Tito when he feels sad because of what Abuela said to him. She tries to make Tito understand what Abuela has done to him is not because she hates him, but it is because she loves him.
“Tito, sometimes we women got to be harder on you young boys than we want to be. You know that and I know that. Me and your grandmother, we try our best, but God knows it’s hard. We say things we don’t mean because to say the things we mean is just too hurtin’. You be all right, ‘cause that woman loves you as much as she loves life.” (p. 129-130).
Jamal’s mother is a religious person. Her religiousness can be seen from the way she often hear the radio which play the gospel. When Jamal gets up in the morning, the first thing he heard is the sound of Mama’s gospel radio station coming from the kitchen (p. 8).
She goes to church and prays often and teaches her children to do the same thing. It can be seen from the time when she invites Reverend Biggs to come to their home to pray together for Randy (p. 152).
Jamal’s mother has some moral values that she teaches to her children indirectly such as always work hard, cares about the other members of the family and other people, and religiousness.
She also teaches about never give up easily about your problem and does what you can although there are many obstacles in front of you. Her persistence can be seen in how she still works hard although her hand is injured.
“Where Mama?”
“How her hand?”
“Messed up. She put some lard on it , and then she put a bandage on it.” (p. 71).
The influence of Mama’s manners can be seen from the way Jamal response the difficulty that his mother faces in getting the money. Jamal is encouraged to help her. Jamal also learns to care about his sister and other people such as his best friend, Tito.
b. Randy (Jamal’s brother)
In this story, Randy influences Jamal indirectly. The condition of Randy, who is in the juvenile, influences Jamal to think and act as a person who is more mature than his age. Jamal has to think about helping his mother in getting the money for Randy’s appeal in his young age.
Jamal first day was Saturday. He had to deliver packages and help in the store from ten in the morning until one in the afternoon.
“I’ll give you fifteen dollars,” Mr. Gonzalez had said. “And you can make some money on tips. But you got to be nice to people. Don’t have a fresh mouth.” (p. 123).
Randy’s appeal encourages Jamal to help his mother. Jamal’s persistence in earning money can be seen in the way he works. Jamal works hard as delivery person of a grocery store. Jamal does not complaint although he feels so tired. Jamal does not give up because he does not want to lose this job.
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Randy’s case also encourages Jamal to do everything that makes his mother feels happy. He does not want to see his mother feels sorry and sad because of him. Jamal knows that Randy already makes her sad and together often cries and Jamal does not want to see it again. His mother already has a big burden in her shoulder and Jamal does not want to be her burden anymore.
When he got a job, he was going to buy one of those recording machines. Then he and Mama could go and get movies and watch them instead of all the stupid stuff they had on regular television. He thought about how he would tell Mama he had the money for recording machine. Maybe he wouldn’t even tell her-just go out and buy it for her and bring it on in the house (p. 4).
3. Environment a. School
School is one of factor that has a great influence toward child’s personality. It includes two areas that become the part that are played by school in the child’s personality development. The two areas are:
1. Teacher - Pupil Relation
Jamal’s personality development is also influenced by the treatments that come from his school teacher. A child is sensitive toward behaviour traits exhibited by the teacher, such as degree of fairness and justice, honesty, appreciation of effort, sympathy and understanding, ability to explain things, and expectation of co-operative and controlled behaviour.
and judge Jamal as a lazy child. He also judges that Jamal’s mother does not give any attention to Jamal and care about his school anymore.
“How many times have you been late this year?” Jamal shrugged. “Look at me when I talk to you, young man.”
Jamal looked up at Mr. Davidson and then back down at the floor. He knew he had been late four times. He had been late twice the week that Randy had been transferred from the city to the prison upstate.
“I would ask you to bring your mother to school, but she probably doesn’t care anymore about your education than you do.” (p. 16). That kind of judgment causes Jamal not to care much about school. Jamal is tired of school and the thing that he did in the school is to sit in the classroom and listen to the teachers tell him what he cannot do (p. 17).
Jamal feels no one appreciates to what he did. Although he did something good, no one gives him appreciation or consider it as a good thing. Mr. Davidson makes Jamal upset because he did not appreciate what Jamal has done to show that he is not a lazy student who always comes late to school. It can be seen from the way Mr. Davidson’s reaction when he does not give any compliment toward Jamal because he did not come late to school the next morning.
Jamal got back to school on time, making sure to walk past Mr. Davidson so the principal would notice that he wasn’t late. Mr. Davidson didn’t say anything. That was what was wrong. When you did something wrong, everybody put their mouth on you. Then when you did something good, everybody acted like it wasn’t anything special (p. 19).
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Davidson says discriminate Jamal and it seems that Jamal is not supposed to have friends.
“Oswaldo, you have a fairly decent record.” Mr. Davidson held a folder in his hand. “Why are you associating with somebody like Hicks?”
Ozzie shrugged and looked down at his shoes (p. 59).
What Mr. Davidson said also implied a bad judgment toward Jamal. Mr. Davidson judges and considers that Jamal he is nothing except a troublemaker. ….“The second warning is that if you continue to find people like Jamal Hicks for your friends, you’re going to be in trouble if you like it or not. Do you understand that?” (p. 59).
2. Child - Child Relationships
Jamal’s personality development is influenced by the peers surround him as Lester D Crow and Alice Crow state that the child’s personality is much influenced by the personality traits of his peers in the school. Jamal is presented as an inferior child. He is a kind of boy who does not want to have any problems with other people. It can be seen from the way he reacts upon the other’s treatments toward him. In this story, Jamal is known as a boy who does not have many friends at school and he often treated badly by his classmate, Dwayne. Dwayne never stops disturbing and oppressing Jamal and it make him afraid.
wasn’t anything he could do to stop them. Not by himself, not while he was small and not as tough as they were (p. 22).
Jamal always has problems with Dwayne. Dwayne always tries to find a way to have a fight with Jamal. Jamal never does anything when Dwayne starts disturbing and mocking him. Jamal just ignores and goes away.
Jamal ignored Dwayne for the rest of the period. It wasn’t easy, especially when some of the girls started giggling. When the last period was finally over, he just got his coat and walked out (p. 23).
Jamal is oppressed by Dwayne’s attitude toward him. Dwayne mocks Jamal because Jamal is poor. Dwayne often mocks Jamal in front of the other child and it makes Jamal feels ashamed and angry. Every little thing in Jamal can be used by Dwayne to oppress Jamal. It can be seen when Dwayne mocks Jamal because of the shoes he is wearing and also when Dwayne mocks Jamal because his shirt wrinkled.
“Yo, Jamal, what kind of sneakers you wearin’?”
“They look like Brand X sneakers to me,” Dwayne said.
“Hey, Billy, I think he got them sneakers from the Salvation Army.” Billy giggled and looked down at Jamal’s sneakers.
“I got these sneakers from Bradley’s,” Jamal said.
“They look like they come from the garbage can behind Bradley’s,” Dwayne said. “You probably got that raggedy shirt from there too.” (p. 21).
……….
“How come your shirt look okay in the front and all wrinkled up in the back?” he said, making sure everybody could hear him (p. 67).
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with him. The oppression that Jamal experienced influences his personality development.
b. Surrounding Adults
Adults in a child’s surrounding can give influence toward his personality development beside the school. It may also have an effect on young children social status and behaviour. It means that people outside the house or the people in their environment also have a role to shape child’s personality.
It happens to Jamal, he is influenced by Mack, one of members of the Scorpions. Mack is Randy warlord in the gang. Mack is trusted by Randy to help Jamal lead the gang while he is in the juvenile. Mack does what Randy said and asks Jamal to be the leader of the Scorpions as Randy told him. Jamal does not accept Mack’s request directly, so Mack persuades him by telling Jamal that he can get the money for Randy’s appeal easily by joining the gang. “I ain’t got nothing to do with the Scorpions,” Jamal said. “I don’t run with no gang.”
“You take over the Scorpions, then you can get the money for Randy’s appeal,” Mack said. “Randy told me that if he go down, you got to take his place.”
“Take over the Scorpions?”
“Yeah, Randy say they can carry for Spanish guys over near Ninety-sixth Street. They can make that money easy.” (p. 43).
Mack continues to persuade Jamal because Jamal is not sure about taking over the Scorpions. Mack convinces Jamal that everything will be okay and there will be no problems if Jamal takes over the gang and the other children in the gang will accept him.
“Yeah, yeah they will. If I got your back, they got to give you some slack, ‘cause I’m the Mack,” Mack said. “I’m still the warlord. They don’t mess with the Mack. You go in and say you taking Randy’s place. Then I got your back and everything be cool.” (p. 43).
Mack promises Jamal that he will give Jamal something that will make Jamal be respected by the other children in the gang although he is still a twelve-year old boy.
“You his boy-why don’t you take over the Scorpions and get the money up?” Jamal asked.
“That ain’t what Randy say,” Mack said.
“I’m only twelve, man.” Jamal sucked his teeth and looked away. “You’d be twenty-one with what I got for you,” Mack said (p. 43-44). Mack persuades Jamal by giving him a gun, the thing that will makes Jamal be respected by the other child in the gang.
“Let’s go on over there,” Mack said. “Yeah, and here the thing. Put it in your belt, man.”
Jamal took the shiny pistol from Mack and put it in his belt (p.79). Mack also persuades Jamal by introducing him to the other members of the Scorpions. He tries to convince Jamal that the other children in the gang will afraid of him because he has the gun.
Jamal wasn’t sure what he should do. He thought about giving the gun to Mack. He stood and opened his coat and put his hand on it.
“He got a piece!”….
Indian looked at Jamal and took a step back (p. 83).
C. The Dominant Environment of Jamal’s Personality Development
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The factors in the family are Jamal’s mother and Randy, while the factors in the environment consist of the school and adults surround Jamal.
The writer analyzes the process of finding the more suitable environment to help Jamal in the process of his personality development. He is confused of how to find the best way to raise his bravery and to fight against the fear.
Jamal’s heredity that is passed from his mother does not give Jamal any support for him in facing the problems that come from Dwayne and the other children. Jamal’s heredity that is caring, loving, has great effort, persistence and polite child does not give him strength to face his problems. Jamal’s caring and loving are his heredity that becomes a kind of weakness for him. Jamal’s caring and loving put him in a difficult position, because he is a type of child who does not want to have any problem with other children. But those two personalities do not help him to be saved from problem because Dwayne considers it as Jamal’s cowardly and he continues to disturb him.
In this case, the family where Jamal lives with also seems not to support the development of his personality into the proper stage of maturity. The condition of his family, especially the home condition, is unstable. The members of his family are not in the best position in giving the comfortable and favourable feeling to Jamal. His brother is taken up in the jail and her mother is less of knowledge. These will take a bad influence to Jamal’s personality.
the juvenile. His family has to face Randy’s case appeal and his family needs a lot of money for it. This quotation shows that Jamal’s family lives in poverty that his mother has not enough money to pay a taxi bill.
“You see anything? “No.”
“Why don’t you go down to the subway?” “Suppose she come on the bus or take a taxi?” “She ain’t got money for no taxi.”
“She could still take the bus.” (p. 3).
The other fact that shows the Jamal’s family poverty is that they do not have extra food and they have to share it.
Jamal was little hungry. He had made some potatoes and chicken, but there wasn’t too much of it. Sassy had eaten one piece of chicken, and he had had one piece. Sassy said she wanted two pieces because she wasn’t going to eat any potatoes, but she knew better. They had to save something for Mama. If e had got the rice from Mr. Evans, he could have made the chicken and rice Mama liked a lot (p. 5).
Jamal’s family cannot buy an expensive food; they only have money to buy some eggs and bread to eat. They usually eat egg sandwiches for lunch or some frankfurters (p. 18). Jamal’s mother has to work for every day in order to pay for Randy’s appeal. The poor condition of financial forces Jamal to let his fancy of having plain paper and paint brush goes in vain (p. 20).
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control his fear that seems to be overwhelmed. Thus, he decides to set himself out of the scope of his heredity and home. Then, Jamal tries to expand for the outside home environment where it can be the better place for him to help support him and overcome his problems.
The first outside home environment where Jamal looks for a support is the school. In the school Jamal has a best friend named Tito. Tito always supports Jamal in whatever condition and helps Jamal in facing his problems. But, unfortunately, the school also does not give Jamal a sufficient support. The school where should be the place that Jamal gets a good influence does not do its function. The teacher and his peer only give Jamal oppressions and do not support him.
The condition of school does not help Jamal in the process of his personality. The school as the place where the Jamal gets the influence in his relationship with the teacher does not give Jamal a sufficient support. Here, Jamal’s teacher who should give appreciation toward Jamal did not do it. The teacher seems to be ignorant. He does not give his attention on Jamal’s effort. Jamal who has tried to come to school on time does not get a better judgment from the teacher. Judgment
Jamal got back to school on time, making sure to walk past Mr. Davidson so the principal would notice that he wasn’t late. Mr. Davidson didn’t say anything. That was what was wrong. When you did something wrong, everybody put their mouth on you. Then when you did something good, everybody acted like it wasn’t anything special (p. 19).
support from his classmate even he gets an oppression from Dwayne. Dwayne always comes with all of his mockery toward Jamal everyday and it makes Jamal afraid of him.
Dwayne made Jamal feel small inside. Even when the older boy turned away from him, Jamal could still feel his grin. Lots of things made him feel the same way, small inside, and weak. The guy at the furniture store who had yelled at Mama made him feel that way. Teachers who made him stand up in class when he made a mistake or didn’t have his homework. Big kids who laughed at him were the worst because there wasn’t anything he could do to stop them. Not by himself, not while he was small and not as tough as they were (p. 22).
The school does not completely support Jamal because he only gets the support from his best friend, Tito. His teacher and the other children do not support him at all. Jamal tries the other outside home environment that is the surrounding adults. Jamal takes the direction to join the gang. Jamal chooses the gang as his supporter toward the process of his personality development since he cannot find it in his heredity, his family, and in his school. Jamal decides to join the gang because he thinks that the gang can give him a support toward his personality development.
Jamal personality starts to develop when he went to see Mack as Randy asked. He finds the self-confidence through the persuasion of Mack. The role of Mack really helps Jamal in finding the new identity. Mack asks Jamal to be leader of Scorpions. Scorpions is a gang which its members are children and teenagers, the gang deals with crack or drugs.
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money sometimes. You could make a lot of money running crack. You just had to be sure you didn’t start messing with it yourself (p.36). Mack persuades Jamal by telling Jamal that he can earn money to help Randy’s appeal by joining the gang (p. 42).
“I ain’t got nothing to do with the Scorpions,” Jamal said. “I don’t run with no gang.”
“You take over the Scorpions, then you can get the money for Randy’s appeal,” Mack said. “Randy told me that if he go down, you got to take his place.”
“Take over the Scorpions?”
“Yeah, Randy say they can carry for Spanish guys over near Ninety-sixth Street. They can make that money easy.” (p. 43).
Jamal is not really sure with what Mack says. He thinks that the other members of the gang will not accept him easily. Jamal only a twelve-year old boy and he knows nothing about the Scorpions. Mack convinces him that he can do it and the other children in the gang will listen what Mack says as Randy told him. Mack promises that the other children in the Scorpions will respect Jamal with the gun that he will give to him (p. 44).
The development of Jamal’s personality passes a process of thinking and confusion. At first, he is being confused and frustrated by two choices whether he will take the gun and or he will obey his mother’s saying not to join the gang, because his mother ever said that Mack is not a good child to be hanging around with (p. 10-12). But, after the long winding, Jamal finally decided that he has to take the gun. This is the sign where he has been defeated by his hatred toward Dwayne and believes that it will give him a support and strength.
by his condition where he is being oppressed by Dwayne. In the middle of that situation, Jamal experiences the personality development. Jamal’s personality develops in a negative way because he chooses to take the gun and join Mack. He thinks that his decision is the best way to overcome his fear of Dwayne. Finally Jamal cannot differentiate which is good or bad. It also can be said that Jamal is in the condition where his emotion is unstable. His decision based on what he thinks good for him only at this time without considering the effects of his decision toward himself in the future. He only thinks that it is the best decision that he has to take revenge to Dwayne.
Jamal’s confident because of the gun can be seen when he knows that Indian and Angel, the other children in the gang who disagree with Mack’s decision about Jamal becomes the leader of Scorpions, are afraid and back off when they see the gun in Jamal’s belt.
Jamal wasn’t sure what he should do. He thought about giving the gun to Mack. He stood and opened his coat and put his hand on it.
“He got a piece!”….
Indian looked at Jamal and took a step back (p. 83).
Jamal bravery is raised because he found that everybody is afraid of gun. It also can be seen when Jamal tries to encourage himself that Indian and Angel will not beat him up because he has the gun.
They were afraid of the gun, too. He remembered how Indian had stopped cold when he had seen the gun in Jamal’s belt….
….But maybe he wouldn’t have to fight Indian. Not as long as he had the gun, anyway (p. 89).
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bravely. He challenges Dwayne back and he believes that he can defeat Dwayne (p. 98).
The support of the gun toward Jamal’s personality development also can be seen from the time when Jamal takes the gun with him when he fights with Dwayne although Tito, Jamal’s best friend disagrees. Tito does not like that gun and he asks Jamal to leave the gun but Jamal did not do it. Jamal feels confident if he brings that gun with him.
“Just take the gun down there like I said,” Jamal said. “No.”
“Why?”
“’Cause I don’t want you to shoot nobody.” “I’m just going to scare him,” Jamal said.
“I don’t think you should take the gun,” Tito said. He looked down at the floor and twisted the toe of his sneaker at a place where the floor was cracked.
“Okay, then I’m going to go down there and get beat up and say that my friend Tito wants me to get beat up.” (p. 99).
The gun has a great support toward Jamal’s personality development. The gun may encourage Jamal’s bravery. The gun gives him a power to against Dwayne back.
Indian was tough, but he had shut up when he saw the gun in Jamal’s belt. Dwayne was going to shut up too. Jamal could imagine him with his slanty-looking face coming into the storeroom and grinning and talking about how bad he was and everything. Then he’d see the gun and he’d know that he’d better shut up. He would shut up too. Just like Indian (p. 100).
