Post on 25-Feb-2023
CAUSES OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGE OF THE MAJOR
CHARACTER IN A WALK TO REMEMBER
NOVEL BY NICHOLAS SPARKS (1999) :
A PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH
Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for Getting Bachelor Degree of Education in English Department
Teacher Training and Education Faculty
By:
DEVI ANGGRAINI
A320150232
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH SURAKARTA
2019
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CAUSES OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGE OF THE MAJOR CHARACTER
IN A WALK TO REMEMBER NOVEL BY NICHOLAS SPARK (1999):A
PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH
Abstrak
Makalah penelitian ini dianalisis dengan menggunakan pendekatan psikoanalisis
yaitu penyebab perubahan perilaku karakter utama dalam A Walk to Remember
novel. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis novel berdasarkan
pendekatan psikoanalisis. Makalah penelitian ini termasuk penelitian kualitatif.
Data dari penelitian ini adalah novel berjudul A Walk to Remember. Sumber data
berasal dari data primer dan data sekunder. Sumber data primer adalah A Walk to
Remember Novel dan sumber data sekunder dari penelitian ini adalah biografi
penulis, situs web, dan sumber lain tentang psikoanalisis yang mendukung
analisis. Metode untuk menganalisis data ini adalah analisis kualitatif.
Berdasarkan Pendekatan psikoanalisis, peneliti menyimpulkan bahwa beberapa
hubungan memiliki pengaruh besar dalam membentuk perilaku seseorang. Dari
Pendekatan psikoanalisis pengaruh cinta pada tokoh utama dapat dilihat dari
hubungan keluarga, hubungan teman, dan hubungan asmara yang muncul dalam
novel. Setiap hubungan memberi pengaruh berbeda. Pengaruh-pengaruh itu
menghasilkan dia meningkatkan hidupnya lebih baik dengan belajar dari
pengalamannya selama hidupnya.
Kata kunci : Penyebab perubahan perilau, cinta, orang tua, pendekatan
psikoanalisis
Abstract
This research paper is analyzed by using Psychoanalysis Approach elaborates the
causes of behavioral change of the major character in A Walk to Remember novel.
The objective of the research is to analyze the novel based on psychoanalysis
approach. This research paper belongs to a qualitative research. The data of the
research is the novel entitled A Walk to Remember. The data source comes from
primary data and secondary data. The primary data source is A Walk to Remember
novel and secondary data source of the research are biography of the author,
websites, and other source about psychoanalysis that support the analysis. The
method to analyze this data is qualitative analysis. Based on the Psychoanalysis
approach, the researcher concludes that several relationships have a great
inlfuences in shaping one’s behavior. From psychoanalysis approach the influence
of love on the major character can be seen from the family relationship, friend
relationship, and romance relationship that appear in the novel. Every relationship
gives different influence. Those influences make him improve his life better by
learning from his experiences during his life.
Key word: Causes of behavioral change, love, parents, psychoanalysis approach
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1. INTRODUCTION
Behavior changes in everyday life are selfish behavior and behavior patterns and
also close themselves to the surrounding community. Ignorance and ignorance are
seen in people's lives or in big cities. Changing behavior in everyday life is a
difficult process. Increasing physical activity is very challenging because there are
many obstacles that inhibit physical activity and many influences that encourage
immovable behavior. In everyday life behavior changes consist of external
reactions of organisms to their environment, including aspects of psychology.
Other psychological aspects, such as emotions, thoughts, and other internal mental
processes, are not included in the category of behavior. In this study there are ten
previous studies,The first researcher is Juwati 2014. Second research is Maya Islia
2011.Third research is Widodo 2010. Fourth research is Mukminin 2008.Fifth
research is Ulinnuha 2013. Sixth research is Puspitasari 2007.Seventh research is
Auroria 2012. Eight research is Syifa 2009. Ninth research is Pauweni 2005.
Tenth research is Cristina 2011.
From a previous study A Walk to Remember is abook that tells aboutchanges
in behavior and love for someone. Story of A Walk toRemember starting with the
prologue from Landon Carter at the age of fifty-sevenyear that story reminders
occur when Landon is a personHigh school seventeen years and ends when he is
therefifty seven years. He tells about Landon Carter's life experiencesthat's what
met him with a girl, namely Jamie Sullivan. His jobnarrative and contain any
conflict described in the context of the story. Especially the conflict in the story is
connectedwith friends, family, and romance. this research was made to
complement previous research.
There are four desire, why the researcher is interested toanalyze this novel.
Firstly, the behavioral change Landon of A Walkto Remember novel, especially
the character of Landon Carter. Landonis the son of a genial, charismatic
congressman, Worth Carter inWashington, D.C. and his mother, Cynthia Carter
lived apart from hisfather. He grow become reclusive boy, because of less of
love.Secondly, the students can understand the meaning of love in this novelthat
can add knowledge to the students at an educational institution. Notonly for two
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people between man and women in a relationship but forall human in the world.
Love is a special thing that important for theirlives. The third reason is this study
can be beneficial for students withmoral values contained in this research that love
has influence onperson behavior showed by the experiences life of Landon
Carter.Landon Carter used to be a naughty boy and he never cares about
herschool. After he met Jamie Sullivan, his behavior becomes different.Then, the
fourth A walk to Remember is a popular novel written byNicholas Sparks in 1999.
It can be seen from the fact in which the novelhas been adapted into movie. The
novel was adapted into movie at2002.
The researcher decided to use the psychoanalysis approachproposed by Erik
Erikson to analyze novels because of his theory more in line with the novel's
theme. This novel show howthe cause of behavioral change of Landon Carter's as
the major character. Therefore, the author conducted this research entitled
CAUSES OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGE OF THE MAJOR CHARACTER IN A
WALK TO REMEMBER BY NICHOLAS SPARKS (1999): A
PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH
2. METHOD
The research applied qualitative research in analyzing A Walk to Remember novel
by Nicholas Sparks (1999). Bryman and Bell (2007) qualitative research as the
research strategy concern with the theory and research. The writers tend to use
qualitative research in occasion to get deeper data and being closer with the
research. The technique used in analysing data is descriptive analysis. The study
will concern with the interpretation of the data A Walk to Remember novel and
dealing with psychoanalysis approach applied by researcher to find The causes of
behavioral change of the major character. The issue concern on the causes of
behavioral change of the major character. The source of primary data is taken
from A Walk to Remember novel by Nicholas Sparks. The secondary data are
from other sources, which are related to the primary data that support the analysis
including books a virtual reference as documentation. It deals with text and with
problem of this research. Secondary data was derived from any study that related
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with the research such as literary books, article, journal, essay, and author
biography. The writer uses library research technique in collect the data.
Moreover, the writer does firstly reading and making notes the important things in
the novel such as narrations, the opinions and the dialogues that has
information.The data information that have been collected are analyzed by using
the steps by Miles & Huberman including data reduction, data displays. After that,
using to psychoanalysis approach answer these questions: What are the behavioral
change of Landon in A walk to Remember? What causes the behavioral change of
Landon in a walk to Remember?
3. FINDING AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Finding
3.1.1 Behavioral change Landon in the A Walk to Remember Novel
Landon is a young man who lives in Beaufort, North Carolina. He lives with his
father and mother. His father is from the richest family in the country. He was
unhappy with his father's existence and regulations because his father often forced
him to do what he wanted, even though Landon finally agreed with him. He did
not accompany Landon when he grew up, which caused some tension in their
relationship. So Landon doesn't make his father love and become a child who can't
be controlled.From the explanation above, it is explained that family and friends
are very important for Landon's growth.
3.1.1.1 Family
Landon is the only boy who longs for love father. His father lived separately
because his father worked at Washington. Landon and his mother live in Beaufort,
North Carolina. Because Landon was young, he spent his time in Beaufort. He
grew up without a father by his side. His father is very busy and spent nine
months a year living outside the city in Australia Washington, D.C. His parents
want Landon to grow up their parents have. Because of this situation Landon
became rebellious child and lack of response with his father. He thinks that every
word that father says is a rule. This condition is his family made Landon Carter
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rebel. The facts above show that Landon gets influence from his family. Thus,
family love is sincere important to grow.
3.1.1.2 Friends’
Social relationship and human being cannot be separated with each other. Social
relationship gives influence on person behavior whether the effect is bad or good.
Friendship environment has influence on Landon Carter’s behavior. Landon is
often spending his time with his friends in the graveyard to laugh and eat boiled
peanuts. His friends give effects for his style. Everything that he wants to do is
always considering with his friends. Once, Landon requires attending
homecoming dance. He invites many girls but he gets a refusal. There is one girl
that he didn’t invite yet. He doubts because the girl is very religious and old style.
He was afraid of being teased by his friends. This condition shows that friend ship
has great effect for person behavior.
3.1.2 Causes behavioral change London in the A Walk to Remember Novel
From those major characters, it will examine about the causes behavioral change
of main male character, Landon Carter, in A Walk to Remember from an
uncontrolled boy to be the good one. The behavioral change of Landon through
his will be examined from his stages of life. Those are childhood, adolescence
and adulthood with several problems and factors that influence his changes.
3.1.2.1 Landon Carter’s Childhood
In childhood parents are playing an important role determining the personality
development, because if there is conflict between child and parent there will be
personality disturbances such as destructive behavior, fear and anxiety.In A Walk
to Remember Landon Carter’s childhood is explained when he was in five years
old. That is play age. It is experienced when they are 3-6 years old. This period is
when the child’s social world challenges him or her to be active to master new
tasks and skills to win approval by being productive (301)5When human beings
experience their play age, children and parents work together on problems related
to the child’s development. It is because parents are important in constructing
children to learn about moral values. Erikson states that in this stage besides
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children identify with their parents, they will improve their movement, speaking
ability, curiosity, imagination and ability to determine their purpose.
3.1.2.2 Landon Carter’s Adolescence
Adolescence is a phrase in which human being tries to identify the self. Erikson’s
psychosocial development depicts that in adolescence, individual confronts the
developmental task of identity versus role confusion (304). In A Walk to
Remember, the latency phrase of Landon Carter’s is explained clearly especially
when he was 17 years old. In this stage, Landon experiences a lot of things that
construct his personality in later years. It is because adolescence became turning
point for Landon, a transition between childhood and adulthood.
3.1.2.2.1 Pattern of Parental Behavior
Parents have a goal of having pattern of parental behavior or parental rules to
make children learn in developing some controls over their bodily functions and
impulses. It is because children have to live with others in society that has rules. It
means that, children have to learn about society rules in order to be accepted by
the society around. The sense of being acceptable in society is important in
providing a healthy circumstance for children’s development.
3.1.2.2.2 Landon Carter’s Identity Crisis
Erikson is a person who creates a term of identity crisis in adolescence. Feist and
Feist note, Erikson suggests that each stage a significant psychosocial struggle
contributes to the formation of behavioral. In adolescence, self confidence take
from an identity crisis, a turning point in one’s life that may either strengthen or
weaken behavioral (232).
The external conflict from the novel is when his friends are always
arguing, because they would all ways harass him because he likes Jamie. So when
Landon has relationship and close to Jamie, his friends will harass him. Here
Landon as protagonist getting influence of his friends that causes him becomes
someone immature. It can be said that his friends are protagonist that involve in or
affected by his effort in some way.
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3.1.2.2.3 Fall in love with Jamie Sullivan
Jamie brings Landon into a very different behavioral in which he becomes
individual who has a contrast brhaviour than before. In the beginning of the novel
Landon and his friends say that Jamie is commonly strange and different with
others.In line with time, Landon and Jamie are often together. Landon looks
Jamie’s inner heart. It makes him more comfortable to be changes his personality.
For the first time, Landon is stubborn, after he knows Jamie he feels guilty after
doing something wrong, especially with Jamie. Not only Landon, but also his
friends and his mother admit that after knows to Jamie, Landon has changes his
personality to be a good one and he became an adult.
After he comes recently know and close to Jamie Sullivan, Landon’s
behavioral changes to be a good one. His personality and behavior are different
than before. Simply he is not an uncontrolled boy and becomes more adult. He
never hanging out with his friend and never goes to party.
3.1.2.2.4 Jamie’s death
Jamie Sullivan is a Landon’s lover. Her death brings big sorrow andsadness for
Landon. A Walk to Remember notes that Jamie’s death becomes an unforgettable
memory that becomes a great causes of behavioral change for Landon. This event
takes a place when he was seventeen years old until the age of fifty-seven. For
about forty years, he still remember in detail each event and memory especially
with Jamie. This incident leads Landon to different situation and behavior. He
becomes a good gentleman. He is brave to take a great decision for his
life.Jamie’s death, as stated above, leads Landon to construct eternal identity . The
successful of parental behavior that is applied has construct thesuccess of
determining healthy behavioral of the children. Hence, Landon as children
becomes individual who success in gaining identity in himself to cope with his
own fidelity. It affects his relationship with others then.
When Landon says that he falls in love to Jamie, she cannot receive
Landon’s love because she is dying of leukemia. In the fact whatever happen to
7Jamie, he is still loves her. Then Landon just realizes that all Jamie’s did, her
behavior that different with other is because leukemia. In the first Landon deny
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for Jamie’s death, he thinks hard about her. Then he realizes although Jamie is
very sick, he still loves her.
Before Jamie is dying because of leukemia, Landon want to makes Jamie
happy to completes her dreams to marry her. In this case he is a gentleman. No
one forces him to marry with Jamie. This moment is unforgettable memory for
him. It becomes a big proof of his personality growth to be a good one.
3.1.2.3 Landon Carter’s Adulthood
Erikson explains that individual’s adulthood is divided into three stages. That are
early adulthood, is begin experience when individual steps the age of 20- 25;
middle adulthood in the age of 26-64 years; and late adulthood in the age of 65-
death (191). Each stage is also accompanied by crisis that has to be resolved as
well as crisis in the earlier of psychosocial development.
In the middle adulthood, Landon remembering when he is in seventeen
years old. Instead he is having marriage and death of Jamie Sullivan. In this stage,
Landon narrates flash back of his adolescent memory. In this last stage, Landon
has found his identity. Although his wife has been death, he still loves her and not
marries again.
3.2 Discussion
Through A Walk to Remember wants to show how the major character tries to face
all problems in her life how the love influences person his behavior. In this novel
Nicholas Sparks shows the condition of environment when Landon Carter is
growing up.
The novel describes the role of every member in the environment
especially family, love, and relationship in shaping Landon Carter‟ s behavior.
Landon gets many influences that come from his that environment. Nicholas
Sparks creates Landon Carter as a man who is rebellious, likes to hangout and
lacks of love. He also has bad social life with his other friend in school. The
author also describes him as a boy of congressman from Washington. His father
lives apart from him. Landon missed the roles of a father in his life. Thus, the
family gives contribution in shaping his behavior.
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Love is another contribution in shaping his behavior. The greatest
contribution is from romance relationship. During Landon is falling in love with
Jamie, his behavior becomes different. He really learns much from Jamie‟ s
attitude. He learns the value of forgiveness, patience, kindness and etc.
The causes of behavior change is from Jamie. Love has important roles in
his life. After he loved Jamie, his behavior becomes different. Thisstimulus makes
him better, although in bad environment. (Sparks, 1999: 145-146) . All the
influences from love of every relationship can show that he has developed from
the beginning until she gets fall in love, and the most influential in shaping his
behavior change is Jamie’s love.
4. CONCLUSION
The researcher used psychoanalysis approach to analyze the problems in this
novel. Psychoanalysis influences the way of individual’s thinking, feeling and
behaving especially often conflicts in society that causing a problems. Later, it is
used to give a great resistance towards behaviorism that focus on stimulus and
response. Behaviorism theory focuses on stimuli and response which done on
animal. Nicholas Sparks tries to create idea behavioral change in novel A Walk to
Remember (1999) becomes an interesting issue to discuss. In here, Landon is an
uncontrolled boy. It is because when Landon was a child, especially in the age of
five years old his father was not around him very much. He lived undertaker of
his mother. So Landon does not get his father loving and becomes an uncontrolled
boy until he is adolescence. In his adolescence, especially in the age of seventeen
years old, Landon contacts with Jamie and marvels that she is naturally good,
selfless, and cheerful.
The factors that influence the cause of behavioral change of Landon
Carter’s are parenting, inner desire, self-realization, love and belongingness
needs. The novel shows that the factors are pattern of parental behavior, Landon
identity crisis: Internal and external crisis, fall in love with Jamie Sullivan and
Jamie’s death: A sense of fidelity desire. The behavioral change of Landon
happens in the age of seventeen. As a result, the big influence factor in
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determining of behavioral change of Landon is fall in love with Jamie Sullivan.
In this age he raised his gentleman take decision to marry Jamie that
differentiates with other. No one forcing him to grow, but that is what the
character wants for him. In the end of the story, Landon shows that he is different
from another adolescent in general. Landon has changed his behavior and raise
to be gentleman to take big decision marrying Jamie Sullivan in the age of
seventeen years old.
In conclusion, Landon has become a good and humble person. After Jamie
provides extraordinary life learning. His life looks different and everything
changes for the better afterwards.
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